Waterstones is the UK’s largest high street bookshop chain, with over 280 stores across the country as well as a well-stocked online shop. If you’re a reader and an NHS worker, it’s a natural place to look for a discount. Here’s the honest picture.
Does Waterstones offer an NHS discount?
No. Waterstones does not currently offer an NHS discount or a Blue Light Card discount. There’s no staff verification scheme or dedicated healthcare worker offer in place at the moment. NHS staff pay the same prices as everyone else.
There are still several ways to save at Waterstones though, and some of them are genuinely useful.
Waterstones Plus — the best way to save regularly
Waterstones Plus is their free loyalty scheme and it’s worth signing up for if you buy books regularly. You earn a stamp for every £10 you spend, and once you collect 10 stamps you get £10 to spend in store, online or in their cafés. There’s no minimum spend on redeeming it, so you can put it towards a single book if you want.
Plus members also get access to member-only sales and seasonal promotions, and can enter occasional prize draws. You can sign up in store or on the Waterstones website.
Great Book Deals
Waterstones runs a permanent Great Book Deals section on their website with selected titles reduced by up to 50%. The books change regularly so it’s worth checking back. It’s a good way to pick up bestsellers and popular titles at a lower price without needing a discount code.
Free delivery
Orders over £25 qualify for free standard delivery. Below that, delivery starts from £2.99. If you’re ordering a single book it can be worth adding a second to push over the threshold, particularly if you’re already considering something else.
Looking for a cheaper alternative?
If the price of a new book at Waterstones feels steep, The Works offers 10% off for NHS staff and regularly sells books at significantly lower prices. It’s a different range — more popular titles, gift books and children’s books — but worth a look. You can also browse all our NHS books and magazines discounts for other options.
