Best Student Credit Cards for 2024

If you've been on the hunt for fee-free college student credit cards, we're happy to inform you that your search has come to an end. The Petal 2 Visa credit card helps you build your credit, lets you earn cashback rewards, doesn't require a security deposit, and doesn't charge any type of fees. The Petal 2 is also relatively easy to qualify for, as WebBank - the card's issuing bank - doesn't rely solely on credit scores when determining creditworthiness.

APR and Fees

The Petal 2 Visa doesn't offer a lower introductory APR. The standard APR is variable between 18.24% - 32.24%.

As you have probably deduced from its name, this Visa student credit card charges no fees at all. Cardmembers don't have to worry about annual membership costs, foreign transaction charges, or late fees. 

You also won't be assigned a penalty APR if you don't pay your credit card bill on time. Bear in mind, however, that late payments may affect your credit score. To keep your credit profile in good shape and avoid interest charges, it is our recommendation that you pay your bill in full each month.

Rewards Policy

Most other credit-building cards don't offer much when it comes to rewards. On the other hand, as one of the best credit cards for a college student, Petal 2 has a unique cashback program that encourages you to make consistent on-time payments.

As a new Petal 2 cardholder, you'll start by earning 1% cash back on all purchases. If you make six on-time monthly payments in a row, the rate will increase to 1.25%. After paying your monthly bill on time for the 12th time, you'll qualify for the 1.5% cash back rate. This card also allows you to earn 2% to 10% in cash back rewards from select merchants. 

As one of the best student credit cards, the Petal 2 Visa makes redemption pretty simple. Provided that your account is in good standing, you can redeem your rewards as a credit anytime - or wait until you've accrued at least $20 and request a check. 

Your rewards won't expire as long as you keep your account open. But you can't redeem your rewards when your payment is overdue.

Reasons to Choose the Petal 2 Visa Credit Card

One of the things that landed the Petal 2 a spot among the best credit cards for student cardholders is that even if you have just started the clock on your credit history, you'll probably be able to qualify. Instead of looking only at an applicant's FICO credit score, the card's issuing bank employs its own proprietary algorithm when determining eligibility. Information about your income, spending, and savings will be assessed during your application process. 

Considering that it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees (or any other administrative or penalty fees), the Petal 2 is one of the most convenient credit cards for international students or those who frequently make transactions with foreign merchants. Additionally, because this is a Visa card, it's widely accepted internationally.

Unlike most other starter cards, which generally offer low credit lines, the Petal 2 Visa comes with a limit of up to $10,000. Not everyone gets a $10,000 credit limit, of course. It is your creditworthiness that will determine your credit limit. 

Reasons to Look Elsewhere

If you're new to credit, as most students are, building your credit profile should be more important to you than earning cash rewards. However, reward-earning programs are still a factor, and good credit cards for students should offer them. The rewards policy of the Petal 2 "Cash Back, No Fees" Visa is quite basic - you earn 1%-1.5% on everything. While flat-rate cards are popular for minimal effort, a card that offers higher rewards in certain categories may be a better fit for your spending habits. Another rewards-related drawback of the Petal 2 is that it doesn't come with a welcome offer.

While holders of this Petal 2 Visa card don't have any fees to worry about, there's a potentially high APR to consider. You should also keep in mind that you can't draw a cash advance against this unsecured credit card for students.

Available to applicants with limited or no credit history, the Discover it® Student Cash Back card allows you to build your credit profile while delivering cashback rewards of up to 5%. As one of the most widely used credit cards for students, the Discover it® Student Cash Back is well known for offering a 0% introductory APR for six months and not charging an annual fee. 

APR and Fees

This Discover student card comes with a lower introductory APR for both purchases and balance transfers. New cardmembers are welcomed with a 0% APR on purchases for the first six months and a 10.99% APR on balance transfers for six months counting from the date of the first transfer. After the promotional period on this student credit card expires, your APR will be 12.99% to 21.99% (variable) for purchases and balance transfers and 24.99% (variable) for cash advances. 

One of the most significant advantages of the Discover it® Student Cash Back card is that it doesn't have an annual membership fee. However, you'll be charged 3% of the amount of each balance transfer during the introductory APR period and 5% of the amount of each transfer after that. There's also a cash advance fee of $10 or 5%. Returned payment and late payment fees can go up to $40, while the latter is waived the first time you don't pay your bill on time.

