Best Credit Cards for Students: 10 Best Of
Learning to manage your finances is one of the most difficult tasks young adults must face. Heading off to college means you must budget your money so you can eat, buy gas, and enjoy your college experience.
Many students are also thinking about their future and want to get ahead in their post-graduation life by building up their credit. No matter what the reason, many students need a credit card to help get them through their next four years. If you are a student in search of the best options around, check out our list of the 10 best credit cards for students.
Best Credit Cards For Students Comparison Table
|
Name |
Image
|
Rating |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Discover it Student Cash Back |
|
||
|
Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students |
|
||
|
Journey Student Rewards from Capital One |
|
||
|
Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students |
|
||
|
State Farm Student Visa Credit Card |
|
||
|
BankAmericard Credit Card for Students |
|
||
|
Wells Fargo Cash Back College Card |
|
||
|
Discover it Student Chrome |
|
||
|
Chase Freedom Unlimited |
|
||
|
Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students |
|
Discover it Student Cash Back
Image via Discover It
Features
The Discover it Student Cash Back credit card is a great choice for those who frequently spend. They offer cash back on purchases and have been known to reward you for good grades. They also are extremely secure and can alert you if they think something suspicious is going on with your social security number, or your credit card.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
For up to five years, you can get a $20 statement credit for each school year you finish with a 3.0 GPA or higher. They also offer a 5% cash back reward for places that differ quarterly, and an unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. At the end of your first year, they will do a cash back match of whatever you have earned that year.
Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students
Image via Citi
Features
The Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students is a great way to get extra stuff from buying what you normally buy. Their ThankYou Points give you an incentive to go out and enjoy yourself. They help to protect your information and manage your payments with ease.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
All of your purchases will earn you points, but you will earn double the points while dinning out or at entertainment. If you spend $500 in the first three months, you will receive 2,500 bonus ThankYou Points. These points can be redeemed at any time for gift cards, electronics, and other rewards.
Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
Image via CapitalOne
Features
One of the best credit cards for students who intend to travel is the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One. They will not charge any sort of transaction fee while you are in a foreign country. This means you can study abroad without having to worry about your finances.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
This credit card offers students 1% cash back on every purchase they make. If you pay your bill on time, they will boost your cash back to a total of 1.25% for that month.
Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students
Image via Deserve
Features
Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students is a great way to start building up your credit. They offer cash back on all your purchases and do not require an annual fee. The best part is that they provide all of their student card holders with free subscriptions to Amazon Prime Students.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
Deserve offers students the opportunity to earn cash back on their purchases. They will receive 3% cash back on entertainment and travel, 2% cash back at any restaurant, an 1% cash back on all the other purchases they make. They also give all students free subscriptions to Amazon Prime Students.
State Farm Student Visa Credit Card
Image via StateFarm
Features
The State Farm Student Visa Card is a great choice if you are already familiar with or have State Farm insurance. Their point system is a bit more restrictive than others, but they offer a greater variety of rewards.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
For every $2 you spend at eligible locations, you will earn one point. On insurance premium payments, you can earn three points for every $1 you spend. These points can then be redeemed for gift cards, merchandise, air travel, hotels, and other State Farm products. You can also choose to gift your points to another State Farm Loyalty Rewards member.
BankAmericard Credit Card for Students
Image via Bank Of America
Features
The BankAmericard Credit Card for Students offers one of the lowest potential APRs for students, running as low as 14.99%. There is also no APR for the first 15 billing cycles, which can help you get the hang of a credit card without immediately worrying about interest.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
This credit card does not offer any rewards.
Wells Fargo Cash Back College Card
Image via WellsFargo
Features
The Wells Fargo Cash Back College Card is a great way for students to start building up their credit. They offer budgeting tools that can help you sort out your spending and your income all in one simple place. They also offer cash rewards on qualifying purchases.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
For the first six months, you can receive 3% cash rewards on any grocery, drugstore, or gas purchases. Everything else, both during those six months and after, will receive a 1% cash reward. These rewards can be redeemed in the form of travel, gift cards, or $25 increments into your bank account.
