The Best Student Credit Cards Of 2019

It’s always a Catch-22. You’ve decided to get your first credit card while still in college. In order to do that, however, you need credit. Yet to get credit, you want a credit card.

H2 : Some of the best cards

Enter the student credit card. Most issuers market credit cards designed for students, allowing them to build up credit while they are still in school. Below, we’ve listed the best for every type of student and budget.

One thing to keep in mind. Under the Credit Card Act of 2009, people under 21 cannot get a credit card unless they have a cosigner or show proof of independent income. So even though you are a college student, you may not qualify for one of these cards unless one of those two stipulations are met.

H3 : Discover it Student Cash Back

H4 : Best for: Cashing in on major cash back

H5 : You would be hard pressed to find a card that offers a better cash back reward than the Discover it Student Cash Back card.

H6 : There’s one major downside to this card: a particularly high APR of 26.96%.

One of two student cards Discover offers, it allows students to earn 5% cash back at different places each quarter, namely gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants or Amazon. In order to get the 5% back, though, users are required to manually activate the reward each quarter, and it’s typically capped off at $1,500 in purchases.

Best Student Credit Cards

Avianca Vida Visa® Card (Forbes Review)

Apply Now →

Apply Now

On Avianca's Secure Website

Avianca Vida Visa® Card (Forbes Review)

Pros

• No annual fee
• 0% Intro APR offer for 12 months
• Competitive cash back rewards

Cons

• 3% foreign transaction fee
• Late payments trigger high fees and APR
• After the intro APR ends, the standard APR is high

Regular Apr

14.74% to 27.74%, based on your creditworthiness

Annual Fee

$59

Welcome Bonus

i

Online $200 cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days

Credit Score

i

Excellent, Good

Highlights

• 20,000 Bonus LifeMiles after first card use
• Earn 2 LifeMiles per $1 spent on Avianca purchases
• Earn 1 LifeMile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• 15% discount on purchases of miles with Multiply Your Miles

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee

$59

Intro Purchase Apr

N/A

Regular Apr

14.74% to 27.74%, based on your creditworthiness

Intro Balance Transfers APR

0% intro APR for the first 12 months. Applies to BTs made within the first 90 days.

View Details

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Online $200 cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days

But the good news is that you can earn earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically. Best of all, Discover matches all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.

Though it’s not much, Discover offers a $20 statement credit each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to five years. With no annual fee or foreign transaction fee, the card comes with a 0% introductory APR for six months. Though there’s no penalty APR, it does charge a late or returned payment fee of up to $37 (though Discover lets that slide the first time you pay late).

Discover it Chrome for Students

Best for: Students with a car (and good grades)

The Discover it Chrome for Students is almost identical to the Student Cash Back card – except with fewer opportunities for cash back. With this card, you have the opportunity to earn 2% cash back, but only at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases quarterly.

However, you still get the good grades reward, the first year cash back match and the 1% cash back on all other purchases. It also offers the same introductory and regular APR rate as the Student Cash Back card with no annual fee.

It’s important to note that both of these Discover student cards do check whether you are actually enrolled in a two- or four-year college or university to qualify. A Discover spokesperson says while there isn’t a specific FICO credit score needed to be approved for a Discover student card, the issuer looks at numerous factors in the application process. For example, he says, some of the proofs of income that are accepted on applications include part-time or full-time work, internships or summer jobs and scholarships or grants for living expenses.

Journey Student Credit Card from Capital One

Best for: Students and first-time credit card users with average credit

Unlike most student credit cards, you don’t have to be a student to apply for the Journey Student card. All you need is an average credit score.

With no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, this card allows you to earn 1% cash back on all purchases. If you pay your bill on time, Capital One will bump this up to 1.25%. Like many other cards, it offers $0 fraud liability if your card is lost or stolen, and unlimited, free access to your credit score, which is good for students trying to build up and monitor their score.

There’s one major downside to this card: a particularly high APR of 26.96%. There is no penalty APR, although late payments incur a fee of up to $38.

Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students

Best for: Purchasing your textbooks

If you know you are going to spend at least $500 immediately after opening this card (and have the cash to back it up), this card can prove valuable. The Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students offers a $150 cash reward bonus after making at least $500 in purchases in the first 90 days after opening an account.

Best Student Credit Cards

Bank of America® Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students NA

The Capital One SavorOne card is a perfect cash back credit card for those who spend a lot at bars, restaurants, and going out. With its 3% cash back rate in that category, it's an easy win for socialites that don't want to carry an annual fee.