Rewards Policy

As one of the best student credit cards, the Discover it® Student Cash Back card allows students to earn cashback rewards while helping them practice responsible credit habits. 

Cardmembers earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases in categories that are disclosed each quarter. To maximize your rewards, you'll need to be aware of the qualifying purchase types. Options include shopping at Amazon; making transactions at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants; using services provided by Uber and Lyft; and making payments via PayPal. Keep in mind that the rewards on this first-time credit card are high but limited: There's a $1,500 quarterly maximum. But you'll still get 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Another great thing about the Discover it® Student Cash Back card is that it offers an unlimited dollar-for-dollar cashback match on the rewards you earn before your account's first anniversary. There are no minimum spending requirements or other strings attached. 

Redemption options include direct deposits, statement credits, gift cards, and donations. You get $5 extra if you redeem your rewards for a gift card. 

Reasons to Choose the Discover it® Student Cash Back Credit Card

There are quite a few factors that earned this Discover credit card a place among Fortunly's top credit cards for students. The Discover it® Student Cash Back offers 5% cash back on eligible categories and 1% on all other purchases. Moreover, there's a good grades rewards program that lasts up to five years. It gives you a $20 credit as long as your GPA is 3.0 or higher.

There are no annual charges, foreign transaction fees, or penalty APRs, and the card offers a low introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers. 

As a Discover cardmember, you can use the "Freeze it" feature, which works as an on-off switch for your account and helps you prevent unauthorized activity if you misplace your card.

Reasons to Look Elsewhere

Although it's one of the best student credit cards on the market, the Discover it® Student Cash Back has a few disadvantages. 

While the unlimited 1% cashback rewards are earned automatically, you won't receive the 5% rewards unless you activate the bonus categories every three months. Not only can this be a hassle for those who are just getting started with credit cards, but some of the purchase categories may not be a good fit for a student's spending habits. 

You should also keep in mind that while this credit card for students doesn't come with a foreign transaction fee, Discover isn't widely accepted outside the United States. If you are studying abroad, we suggest you explore other options.

A rare college student credit card that is oriented toward foreign students, the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students is a solid choice for those who lack typical application requirements. Its underwriting system is based on alternative criteria, so you can get approved even if you don't have a Social Security number or a US credit history. As it doesn't require a security deposit or a cosigner, the Deserve card is also a good option for young consumers with limited credit. To top it off, the Deserve EDU Mastercard doesn't have an annual fee and it offers 1% cash back on every purchase. 

APR and Fees

This credit card for no-credit-history applicants doesn't have an introductory APR. The ongoing APR for purchases is 18.74% (variable), which is slightly higher than the average rate charged by a student card. There are no annual percentage rates for balance transfers and cash advances, as Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students doesn't allow these transactions.

This card doesn't have an annual membership fee or foreign transaction charges. There are, however, penalty costs - late-payment fees can go up to $25 per item, while returned payments could set you back up to $37 per incident. 

Rewards Policy

As one of the credit cards for an 18-year-old with no credit history, the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students offers 1% cash back on all purchases. Compared to the bigger rewards and welcome offers promised by competitors, this card's policy may seem fairly bare-bones. On the plus side, you won't have to worry about activating bonus categories or reaching a certain threshold to qualify for rewards. 

When it comes to redemption, the deal is simple. Once you have accrued a minimum of $25 in cash back, the rewards are redeemed for statement credit automatically. 

Reasons to Choose the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students

Because it has a unique underwriting procedure and doesn't require a stellar credit history, the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students is one of the best credit cards for young people. To start the application, you'll need to be over 18 and enrolled in college. You must also have a US bank account in your name.

This card comes with a long list of valuable perks, which is quite unusual given the consumer group it targets. If you pay for your mobile phone using your Deserve card, you get up to $600 in insurance coverage should your device be damaged or stolen. New Deserve EDU card members receive 12 months of Amazon Prime Student membership after making their first purchases. Students also get a $100 subscription discount for Feather, a furniture rental service, and a $10 statement credit for Lemonade, a homeowners/renters insurance provider. 

