United for equity

Member Benefits
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As a CFS member, you gain access to free programs and services to offset the high cost of education.

The Canadian Federation of Students offers a number of programs and services in order to offset the high cost of education. Member benefits are designed to help both individual student members and students’ unions save money — our primary goal!
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New and existing services are constantly being created and improved by our very own membership. Students have prioritized purchasing and are provided ethically sourced materials with consideration for the rights of workers and the environment. Collectively participating in our benefit programs gives members of the Federation the ability to negotiate for better pricing, while maintaining high quality.

Our services

Free International Student Identity Card (ISIC)

Save money on flights, bus tickets, sporting games, and more!

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Free International Student Identity Card (ISIC)

About the Card

The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is an internationally recognized student travel discount card. ISIC holders can use their cards while travelling abroad in over 80 countries around the world at various museums, hostels, hotels, historical sites and entertainment attractions.

In Canada, students save money through national discounts on flights and bus tickets, at major department stores, at sports events and more. Students can also use the ISIC card for discounts at local small businesses around their campuses.

For a full list of ISIC discounts in Canada and abroad, visit the ISIC Canada website at isiccanada.ca.

How to Get an ISIC

The ISIC is FREE to full-time students as a benefit of membership for the Canadian Federation of Students. Members can order a free ISIC online or by visiting their students’ union office. Non-members, including high school students 12 years of age or older, can purchase the ISIC for $20.00 by ordering online.

For a full list of ISIC discounts in Canada and abroad, visit the ISIC website at isiccanada.ca.

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Notebooks & Day Planners

Today even the largest students’ unions in Canada realize savings from the economies of scale enjoyed by the Federation’s handbook service.

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Notebooks & Day Planners

Students’ unions often produce and distribute day planners, agendas or handbooks to students, which contain important information about the executives that represent students, resources and services available to members, and campaigns and advocacy work that they can get involved in.

The Federation’s handbook project was initiated to reduce the cost of producing high-quality handbooks, particularly for smaller students’ unions. By pooling together resources, students’ unions of all sizes soon benefited from the project, and today even the largest students’ unions in Canada realize savings from the economies of scale enjoyed by the Federation’s handbook service.

By bulk purchasing, the Federation has been able to negotiate for more affordable, better quality and ethically sourced handbooks. The handbooks are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and vegetable ink with colour pages. Students’ unions also save money in writing and editing, design, printing and binding.  

Cover art, optional advertising, customizable calendar pages and up to 64 pages of local content are all available through the service.


National Student Health Network

Secure lower rates and better coverage for individual members.

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National Student Health Network

The National Student Health Network is the Federation-coordinated, buying consortium for health and dental insurance. The primary purpose of the consortium is to use the collective expertise and combined purchasing power of participating students’ unions to secure lower rates and better coverage for individual members.

Through the cooperative services model offered by the Federation, students’ unions have direct control over the services offered by their health and dental plans. It was this control that allowed the network to be among the first providers to regularly cover oral contraception and the first to offer spousal benefits to same-sex partners.

Discount Networks

Over 850 dentists participate in the Dental Discount Network to reduce student members’ co-pay by 20% to 30%.

The Vision Network discount varies between 10% to 30% at The Bay Optical, Hakim Optical, ContactExpress.ca, ClearlyContacts.ca and The Eyewear Advantage Network (Sears Optical and LensCrafters).

Network members’ plans are covered by Green Shield Canada, the country’s only not-for-profit insurer. 

For more information about coverage under Green Shield Canada, visit GreenShield.ca.

Free Tax Filing

Free online tax filing from one of Canada’s leading online tax filing services.

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Free Tax Filing

The Canadian Federation of Students is proud to offer students FREE online tax filing with UFile.ca, one of Canada’s leading online tax filing services, all year round. 

Students can use UFile.ca to file taxes for their spouses, partners or dependents. The service is also available in French at impôtexpert.ca.

During tax season, the Federation provides students’ unions with updated promotional materials to raise awareness amongst students about the free tax filing service. Posters include the current tax year’s access code that students enter online at UFile.ca.

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Special code offer: CFS1981

Ethical Purchasing Network

Save money, help make campuses sweatshop-free and influence industry standards so that other companies offer products that are made under similar ethical conditions.

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Ethical Purchasing Network

Since 2006, the Federation has coordinated the purchase of ethically produced and sustainably sourced materials for campuses across Canada. Most of the products available through the Ethical Purchasing Network are union-made from recycled materials, cooperatively produced and environmentally conscious. These products include:

  • Water bottles produced from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic;
  • Lanyards manufactured from post-consumer recycled polyethylene;
  • Handbooks made from post-consumer recycled paper and vegetable ink; and
  • A number of other union-made products.

By purchasing these products collectively, students’ unions are able to save money, help make campuses sweatshop-free and influence industry standards so that other companies offer products that are made under similar ethical conditions.

One of the ways the Federation has impacted industry standards is by supporting a partnership with the Single Mothers’ Workers Cooperative of El Salvador. In 2006, thousands of garment workers in the country, many of whom were women, were losing jobs as clothing production shifted to other parts of the world. Many of these women decided to use the many years of experience they had in the garment industry to form a cooperative and create their own production facility.

The Federation’s initial order of 40,000 t-shirts allowed the Cooperative to relocate to a safer region of El Salvador, where there was more space for production and to operate a daycare for members of the Cooperative. 

Check out the Ordering Guide