Best College Student Credit Cards of December 2024

You earn 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, on up to $1,000 in combined purchases per quarter, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. (Unlike with Discover's other student card, you don't have to "activate" your bonus rewards.) The annual fee is $0. There's also Discover's signature bonus for new cardholders.

Although there's no foreign transaction fee, Discover isn’t as widely accepted abroad as other cards. If you plan to travel internationally, make sure you have a backup plan.

You'll earn 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; 3% cash back on dining, entertainment purchases, eligible streaming services and grocery store purchases; and 1% back on all other purchases. Those are excellent ongoing rates that you simply won't find on many other cards in this class.

Newbies to credit may find that keeping track of multiple bonus categories can be a challenge. A flat-rate rewards card would be easier to manage.

There's no annual fee or upfront deposit, nor do you need a credit history to qualify. Beyond that, you'll earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases, and it may eventually be possible for you to upgrade to another credit card within Chase's extensive portfolio.

While it's a great choice for those with no credit, you won't be able to get this card if what you actually have is bad credit (FICO scores of 629 or lower). Chase also notes that your odds of approval will be higher if you have, or are willing to open, a Chase checking or savings account with at least $250 in it. So it may require jumping through a hoop or two first.

This card offers 5% cash back in rotating categories that you activate, on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter; all other spending earns 1% cash back. There's no annual fee and no late fee on your first late payment. With this card, too, Discover says there is no FICO history requirement.

Having to activate bonus categories every three months can be a hassle, especially when you're just getting started with credit, and some of the categories might be a poor fit for a student's spending. There's no foreign transaction fee, but Discover isn’t as widely accepted overseas — something to keep in mind if you're studying abroad.

This student card offers largely the same features and benefits as the regular version for non-students — including a good sign-up bonus and a lengthy introductory APR offer. You earn 1.5 points per dollar on spending (rising to 3 points per $1 on eligible travel booked through the issuer), and points can be redeemed for a penny apiece against travel and restaurant purchases. There's no foreign transaction fee, making it a good study-abroad companion, and the annual fee is $0.

Unlike some student cards that encourage those with no credit history to apply, the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students requires good credit, which can be a significant barrier to those just starting out.

The card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases, and the annual fee is $0.

If you're willing to put in more work, you can find student cards that earn more than 1.5% back in popular bonus categories.

Instead of requiring a traditional deposit, this card has you open a Self Credit Builder Account and make regular payments on a secured installment loan. (See our review for more detail on how it works.) Your payments essentially go into a certificate of deposit; once you have enough saved up with Self, you can use that money as a deposit on the card. The minimum deposit is just $100, lower than on most secured cards. There's no hard credit check, either.

There's an annual fee of $25. And there's no sugar-coating it: The process of opening the Credit Builder Account, making payments and then funding the card deposit is complicated. But for those struggling to establish credit, it can be worth the effort.

The rewards on this card match those on the Discover it® Student Chrome: 2% cash back on up to $1,000 worth of spending per quarter on restaurants and gas, and 1% on all other spending. That's very good for a secured card. After seven months, Discover automatically evaluates your account for possible upgrade to an unsecured card.

This is a secured credit card, so you must put down a deposit of at least $200. (Your credit limit will be equal to your deposit, up to $2,500.) Although secured cards are easier to qualify for than regular unsecured cards, approval isn't guaranteed. You'll need to be able to show you can pay your bill.

With no hard credit check, no interest and reporting to all three credit bureaus, this card has a lot of advantages when building credit. It's a secured card, but there's no minimum deposit requirement. Your credit limit is determined by how much you deposit in a linked account, and you can only spend what you've deposited. That deposit also earns interest, a rare feature for a secured card. The card offers cash back on purchases, although how much you earn can be a little complicated. See our review for details.

There's an annual fee, and there isn't much in the way of upgrade options. You can pay a higher fee to unlock better cash back rewards and earn more interest on your deposit, but there's no unsecured option to move up to. Also, the guardrails that prevent you from overspending, paying late or incurring interest charges don't really teach you how to manage credit.

Depending on which membership plan you choose, you can use the card for $17 to $150 a month in qualifying subscriptions and/or bill payments. Eligible payments include streaming services like Netflix and Spotify, as well as certain wireless phone providers. Your bill must be paid in full each month, so you can't carry a balance and therefore won't pay interest. The card reports to all three major credit bureaus.

This card rates lower than other options on this page because of its limited usability. It can help you build credit, but beyond subscriptions, you can't put so much as a pack of gum on it. There's a plan with no membership fee, but your monthly spending limit with that plan is $17, enough to cover (maybe) one subscription. Those who can't qualify for the free plan have to pay $2.99 a month plus provide a $17 deposit. To get a higher monthly limit, you'll need to pay a monthly fee of $4.99 (for a $50 limit) to $9.99 (for $150).