Discover it Student Chrome
Image via DiscoverIt
Features
If you tend to go out to eat a lot, you are going to want to check out the Discover it Student Chrome. They will give you 2% cash back when purchasing things at restaurants and gas stations, along with 1% cash back on everything else. Discover also has a number of safety features that helps to ensure your identity is safe.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
For up to five years, you can get a $20 statement credit for each school year you finish with a 3.0 GPA or higher. They also offer a 2% cash back reward for restaurants and gas station purchases (up to $1000 in combined purchases quarterly), and an unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. At the end of your first year, they will do a cash back match of whatever you have earned that year.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Image via Chase
Features
One of the best credit cards for students, no matter what your spending habits are like, is the Chase Freedom Unlimited. They offer 1.5% cash back on everything. Entertainment, gas, food, anything. There are no strings, no hassles, just automatic money for spending money.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
Chase Freedom Unlimited offers 1.5% cash back on all purchases. If you spend $500 in the first three months, they will give you a $150 bonus. Your cash back is collected automatically and will not expire. You can redeem it at any time.
Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students
Image via Bank Of America
Features
Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students offers cash back on all of your purchases and is a great way to start building up credit. With no annual fee and 0% APR for 12 billing cycles, you can get things started without completely losing control.
PROS
CONS
Rewards
This credit card offers 3% cash back on gas, 2% cash back at wholesale clubs and grocery stores, and 1% cash back on everything else. They also offer a $200 cash bonus if you spend $500 in the first 90 days. If you have a Bank of America checking or savings account, you can get a 10% bonus every time you redeem your cash back into your Bank of America account.
Best Credit Cards For Students FAQ
Image via Pexels
1. What Are Credit Cards?
Credit cards are plastic cards linked to a line of credit used to pay for things when you do not have the cash on hand. You must pay back the amount later on, but unlike a debit card, you have the ability to buy things before your paycheck comes in.
2. Why Should College Students Get a Credit Card?
Getting and regularly paying on a credit card will help build up your credit score. This credit score will be very useful post-graduation for things like car loans, applying for a mortgage, or getting a lower APR on a future credit card.
3. What Do Some of the Best Credit Cards For Students Offer?
Many of these credit cards offer cash back rewards for qualifying purchases. Others offer points, which can then be redeemed for gift cards, travel, electronics, and other goods.
4. Where Can You Apply For the Best Credit Cards for Students?
You can easily apply for the best credit cards for students on the credit cards’ websites, which we have listed below.
How We Reviewed
To make sure we got an accurate review of the best credit cards for students, we spent a significant amount of time compiling a list of cards. Once we had this list, we went over the features, pros, cons, and rewards for each card in order to determine how beneficial each would be compared to the last. We then reviewed the entire list and came up with a final verdict on the best credit cards for students.
Overall Price Range of This Product (and Similar Products)
The main factor for credit cards in terms of price is the APR, which is the annual percentage rate, or your interest rate. These rates will vary greatly depending on your credit, if you get a co-signer, and a few other variables. The best credit cards for students generally have APRs ranging from about 13%-28%.
What We Reviewed
- Discover it Student Cash Back
- Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students
- Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
- Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students
- State Farm Student Visa Credit Card
- BankAmericard Credit Card for Students
- Wells Fargo Cash Back College Card
- Discover it Student Chrome
- Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students
Best Credit Cards For Students: The Verdict
Image via Pexels
Choosing the best credit cards for students can be challenging, as each student is unique and has different spending habits. For those who are attentive to their cards, Discover it Student Cash Back credit card offers the best credit cards for students. With up to 5% cash back on qualifying purchases and credit for their good grades, this card can offer them the most money back. For an overall card with consistent benefits, Chase Freedom Unlimited offers the best credit cards for students. They provide 1.5% cash back on everything, so you do not have to search for which products will qualify. Plus, everything is automatic and is made simple for first-time card holders.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.