Deserve Edu Review: A Credit Steppingstone for Students
The Bottom Line
4.5
A top-notch card for international students and a strong option for students with no credit history. If you have a Social Security number, though, other student cards offer richer rewards.
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%
Bonus offer
None
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
Purchase: 22.99%, Variable
Foreign transaction fee
0%
More details from Deserve
- Receive one year of Amazon Prime Student on Deserve after spending $500 in the first three billing cycles with your EDU card (Lifetime Value of $69).
- Earn 1% Cash Back on all purchases with your Deserve EDU Mastercard. Once approved, you'll automatically start earning cash back on all purchases.
- Feel secure with cell phone protection up to $600.
- No deposit required. No annual fees.
- No international transaction fees on purchases abroad so you can travel with confidence.
- No Social Security Number required for international students to apply.
- Refer A Friend Program: Refer anyone to Deserve using your personal referral code. Upon approval, card activation and use, you'll receive $30 and so will your referral. Referral bonuses are unlimited!
- Manage and track your spending, set automatic payments and securely freeze your card all through one easy to use app.
- See if you prequalify with no impact to your credit score in minutes.
- Deserve Mastercards are issued by Celtic Bank, Member FDIC.
- Enjoy Mastercard Platinum Benefits intended to make your life easier like Mastercard ID Theft Prevention™ and Master Rental®.
Pros and Cons
Pros
No annual fee
Qualify with limited/bad credit
Reports to the three major credit bureaus
No foreign transaction fees
Cons
High APR
Detailed Review
» This card is not currently available
The Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students is not currently accepting applications. Deserve is updating this product and its customer experience, according to the company's website. The company has not offered a date as to when it will begin accepting applications. See our best credit cards for college students for other options. Below is our review from when the card was available.
• • •
For college students — and especially for international students — the $0-annual-fee Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students is an excellent starter credit card.
Because it uses alternative underwriting standards, it's possible to qualify for the card with no credit history. And international students can qualify without a Social Security number, which often isn't possible with traditional credit cards. There's also no security deposit requirement.
The card — issued by Celtic Bank — further stands out with incentives like cash back and perks, rare benefits among cards for people without a credit history.
Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students: Basics and benefits
The Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students is different from other credit cards in that it relies on applicants' financial documents and a proprietary algorithm to measure credit potential. The startup company also looks at U.S. bank account balances to determine your ability to pay. Your contact information — physical address, email address and phone number — is also a factor. Deserve looks at how that information has changed over the years to determine whether it can reach you easily.
Although Deserve removes some obstacles to credit for many students, by law all applicants under 21 must prove they can pay their bill on their own. Like many other issuers, Deserve doesn’t allow co-signers. Details:
Card type: College student.
Annual fee: $0.
Rewards: Unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases.
Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 22.99% Variable.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Credit limit: Up to $5,000. Individual cardholders' limits are determined during underwriting.
Other benefits:
Reports to three credit bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. Paying the card on time and borrowing responsibly could help you build your credit.
Statement credit for a 12-month Amazon Prime Student subscription. Enjoy free shipping, access to Prime movies and TV, and more. New Prime subscribers can already get a six-month free trial, and Deserve covers up to 12 months in the form of statement credit after you spend $500 in the first three billing cycles.
First late fee waived.
Mastercard Platinum benefits. These include cell phone protection insurance and car rental collision waivers.
Unlike other credit cards, this card doesn't offer cash advances. That means you can't use it to make cash withdrawals from ATMs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though; cash advances generally come with high fees and high APRs. If you need a card that makes it easier to access cash when you're not near a bank branch, consider a debit card or prepaid card.
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
No credit history required
If you have a credit report, Deserve will screen it for delinquencies or other negative marks. But if you don't have a credit history, Deserve uses its own underwriting process to evaluate your application. Among those factors reviewed are your U.S. bank account. You’ll have to link your bank account in order for it to verify your address and ability to pay.
Because a credit history isn't required, this could be a good card to get when you're building credit from scratch. Deserve reports to all three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These companies compile the information used to calculate your credit scores. You can check your free credit report from NerdWallet at any time. You can also pull your credit report directly from each major credit bureau for free once every 12 months through the federally authorized site AnnualCreditReport.com.
International students don't need a Social Security Number
International students don't need a Social Security number to apply, but they will have to provide a student visa, passport ID and school documents, such as an I-20 form or DS 2019. Domestic students generally have a Social Security number, and they will have to include it in their applications.
If you apply without a Social Security number, you can still use this card to build credit — but you may have to complete a few more steps to get your credit report. For example, a credit bureau may ask you to submit a written request for your report and verify your identity with certain documents. If you get a Social Security number after applying for the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students, you can call Deserve to notify it and eventually skip the extra paperwork.
Decent rewards
A cash-back rate of 1% is low compared with a lot of cards, but it’s generous for someone with no credit history. Once your cash-back total reaches $25, it's redeemed automatically for statement credit if your account is in good standing. Rewards won’t expire as long as your card is active.
After graduating from college, you can continue using the card and possibly get upgraded to the Deserve® Pro Mastercard credit card, which offers more rewards. Upgrading to another card — instead of closing the account — also preserves the length of your credit history, an important factor in your credit score.
Low cost
The annual fee is $0, and you won’t pay foreign transaction fees when traveling abroad. That’s extra money to put toward late-night food and coffee during midterms or finals. The first late fee is waived, saving you up to $25 if you slip up while you’re getting the hang of this credit thing. And unlike secured credit cards, it doesn't require an upfront security deposit for collateral.
Drawbacks and Considerations
Modest rewards
The Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students offers solid rewards — but they're not as generous as those on the Discover it® Student Cash Back.
This card offers 5% cash back in rotating bonus categories that you activate, on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter, and 1% on all other spending. There's an introductory APR period: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 6 months and 10.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months, and then the ongoing APR of 17.49%-26.49% Variable APR. *Rates as of December 12, 2024. At the end of the first year, Discover matches all cash back earned, dollar for dollar. However, Discover’s limited acceptance abroad might be a deal breaker. Also, you will need a Social Security number to be eligible for this card.
The Discover it® Student Cash Back will require a traditional credit check, and if you have bad credit, you may find it hard to get approved. But it's possible to qualify for the card with no credit.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
If you’re a student looking to establish credit, the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students may clear some obstacles from your path while also earning you cash-back rewards, a rare opportunity when you have no credit record. Just try to avoid carrying ongoing balances so interest charges don't pile up, and make all of your payments on time.
For more options to consider, read NerdWallet's list of the best credit cards to get.
If your credit is considered bad, rather than thin or nonexistent, start rebuilding it with this card, which removes two of the biggest obstacles to getting a credit card: There's no credit check, and you don't need a bank account. There is an annual fee, though: $35.
Looking For Something Else?
Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