This credit card for college students also offers standard benefits such as roadside assistance, price protection, and extended warranty protection. 

Reasons to Look Elsewhere

While the eligibility requirements for the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students are easy to meet, the APR is quite high. Moreover, there isn't an introductory purchase APR and the card doesn't allow cash advances or balance transfers.

While a 1% cashback reward on every purchase is quite generous, redeeming the rewards comes with a catch. You'll need to earn at least $25 in rewards to meet the redemption minimum, and that could take a while. 

While the Deserve® Edu Mastercard for Students may be the best starter credit card to use as your history builds and your credit score improves, we suggest you also explore other options with higher rewards.

The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One allows you to begin your credit-building journey as a college student while earning flat-rate cashback rewards - no spending category acrobatics required. Offering bonus rewards to those who pay their bills on time, this card makes it easy to establish and maintain a good credit history. As one of the best credit cards for building credit, this Capital One card doesn't even require you to be a student to apply.

APR and Fees

Like most of the other credit-building cards on the market, the Capital One Journey Student Rewards card doesn't offer a lower introductory annual percentage rate. And the regular APR is quite high - 26.99% (variable) for all uses, including purchases, balance transfers, and cash advances. A late payment won't increase your APR, but that's small consolation when you're paying an interest rate that high.

If you are thinking about applying for this student credit card, you'll be happy to hear that you won't face annual membership or foreign transaction fees. Still, keep in mind that you'll be charged either $10 or 3% for cash advances and up to $40 for late payments. 

Rewards Policy 

This Capital One student credit card's starting rewards rate is 1% cash back on every purchase. However, that's just the beginning with this card's rewards program. Each billing cycle, cardmembers are presented with an opportunity to boost their rate by 25% (for a total of 1.25% cash back) if they pay their bills on time. As all good credit cards for college students should, the Journey Student Rewards incentivizes on-time payments and helps you save even more. 

Redemptions are very flexible. You can redeem any amount of the accrued cash back in the form of a statement credit, checks, or gift cards at any time. 

Reasons to Choose the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One

One of the best things about this credit-building card is that you can automatically be considered for a higher credit limit in six months, provided that you haven't missed a payment due date.

Moreover, you get free access to CreditWise, a Capital One credit-monitoring app for iOS and Android devices. Use the app to keep track of your credit score and you'll get notified of any changes to your profile - and possible threats to your personal data.

As the best international credit card for students, this Capital One card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees. It offers multiple travel- and retail-related benefits, including rental car insurance, travel accident coverage, 24-hour travel assistance services, and extended warranty protection. 

In addition to the rewards program, the Journey Student Rewards card allows you to earn a $5 credit every month toward streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify. The credits are awarded for 12 months, each time you make an on-time payment. 

Reasons to Look Elsewhere

The Journey Student Rewards card from Capital One offers a good deal, but it may not be the best credit card for all college students. Some of its biggest drawbacks include below-average reward rates and above-average interest rates.

Moreover, if you lack a US credit history, a Social Security number, or both, you'll be better off with a credit card whose issuer won't make you meet traditional credit score requirements. Although the Journey Student Rewards card is meant for young consumers who have just started their credit-building journey, you'll still need at least a fair credit score to qualify.

The Citi® Secured Mastercard is one of the best student credit cards to build credit. Typically, secured cards are the way to go if you're only beginning to manage your finances and have no credit score yet. With this type of card, which is easy to obtain, you get a credit limit equal to your deposit and a set of excellent tools to help you keep track of your progress. 

APR and Fees

This card won't burden you with high APR rates and fees. On the contrary, it's considered to be the best first-time credit card for a student because it comes with no annual fees. On top of that, it offers a decent variable APR rate of $22.49% for purchases and transactions. Customers would probably welcome a lower or zero introductory APR, but still, cards that do offer such benefits generally have much higher APR rates once the introductory period is over, so it balances out.

Rewards Policy

Unfortunately, this card doesn't offer much in terms of rewards. The only benefits are those that always come with having a Mastercard. We were hoping for some cashback rewards, travel points, or at least online credit points, as we've seen with some other credit cards for students with no credit, but this card doesn't offer any. However, the competition's cards that offer such rewards are typically much more difficult to obtain with no or low credit scores. 

