A student credit card is an excellent first step in establishing a good credit history. Building good credit may not seem a priority when you are still in school, but you will need it later if you want to finance a car, buy a house or qualify for the best credit card offers. Your credit history can even influence your job prospects and the ability to rent an apartment.

Keep in mind that simply being a college student may not be enough to qualify for a “student” card. In general, you will need access to income, and if you have unstable credit or no credit history, you may find it difficult to get approval. In that case, you must consider a secured credit card. These cards require you to make a cash deposit as a guarantee. The deposit protects the issuers in case you do not pay your bill, which reduces the risk of approving a card.
If you are looking for a new card, these are some of our favorite offers for student credit cards.
Check out the best credit cards for students 2020
Cards | Rating | Apply |
---|---|---|
Discover it® Student Cash Back | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
Deserve® Edu Mastercard students | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
Capital One Journey Student Rewards | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
Discover it® Student Chrome | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
Citi Rewards + ℠ Student Card | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
Visa® credit card State Farm® | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |
Capital One Secured Mastercard | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Best Credit Cards For Students 2020: Discover it® Student Cash Back

Discover it® Student Cash Back is an excellent card for a student who is learning to handle credit. In addition to the rewards, you get a free FICO® score, low rates and forgiveness for your first late payment. In addition, Discover says there are no FICO® history requirements for this card.
- Introductory offer: Discover will automatically match all cash rewards you have earned at the end of your first year. There is no record, and there is no limit on how much it equals.
- Get 5% cashback in different places every quarter, such as gas stations, supermarkets, restaurants, Amazon.com and more, up to the quarterly maximum every time you activate. In addition, you automatically earn an unlimited 1% refund on all other purchases.
- Good grade rewards: $ 20 credit on the statement each school year, if your average is 3.0 or more over the next 5 years.
- No annual charge.
- No charge for late first payment late.
- There is no APR change for paying late.
- Get 100% customer service in the United States and your free credit scorecard with your FICO® credit score, numbers of the recent inquiries and more.
- The Freeze It on / off switch for your account, which avoids new purchases, cash advances and balance transfers in seconds.
- Receive an alert if your Social Security number is detected on any of the thousands of dark websites.
- 0% APR for introduction in purchases for six months, then a standard variable purchase APR of 15.24% – 24.24%.
- Annual fee: $ 0
- APR (percentage of annual rate) regular: 15.24% – 24.24%, variable APR.
- Introduction APR: 0% on purchases for 6 months and 10.99% on balance transfers for 6 months.
- Recommended credit score: 630-689 (average).
- This card offers 5% cash reimbursement (up to $ 1,500 in expenses per quarter) in categories that change every three months and that you activate. Recent categories have included Amazon, service stations and restaurants.
- Offers 1% cash reimbursement on all other expenses.
- New cardholders will receive their cash refund at the end of their first 12 billing periods, and students who maintain a 3.0-grade point average are eligible for an annual credit of $ 20.
- There is no annual fee or transaction fee foreign, and there is no late fee for your first late payment.
- In addition, late payments will never increase the interest rate.
- Activating the cashback bonus categories each quarter is a hassle.
- And Discover is not as widely accepted as Visa and MasterCard abroad, so be careful if you are studying abroad.
Best Credit Cards For Students 2020: Deserve® Edu Mastercard

