Best cards for students - Find Me a Card

Best cards for students

(Last updated: September 2021)

If you're a college student, there are two main types of cards to choose from:

  • Student credit card
  • Secured credit card

You might also be eligible for other types of credit cards (e.g., other types of "regular" rewards credit cards) if either of the following bullet points is true for you:

  • You're 21 or older, and have a credit score high enough to be approved
  • You're under 21, but have either a cosigner or a verifiable source of income (i.e., a job).

This article focuses on the two main types of cards mentioned above (student credit cards and secured credit cards).

Note: The details of each offer mentioned in this article were current as of the time this article was written, but might have changed by the time you're reading this. (For example, signup bonuses tend to change every few months or so.) Therefore, make sure to double-check the card offer details on the respective credit card issuer's website before you decide to apply for any particular card.

Card

Summary

Type of card

Signup bonus

Ongoing rewards

Annual fee

APR

Discover it Student Cash Back

A good no annual fee cash back card for students, with 5% cash back in rotating categories (1% for everything else).

Credit card

Double cash back

(for the first year)
  • 5% cash back (on up to $1,500 spent per quarter) in categories that rotate each quarter (e.g., gas, restaurants, groceries, and Amazon).
  • 1% cash back on all other purchases.
  • Cash Back for Good Grades: Get $20 cash back each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next 5 years.

$0

12.99-21.99%

(0% intro)

Capital One Journey Student Rewards

A good cash back card (1-1.25%) for students who don't have many other options due to their thin credit history, with no annual fee, but also no early spend bonus.

Credit card

None
  • 1% cash back on all purchases.
  • Pay on time to boost your cash back to a total of 1.25% for that month.
  • $60 streaming subscription credit: Earn $5 per month for 12 months on select streaming subscriptions when you pay on time. (Exclusions apply.)

$0

25.99%

Bank of America Cash Rewards Secured

A great choice for people who have a poor credit rating, which has no annual fee and comes with 3% cash back on a category of your choice, 2% on groceries and wholesale clubs, and 1% on everything else.

Secured card

None
  • 3% cash back on a category of your choice
  • 2% on groceries and wholesale clubs
  • 1% on everything else

$0

23.99%

Discover it Secured Card

A secured card (requiring a deposit of at least $200) with decent cash back rewards (2% on restaurants and gas; doubled in the first year) and no annual fee.

Secured card

Double cash back

(for the first year)
  • 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter.
  • 1% cash back on all other purchases.

$0

22.99%

Surge Secured Mastercard

A secured card offering 1% cash back on all purchases, with a $69 annual fee, for people with bad credit scores or no credit history.

Secured card

None
  • 1% cash back on all purchases.

$69

19.99%