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You’ve got classes and exams to worry about. Who needs money worries, too? With the right credit card, you can earn rewards on your purchases to help you splurge on the fun stuff — like that 2 a.m. pizza delivery or even a spring break trip.
We picked the top cards for popular student spending categories like dining out, groceries, and gas. These cards are designed for those with little or no credit history, with perks like cash bonuses, 0% intro APRs, and no annual fees.
We selected the top student cards based on these factors:
- Cash back or points in common spending categories
- Welcome bonus
- Additional perks like 0% intro APR offers or no annual fee
- Approval odds for new credit applicants
Best credit cards for students
- Capital One SavorOne Students Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment
- Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students: Best for personalized rewards
- Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for flat-rate cash back
- Discover It® Student Cash Bank Card: Best for rotating cash back
- Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students: Best for travel
- Petal 1® “No Annual Fee” Visa® Credit Card: Best for building credit
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card: Best secured credit card
Capital One SavorOne Students Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for dining and entertainment
| Card details | |
|---|---|
| Who it’s best for | Students who regularly dine out, binge-watch on streaming services, or grocery shop. |
| Rewards |
|
| Welcome bonus | $50 cash bonus after spending $100 in the first three months |
| Annual fee | $0 |
Make the SavorOne card your companion for late-night group pizza orders or binge-watching Netflix in your dorm room. You’ll earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and groceries. All with no annual fee!
There’s no cap on the rewards you can rack up each month. Every cash bonus earned can be redeemed however you like — as a statement credit, check, or gift card.
This card also comes with travel accident insurance and access to entertainment ticket presales. The SavorOne is easier to qualify for — typically, you’ll need fair to good credit to get approved.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students: Best for personalized rewards
| Card details | |
|---|---|
| Who it’s best for | Students who focus spending on one or two main categories like commuting, online shopping, or frequent food runs. |
| Rewards |
Keep in mind: 2% and 3% categories are capped at $2,500 in combined spending each quarter, then 1% after. |
| Welcome bonus | $200 cash bonus when you spend $1,000 on your card within 90 days of account opening |
| Annual fee | $0 |
The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards card lets you hand-pick which spending category to earn bonus cash back. Simply choose one of six categories to earn 3% cash back in each billing cycle. You’ll also earn elevated rewards on groceries and wholesale clubs. Together, this can add up to some serious savings.
Remember, there are spending caps on elevated rewards you can earn. Redeem rewards however suits you — as statement credits, direct deposit, gift cards, and more.
Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for flat-rate cash back
| Card details | |
|---|---|
| Who it’s best for | Students who want easy cash back without having to keep track of rotating bonus categories or complex redemptions. |
| Rewards |
|
| Welcome bonus | Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months |
| Annual fee | $0 |
For an easy-to-use card with cash back on every purchase, it’s hard to beat the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card.
This card offers 1.5% cash back on every purchase, with no rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn rewards. There’s no limit on the cash back you can earn, and your rewards won’t expire while the account remains open.
Another major perk is access to CreditWise from Capital One, a free credit monitoring tool. Checking your credit score is key for your financial health and can alert you to any suspicious activity. Pair this card with zero fraud liability and excellent security features for protection and peace of mind.
Discover It® Student Cash Bank Card: Best for rotating cash back
| Card details | |
|---|---|
| Who it’s best for | Students who can take advantage of rotating cash back categories — and can make the most of the lucrative first-year cash bonus. |
| Rewards |
|
| Welcome bonus | Discover will match all cash back earned at the end of your first year with the card |
| Annual fee | $0 |
What sets this card apart is the welcome offer — Discover matches all cash back you’ve earned in the first year. This can be especially valuable if you can make the most of this card’s rotating categories.
You can earn 5% cash back on rotating bonus categories like Amazon, grocery stores, and restaurants. Remember that you’ll need to activate the bonus category quarter to earn elevated rewards. There’s also a quarterly spending limit on elevated cash back.
Cash back never expires while your account remains open and redeems at any time.
Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students: Best for travel
| Card details | |
|---|---|
| Who it’s best for | Students studying abroad or who fly home often will love this card’s flexible travel rewards and redemption options. |
| Rewards | 1.5X points on all purchases |
| Welcome bonus | 25,000 online points after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days |
| Annual fee | $0 |
This card lets students rack up unlimited 1.5X points on all purchases — higher than most other student cards. This helps you earn rewards at a much faster rate.
You can redeem points for all travel expenses, from flights to tourist attractions to parking fees. Plus, there are no mileage limits or blackout dates when redeeming points. You can start redeeming at 2,500 points for travel.
Petal 1® “No Annual Fee” Visa® Credit Card: Best for building credit
| Card details | |
|---|---|
| Who it’s best for | Students building credit from scratch. Petal uses on-time rent payments and utility bill history (not just your credit score) to approve applicants and can help you build your score. |
| Rewards | None |
| Welcome bonus | None |
| Annual fee | $0 |
Those who want to build credit or can’t get approved for other student cards should consider the Petal 1 card. It looks beyond credit scores by considering your financial habits to determine approval.
This card stands out for its low rates and fees and offers a potentially higher-than-average credit limit. Petal reports your credit card payments to all three major credit bureaus, helping you build your score over time.
While this card has no standard rewards, you will get access to the Petal Perks program, which occasionally offers cash back at select merchants.
If you’re looking for cash back, you may want to consider the Petal 2 card, which offers up to 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card: Best secured credit card
| Card details | |
|---|---|
| Who it’s best for | Those who need to build a positive payment history from the ground up to qualify for better loan rates down the road. The rewards offerings and quick graduation timeline make this a great secured card. |
| Rewards |
|
| Welcome bonus | None |
| Annual fee | $0 |
Secured cards (which require an upfront security deposit) are a smart move if you want to establish or rebuild credit. The U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Visa Card sets itself apart by offering rewards — something rarely seen with other secured cards.
You can earn 2X-4X points on typical student spending categories, like takeout and streaming services. You can use points for cash back, statement credits, gift cards, merchandise, and travel with no blackout dates. Plus, points don’t expire while your account remains open.
This card requires a $300 minimum security deposit and comes with the option to graduate to a better, unsecured credit card.
How to make the most of your student credit card
Once you’ve selected the right student card for you, make sure you’re making the most of it by:
- Always pay your credit card bill on time and in full each month. This helps you avoid late fees and interest charges. It also helps you build up your credit score, as payment history is the largest determining factor.
- Keeping your credit utilization low — don’t max out your new card. Experts recommend limiting spending to 30% or less of your credit limit.
- If you have a card with rotating bonus categories, activate them to earn the most cash back.
- Sign up for account alerts to monitor activity and catch fraudulent charges early. Set spending milestone notifications to avoid exceeding your credit limit unexpectedly.
- Register your account on your card issuer’s mobile app to easily access your balance, statements, and perks like free credit scores.
The bottom line
The best credit cards for college students offer convenience and a path to a good credit score as long as you pay your bills on time.
Look for a card with no annual fee. Compare APRs to find the card offering the lowest interest rate, even if you plan to pay the bill in full each month. Some cards have a 0% introductory rate, which can be useful if you need to make a big purchase and pay it off over a few months.
Select a card that rewards you for what you’d buy anyway. Don’t overspend just to earn rewards; the interest you pay on a balance can quickly offset that value.
Opinions expressed are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.