Credit cards for college students
We recommend these cards from our partners.
CK Editors’ Tips††: Student credit cards may offer rewards and other features to help you start your credit journey.Read more
What to consider when choosing a student credit card
Student credit cards can feature valuable rewards, but they’re primarily for helping students establish a credit history. Try to pick a card that helps you maintain good credit habits, like paying on time and in full. Ultimately, establishing quality credit with a student card is more likely to help you in the long term than any rewards you earn now.
Student credit cards can feature valuable rewards, but they’re primarily for helping students establish a credit history. Try to pick a card that helps you maintain good credit habits, like paying on time and in full. Ultimately, establishing quality credit with a student card is more likely to help you in the long term than any rewards you earn now.
How we picked the best student credit cards
The best student credit cards come with useful rewards, but they also help students develop good credit habits. When selecting these cards, we focused on various rewards goals and the kinds of features that reward you for your card use, like extra cash back for paying on time. Read more about our methodology for picking the best credit cards.
Jump to editors’ picksThe best student credit cards come with useful rewards, but they also help students develop good credit habits. When selecting these cards, we focused on various rewards goals and the kinds of features that reward you for your card use, like extra cash back for paying on time. Read more about our methodology for picking the best credit cards.
Great for rotating cash back categories††
Great for rotating cash back categories††
Discover it® Student Cash Back
Rewards rate
1% - 5%Cash backAnnual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1% - 5% Cash back
Annual fee
$0
- INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200. There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
- Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.
Great for simple cash back††
Great for simple cash back††
Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
Rewards rate
1.5% - 10%Cash backAnnual fee
$0Welcome bonus
$50
Rewards rate
1.5% - 10% Cash back
Annual fee
$0
Welcome bonus
$50
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
Great for high cash back rates††
Great for high cash back rates††
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
Rewards rate
1% - 8%Cash backAnnual fee
$0Welcome bonus
$50
Rewards rate
1% - 8% Cash back
Annual fee
$0
Welcome bonus
$50
- Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), with 1% on all other purchases
- Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
Great for commuter students††
Great for commuter students††
Discover it® Student Chrome
Rewards rate
1% - 2%Cash backAnnual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1% - 2% Cash back
Annual fee
$0
- INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200. There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
- Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically. Plus earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
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†† The opinions you read here come from our editorial team. Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors' opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when it’s posted.