Reasons to Choose the Citi® Secured Mastercard 

The main reason you should go with this card is that you can get approved for it easily, even with a poor or nonexistent credit score. It's an excellent first step toward becoming an expert in managing your finances responsibly. 

To help you achieve just that, this card offers an excellent selection of tools. Not only can you make payments on time with the help of an excellent notification system, but this card will report each of your payments to all three major credit bureaus. Whether or not a credit card for students does this is fundamental, as it's these reports that'll build your credit score. You can effortlessly track your FICO score online, which is bound to further motivate you, and besides, it protects you and your credit score from identity theft.

Other interesting benefits you get with this card are account alerts and the opportunity to choose your due date. You can set up custom alerts to keep track of your balance and due payments more effectively. The opportunity to choose a due date allows for certain flexibility and helps you organize your budget better.  

Reasons to Look Elsewhere

Unlike some other cards on this list of the best credit cards to build credit for students, this solution offers no particular perks, such as rewards or cashback deals. Piling up rewards on credit cards is an excellent way to stash up for a major purchase, and with this card, it's not an option.

Furthermore, with this card, your credit is limited to $2,500 and requires a security deposit in the same amount, meaning you won't be able to spend any money you don't already have. In case you need to borrow money for a large purchase, you're better off with some of the personal loans available. There is no such requirement with other credit cards for college students on this list - something our readers should consider if they already have a fair credit score.

The BankAmericard® Credit Card for Students is an excellent way to start building your credit score and prepare for life after college. The main benefit of using this credit card is the introductory 0% APR for purchases and transfers, bound to help you kickstart your journey to a stellar credit score without worrying about interest. Furthermore, you don't have to cover any annual fees with this card - you can put this money to better use instead.  

APR and Fees

If you are a student looking at good student credit cards, you'll quickly notice that many don't offer introductory APR. This is where the BankAmericard®'s Credit Card for Students stands out with its 0% APR for purchases and transfers for the first 18 months. Even after the introductory period is over, its APR rates are significantly lower than the ones offered by the competition - the variable rate ranges between 12.99% and 22.99%.

Another bonus point for this card is that it doesn't come with any annual fees. On the other hand, it does carry a 3% balance transfer fee for transferring $10 or more and a 3% foreign transaction fee. Furthermore, you'll most certainly be motivated to pay everything on time because of its $40 late payment fee. 

Rewards Policy 

This Bank of America's student credit card's rewards fall short in comparison with some of the competing offers on our list. The only reward you could earn is the $100 statement credit online bonus. However, to earn this bonus, which will be used automatically toward your next bill, you'll have to spend $1,000 over the course of the next 90 days.   

Reasons to Choose the BankAmericard® Credit Card for Students

This card enables you to get started with the vital task of building your credit score without taking a big chunk of your income in fees and APR. Since you don't have to calculate these fees with this credit card for students, you'll be able to focus on building responsible and healthy spending habits and, ultimately, your credit score.

Furthermore, this Bank of America's credit card also has a $100 statement credit online bonus that you can earn if you make payments worth $1,000 within the first 90 days of opening the card. Since you don't have significant fees or interest to pay back, if you achieve this bonus, it's likely you won't be stressing out about paying your monthly bill either. 

This credit card also comes with an excellent mobile app which could also be beneficial for managing your finances and keeping track of your spending. Like many credit cards for college students, it gives you all the benefits of digital wallet technology, for example, shopping in-store and in-app with Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay. You can use it to set up account alerts, to help you keep track of your balances and remind you of due dates, and also to make payments and transfers. 

Through the same app, you can effortlessly check your FICO score, which is updated monthly. Monitoring your credit score could motivate you to stay on track with your financial goals.  

Reasons to Look Elsewhere

Some cards offer excellent rewards or cashback programs, but this is where this particular first-time credit card for students falls short. Even though it relieves you of the burden of paying the APR (for the first 18 months) and annual fees, we would like to see more rewards for students. A cashback program or travel rewards would really spice this offer up and make it more attractive. 

Now that we've mentioned travelling, it's not the best solution for that either. Once you get down to reading its terms and conditions and the general guidelines, you'll find out that this card incurs steep foreign transaction fees. All in all, it's not the best credit card for a student who plans on backpacking Europe on their spring break.