Erika's Picks for Best Student Credit Cards
- Best overall:
Capital One Savor Rewards for Students - Best for rotating rewards:
Discover it® Student Cash Back - Best for travel rewards:
Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students - Best for low credit score:
Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card
As a college student, you’re likely focused on preparing for your future career.
But this is also the time to start building your future finances — namely, your credit history. Getting a student credit card now means you can access lower interest rates on loans and the ability to buy a house someday.
Plus, a credit card not only builds your credit, but the best student credit cards offer cashback and travel rewards as well. After researching dozens of credit cards, we’ve found the best that are designed just for students, with no fees, easy-to-earn rewards, and well-designed mobile apps.
Best Overall: Capital One Savor Rewards for Students
Capital One Savor Rewards for Students
Rewards Rate
- 8% on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 3% on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores, like Walmart and Target)
- 1% on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn a one-time $50 cash bonus when you spend $100 within 3 months from opening your account
Annual Fee
$0
The Capital One Savor Rewards for Students card offers simple cashback rewards, category bonuses, and no fees. Plus, the cashback you can earn is on purchases you’re probably already making — like groceries, dining out, and streaming services.
Here are a few perks that help make the Capital One Savor Rewards for Students our top overall pick:
- Boosted cashback rates at grocery stores, on dining, and on popular online streaming services
- Access to Capital One Travel, with high cashback rates on hotels and rental cars booked through the portal
- Access to Capital One Entertainment, with a massive cashback boost on purchases there
- No annual fees or foreign transaction fees (great for study abroad programs!)
- Ability to earn a welcome offer
- Extended warranty on purchases made with the card
- Travel accident insurance and 24-hour travel assistance services
All information about the Capital One Savor Rewards for Students has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The Capital One Savor Rewards for Students is ideal for students who spend a lot of money on food and entertainment (which is most college students, TBH). It offers 3% cashback on groceries, dining, and streaming services, but also 8% cashback on entertainment booked through the Capital One Entertainment portal.
The card also doesn’t charge any annual fees or other hidden fees, making it an affordable starter card. Plus, with no foreign transaction fees, if you choose to study abroad or take a spring break trip, you can use this card anywhere in the world.
If you want to earn large amounts of cashback for things you already buy, this is the perfect starter card.
All information about the Capital One Savor Rewards for Students has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Best for Rotating Rewards: Discover it® Student Cash Back
Discover it® Student Cash Back Card
Rewards Rate
- 5% cashback on select purchases each quarter (on up to $1,500 each quarter, then 1%; activation required) and 1% on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Discover Cashback Match™ will double all cashback earned in the first 12 months
Annual Fee
$0
The Discover it® Student Cash Back has a rotating bonus structure. You get 5% cashback in categories that change each quarter — including grocery stores, home improvement stores, restaurants, streaming services, and more. That means every three months, you can earn more cashback at places where you’re probably already shopping.
Discover may even approve students who have no credit score whatsoever, making it a great card to begin building credit with.
Here are a few perks of the Discover it® Student Cash Back that make it one of the best cards for students:
- Beyond the rotating categories, you can earn unlimited 1% cashback on all other purchases
- You can get an unlimited rewards match on all the cashback earned within your first year of opening the card
- No annual fee
- No credit score needed to apply
All information about the Discover it® Student Cash Back has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
This card is ideal for students who want to earn cashback while spending in categories they frequent (such as restaurants and streaming services). With rotating 5% category bonuses, the rewards stack up quickly and can out-earn most other cashback student cards.
Discover doesn’t require a credit score for you to apply, making it great for college students who haven’t established any credit history and have no score yet. Many credit-builder cards don’t come with any rewards or perks, but with this one, you can earn cashback while building your credit at the same time. Plus, there’s no annual fee to worry about.