Learn More →

Bank of America® Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students NA

The Capital One SavorOne card is a perfect cash back credit card for those who spend a lot at bars, restaurants, and going out. With its 3% cash back rate in that category, it's an easy win for socialites that don't want to carry an annual fee.

Pros

• Get an online credit
• 3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping or furnishings
• 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Cons

• Get an online credit
• 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Regular Apr

16.24 - 26.24 variable APR on purchases and balance transfers

Annual Fee

$0

Welcome Bonus

-

Credit Score

i

Fair/Good

Highlights

• Get an online $200 cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening
• 3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings
• 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
• 1% cash back on all other purchases
• Your cash rewards don’t expire. Each month, as you plan for future purchases, you can change your 3% choice category online or through our mobile app
• Use the free and easy ShopSafe® service when you shop online to generate a temporary credit card number so your real card number remains completely private and protected
• Access your FICO® Score updated monthly for free, within your Mobile Banking app or in Online Banking

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee

$0

Intro Purchase Apr

0% Intro APR on purchases for 12 months

Regular Apr

16.24 - 26.24 variable APR on purchases and balance transfers

Intro Balance Transfers APR

0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

-

Much like the Discover cards, it offers 1% cash back on every purchase, 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs and 3% on gas (or other another select category of your choice) for the first $2,500 in combined grocery/wholesale club/gas purchases each quarter.

For the first 12 months, this card offers a 0% introductory APR offer. After that, the standard APR jumps to 15.24% to 25.24%. Unfortunately, this is one of the few student cards that offers a penalty APR of up to 29.99%, based on your creditworthiness. This is in addition to a late payment fee of up to $38 and a returned payment fee of up to $27. It also charges a 3% foreign transaction fee.

BankAmericard Credit Card for Students

Best for: Taking advantage of a low introductory APR

This card has one of the longest introductory APR periods of any student credit card. It offers a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. After that, the APR jumps to 15.99% to 25.99%.

It offers the same introductory and standard APR for balance transfers, along with a $0 introductory fee for transactions made within 60 days of opening your account. Unlike the other Bank of America student card, this card has no penalty APR, although it charges a late payment fee of up to $39 and a returned payment fee of up to $28.

While there’s no annual fee, the major downside to this card is that it offers no chance for cash back. It does offer a free monthly FICO score, but this is on par with other student credit cards. If you know you won’t be able to pay your balance in full each month for the first year or so, or if you already need to do a balance transfer, then this is the optimal card for you.

Deserve Edu Mastercard

Best for: International students

The Deserve Edu card boasts that it’s “designed for international students,” as it doesn’t require a social security number or prior credit history. It also doesn’t require a deposit or cosigner. And if you are a transfer student going home on break, you’ll be able to use this card at home without penalty. It thankfully doesn’t offer any foreign transaction fees.

The card also offers a subscription to Amazon Prime Student and 1% cash back on all purchases, which can be redeemed as a statement credit. It has an average standard APR of 20.99%, but does not allow balance transfers or cash advances. There’s no annual fee, but there is a late payment fee of up to $25 and a returned payment fee of $37.

One downside is that this card only offers a $5,000 credit limit. But it’s one of the most easily accessible cards for foreign students looking to build up credit.

Citi Rewards+ Student Card

Best for: Gift card junkies

With this Citi card, it’s all about the points. You can earn two “ThankYou points” for every dollar spent at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $6,000 spent per year, and one point for each $1 spent on all other purchases.

As an introductory offer, Citi will give you 2,500 bonus points if you charge $500 on the card within the first three months of opening your account. Citi will also roundup your points to the nearest 10 points. For example, Citi will roundup a $2 coffee to 10 points. Points can be redeemed for gift cards, electronics and appliances and booking travel. They can also be used to shop online at Amazon or Best Buy.

With no annual fee, the card also comes with a 0% introductory APR for the first seven months. Unfortunately, the standard APR after that period is quite high – 16.74% to 26.74%, based on your creditworthiness.

There is a penalty APR of 29.99%, as well as a late payment and returned payment fee of up to $39. Foreign transactions will run you 3% of each purchase.

One bonus: Citi offers you the flexibility to choose your payment due date. You can choose to pay your bill in the beginning, middle or end of the month.
This is The First Access Visa Credit Card related article. You can search for more details.