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Last checked 6 Nov 2026. Offers change often, so confirm the price on the outlet's own page before you pay.

Quick answer

Students and staff should check for a free FT licence at their school, college, university or employer first, because group access is the most common free route to the full FT.

United Kingdom

School / university

FT Schools: free for 16-19 students and their teachers

Free

Schools anywhere in the world that teach 16 to 19 year olds, and UK further education colleges, can get free FT.com access for students and staff. A member of staff has to register the school, not the student. Once it is set up, students can sign in with their school email and read at home or in the app.

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School / university

Free FT.com through your university's licence

Free

Many UK universities pay for campus-wide FT access. At Leeds, for example, students activate it by signing in once through a university link. Search your library's database list for 'Financial Times', or ask your library, before you pay for a subscription.

How to get it Confirmed on an official page Source 1 Source 2
Employer

Employer or organisation group licence

Free to you (paid by the organisation)

Banks, law firms, consultancies, public bodies and many other employers buy group FT subscriptions for their staff. Ask your HR, library or knowledge team whether your organisation has one. If it does, you can usually activate a seat with your work email.

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Gift link

Gift articles from a subscriber

Free

FT subscribers can send gift links that let a non-subscriber read an article in full. Standard Digital includes about 10 gifts a month and Premium about 20. If a friend or colleague subscribes, ask them to gift you a piece you need.

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Free newsletter

Free FT Alphaville newsletter on Substack

Free

In November 2025 the FT started a weekly FT Alphaville newsletter on Substack that anyone can read for free. It comes out on Friday lunchtimes, UK time.

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App

Cheaper FT Edit tier

£4.99/month or £49/year (in-app prices)

FT Edit is a lower-cost tier with a small daily selection of FT articles chosen by editors, not the whole site. The FT app on the App Store lists it at £4.99 and £49, against £39 and £369 for Standard Digital.

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App

Free podcasts, crossword and markets data in the FT app

Free

You can use parts of the FT app without subscribing, including all the podcasts (such as FT News Briefing), markets data, the How To Spend It magazine and the daily crossword. The podcasts also play in any normal podcast app.

How to get it Confirmed on an official page Source
Intro offer

Discounted first year of Standard Digital

£279 for the first year (full price £468/year as of January 2026)

Paying a year upfront is the cheapest way to buy the FT yourself. In January 2026 Press Gazette found a first-year offer of £279 for Standard Digital, against a full price of £468. Offers change often, so check the renewal terms before you pay.

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Other

Included with Revolut Metal and Ultra plans

Included in the plan fee: Metal about £14.99-£16.99/month, Ultra about £55-£60/month (UK prices went up in late 2026)

Revolut Metal customers can activate FT Standard Digital and Ultra customers get FT Premium Digital at no extra charge. You turn it on in the app's plan benefits section. It is only offered in selected countries, and it ends if you leave the plan.

See the offer Reported by a reliable source; check before relying on it Source 1 Source 2

United States

Library

FT.com through some public libraries

Free

A few US public libraries buy FT.com access for their card holders. Bloomfield Township Public Library in Michigan is one, and its members enter their card number to read from home. Most public libraries don't offer it, so ask yours.

How to get it Confirmed on an official page Source 1 Source 2
School / university

Free FT for high schools (FT Schools)

Free

US high schools that teach students aged 16 to 19 can register for free FT.com access. A staff member has to sign the school up, and then students and teachers can log in with their school email.

How to get it Reported by a reliable source; check before relying on it Source 1 Source 2
School / university

University library FT access

Free

Many US universities give their students and staff free FT access. Harvard, for example, offers it to its whole community, who sign up with their university email and single sign-on. Look on your library's FT or newspapers guide page.

How to get it Confirmed on an official page Source 1 Source 2

Ireland

School / university

FT Schools: free for 16-19 students and their teachers

Free

Any school worldwide that teaches 16 to 19 year olds, Irish secondary schools included, can register for free FT.com access for students and staff. A teacher or other staff member has to complete the sign-up.

How to get it Reported by a reliable source; check before relying on it Source 1 Source 2
Other

Included with Revolut Metal and Ultra plans

Included in the plan fee (Metal or Ultra monthly charge)

Revolut publishes an Irish version of its FT benefit page. Metal includes FT Standard Digital and Ultra includes Premium Digital, and you activate it in the app. Make sure the benefit appears in your app before you upgrade a plan to get it.

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Australia

School / university

Free FT for senior school students (FT Schools)

Free

Australian schools that teach students aged 16 to 19 can register for free FT.com access. A teacher or other staff member has to complete the school's registration.

How to get it Reported by a reliable source; check before relying on it Source
School / university

University library FT access

Free

Some Australian universities, Monash among them, give their students and staff a free FT subscription. Search your university library for 'Financial Times'.

How to get it Reported by a reliable source; check before relying on it Source

Questions

Usually, yes. If you are 16 to 19, your school or college can sign up for free through FT Schools, and many universities have a licence their students can activate with a university email. Ask your teacher or library before you pay.

Not often. Library PressReader and BorrowBox collections in the UK generally leave out the FT, so student, employer and gift-link routes are more dependable. Ask your library anyway in case it subscribes to a business database that includes FT content.

Revolut lists the FT as a benefit on its Metal plan, which includes Standard Digital, and its Ultra plan, which includes Premium Digital, in selected countries. You switch it on from the plan benefits section of the app.

Subscribers get a monthly allowance of gift links, about 10 on Standard and about 20 on Premium, and anyone who receives one can read that article in full without paying. Ask a subscriber to send you a gift link.

FT Edit, a short daily selection of stories, costs £4.99 a month in the app. For the full site, a discounted first year of Standard Digital (£279 in January 2026) works out much cheaper than paying monthly.