All information about the Discover it® Student Cash Back has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Best for Travel Rewards: Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
Rewards Rate
- Unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 on all purchases
Welcome Offer
25,000 online bonus points if you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening — which can be redeemed for a $250 statement credit toward travel and dining purchases
Annual Fee
$0
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students offers unlimited 1.5% travel rewards points for every dollar spent. These points can be redeemed for statement credits to help pay back the cost of flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, rental cars, or baggage fees.
There are also no foreign transaction fees, so you can use your card when traveling abroad, too.
Here are a few perks that make this one of the best travel rewards cards for students:
- Redeem points for travel expenses, as well as restaurants and take-out
- No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- Welcome bonus — many starter cards don’t offer this
- Free access to FICO® Score monitoring
All information about the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
This card is ideal if you want to start earning rewards for free travel. Most travel credit cards come with annual fees or require a good or excellent credit score, but this card is designed specifically for students who might not have a credit history or want to pay a fee.
While there are no bonus categories, the card offers unlimited 1.5% rewards on all purchases — and your points can be redeemed as a statement credit for travel and restaurant purchases.
In addition to no annual fee, the card also doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. And you get free access to your monthly FICO® Score inside the Bank of America app, so you can track your credit score as you go.
If you prefer travel rewards over cashback, this is one of the simplest ways to earn points to help pay for your next vacation.
All information about the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Best for Low Credit Score: Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card
Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- 1.5% cashback on all purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn a $25 statement credit when you sign up for automatic payments within the first 3 months of account opening (and remain enrolled for at least 90 days)
Annual Fee
$0
The Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card is ideal for students with low (or no) credit scores. And if you’re a current Chase customer, you can increase your approval odds if you have $250 or more in a Chase bank account.
This card also offers unlimited 1.5% cashback on every purchase, plus partnerships with Lyft and Doordash.
Here are a few more reasons why it’s great for students:
- No annual fee
- Free access to credit score with Chase Credit Journey
- Purchase protection, trip insurance, and fraud monitoring included
- Ability to increase credit limit in just six months
- Can upgrade to Chase Freedom Unlimited® in the future (which offers more perks!)
All information about the Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card is ideal for students with little to no credit history. If you already have a Chase account, this is an easy win for getting approved for a credit card while in college.
Chase will re-evaluate your account in as little as six months from card opening for a potential credit limit increase. Eventually, you may be eligible to upgrade your card to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase’s flagship cashback credit card.
If you’ve never had a credit card before, the Chase Freedom Rise® could be a good place to start.
All information about the Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card has been collected independently by Erika.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
What To Look for in a Student Credit Card
Here are some key things to consider when you’re picking a credit card:
- Eligibility requirements: Many student credit cards allow a lower credit score or don't check your score at all. Check the requirements of different cards to find one you’ll be able to qualify for.
- Interest rate: You'll be charged interest if you don’t pay your balance in full every month. Ideally, you'll pay your bill each month to avoid this month, but if you think you might miss the occasional payment, look for a card with a lower APR (annual percentage rate).
- Fees: Credit card fees can range from an annual fee to foreign transaction fees. Read the card's terms to understand what fees you might be liable for and how they’ll be charged.
- Rewards: Look for a card that aligns with your spending habits so you’ll be rewarded for spending you’re already doing.
- Perks: Aside from rewards, look for benefits like travel insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty. Even if you don’t regularly use these perks, they can be nice to have at the ready.
Understanding Credit Scores and Why They Matter
Your credit score is a measure of how responsible you are with debt obligations.
If you can prove you’re able to borrow responsibly and pay your bills in full, on-time, you can improve your score.
Having a strong credit score unlocks many financial benefits, like:
- Lower interest rates on loans
- Access to better credit card products (we’re talking about the premium ones that earn bigger rewards and offer perks like airport lounge access)
- Approval for a home mortgage
- Access to funding for starting up a business
- Acceptance to a job that might check your credit score before hiring
Your credit score is measured in many ways, but there are five main factors that credit bureaus evaluate to make up your credit score.
- Payment history (35%): Always make on-time payments.
- Amounts owed (30%): Don’t borrow too much and keep your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio below 43% to show lenders you aren’t overburdened with debt.
- Length of credit history (15%): Don’t close old credit accounts (unless you don’t use them and they charge a fee).
- Credit mix (10%): Show that you can manage and repay different kinds of credit (like credit cards, student loans, and mortgage or rent payments if your landlord reports to the credit bureaus).
- New credit (10%): Don’t open multiple new credit accounts in a short amount of time. Space out new loan or credit card applications.
READ MORE: How To Increase Your Credit Score the Right Way
How To Use Your First Credit Card Responsibly
As a student, it can be easy to overspend on a credit card — especially if you’ve never had one before.
But it’s important to treat your credit card just like you would your debit card. Only spend money you have available and with a plan to pay it off.
Here are a few strategies to help you manage your credit card responsibly:
Get on a budget
No, really. Put together a simple budget before you start using a credit card.
Make a plan for paying your monthly bills, then plan out your variable spending by week (food, gas, entertainment, etc). This helps you avoid overspending on your credit card — and keeps you from getting into debt you can’t pay off.
Don’t just make minimum payments
Always pay off your credit card’s statement balance — not just the minimum payment.
If you only make the minimum payments, you’ll pay a very high interest rate on the remaining balance, and you could end up in credit card debt.
Treat your card like cash
Don’t look at your credit card spending limit and think of it as available money. You need to treat your credit card like cash — and only spend money you already have in the bank.
READ MORE: Are Credit Cards Bad to Have and Use?
Common Credit Card Terms Students Should Know
If you’re getting your first credit card, make sure you understand the lingo:
- APR: This means annual percentage rate, and it is the amount of interest you are charged over a year. It’s usually expressed as a percentage (such as 29% APR) and is charged on your card each month when you don’t pay the entire statement balance.
- Credit limit: This is the amount of money you can spend on your credit card before maxing it out. For example, if you have a $500 credit limit and have already spent $400 on the card, you can only spend another $100 before your card gets declined. You’ll need to pay down your card to free up more available credit.
- Statement balance: Your credit card has a monthly statement cycle. Any transactions during those cycles are part of the monthly statement balance.
- Grace period: This is the time between when your statement cycle closes and when you have to make a payment on your card.
- Cash advance: When you withdraw cash from an ATM with your card, or access cash from your credit card in an app like Venmo, you’re taking out a cash advance. It usually comes with a hefty fee (3% to 5% of the withdrawal amount) and a higher APR than a normal purchase.
- Balance transfer: This is when you use a credit card to pay off another credit card. Balance transfers come with fees (3% to 5%) per transaction, but some credit cards offer 0% APR balance transfers for the first 12 or 18 months.
Bottom Line: Should You Get a Student Credit Card?
If you’re a student and know you can be responsible with your money, it’s a smart move to get a student credit card. You’ll start building your credit score and prove to lenders that you can be responsible with debt — which will help you out when you go to buy a house or car.
Plus, the best student credit cards come with perks like cashback and travel rewards — even for purchases you’re already making!
But if you struggle with budgeting and aren’t sure you can spend responsibly with a credit card, you may dig a deep hole of debt you can’t get out of. Be honest with yourself about your ability to use a credit card wisely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. While most student credit cards need verifiable proof of income to qualify, income can include any regular deposits to your account, such as an allowance from your parents, scholarship deposits, or your partner’s income if you’re over 21 and living together.
Student credit cards are geared toward college students who may not have an established credit history or score. While regular credit cards usually need you to have a good credit score and steady income, student cards are usually more lenient with approvals — but also offer lower credit limits.
It depends. If you have no credit history whatsoever, you may not qualify for an unsecured credit card.
A secured card allows you to start building credit by depositing money into your account to “secure” your credit card debt. After building your credit history, you can then switch to an unsecured card for a higher limit and better rewards.