The Deserve® Edu Mastercard is an excellent option for students who cannot qualify on a credit card because they lack a credit history in the United States, a Social Security number or both.
- Does not require SSN for international students.
- Available for students (registration verification required).
- Amazon Prime Student (get a refund for subscription fees for a lifetime total of $ 59).
- 1% unlimited cash refund on all purchases. Credit limits up to $ 5,000.
- Annual fee of $ 0 and no transaction fees abroad.
- No security deposit or co-signer required.
- It helps students build their credit history and gain financial independence.
- Use it anywhere in the world where Mastercard is accepted.
- Guarantee and protection against identity theft.
- Free cell phone insurance (up to $ 600).
- Terms, conditions and exclusions apply.
- Annual fee: $ 0
- APR (percentage of annual rate) regular: 20.99%, variable.
- Introduction APR: N / A.
- Recommended credit score: 630-850 (average-excellent).
- Students who do not qualify for other cards have an opportunity here, as the issuer of this card uses its own subscription process to evaluate applications based on alternative criteria.
- Cardholders get an unlimited 1% refund on all purchases, a credit on the account statement for a 12-month Amazon Prime Student subscription (up to $ 59) and a credit on the account statement of $ 30 each Once they recommend a friend to qualify for the card.
- The annual fee is $ 0.
- The reward can only be redeemed for credit on the statement, and you will have to wait until you have $ 25 in rewards (equivalent to $ 2,500 in expenses) before you can redeem.
- Other cards offer higher reward rates if you can qualify for them.
Best Credit Cards For Students 2020: Capital One® Journey® Student Rewards

Journey of Student Rewards from Capital One that offers simple flat rate rewards, with a bonus payable within time. You don’t even need to be a student to apply, so consider it if you have an average credit.
- Get 1% cashback on all your purchases.
- Pay on time to increase your cash refund to a total of 1.25% for that month.
- No annual fee and no transaction fees abroad.
- Get an initial advantage and accumulate yours credit with responsible use.
- You get Eno, your Capital One assistant to manage your account via text messages, receive alerts and purchase
- more securely online.
- Choose the monthly expiration date that best suits your calendar.
- Get access to a higher line of credit after making your first five monthly payments on time.
- $ 0 liability for fraud if your card is ever lost or stolen.
- Monitor your credit profile for free with the CreditWise® application.
- Annual fee: $ 0
- APR (percentage of annual rate) regular: 26.96%, variable APR.
- Introduction APR: N / A.
- Recommended credit score: 630-689 (average).
- Cashback rewards are easy to understand and can help you develop good credit habits.
- Get a 1% cash refund on all purchases, and if you pay your bill on time, you will receive an additional 0.25% refund as a bonus.
- It Makes your first five payments on time, and you can get access to a higher line of credit.
- The annual fees is $ 0, and there are no transaction fees abroad.
- You do not have to be a student to apply.
- The maximum reward rate of 1% or 1.25% is lower than the maximum rate on some other student cards.
Best Credit Cards For Students 2020: Discover it® Student Chrome

Discover it® Student Chrome is an excellent start card if you are the type of student who eats away from home and travels by car. As with the Discover it® cash rebate for students, Discover says that FICO® history is not required for this card.
- Introductory offer: Discover will automatically match all cash rewards you have earned at the end of your first year. There is no record, and there is no limit on how much it equals.
- Get a 2% cash refund at service stations and restaurants with up to $ 1,000 in combined purchases each quarter.
- In addition, you automatically earn an unlimited 1% refund on all others
- Good grade rewards: $ 20 credit on the statement each school year, if your average is 3.0 or more over the next 5 years.
- No annual charge.
- No charge for late first payment late. There is no APR change for paying late.
- Get 100% customer service in the United States and get your free credit scorecard with your this credit score, the number of these recent inquiries and more.The Freeze It on / off switch for your account, which prevents new purchases, cash advances and balance transfers in seconds.
- Receive an alert if your Social Security number is detected on any of the thousands of dark websites.
- 0% APR for introduction in purchases for six months, then a standard variable purchase APR of 15.24% – 24.24%.
- Annual fee: $ 0
- APR (percentage of annual rate) regular: 15.24% – 24.24%, variable APR.
- Introduction APR: 0% on purchases for 6 months and 10.99% on balance transfers for 6 months.
- Recommended credit score: 630-689 (average).
- You earn 2% cash reimbursement at restaurants and service stations, with up to $ 1,000 in combined purchases per quarter and 1% cash reimbursement on all other purchases.
- The annual fees is $ 0, and there is no delayed fee for the first late payment.
- Students with an average of 3.0 or higher can earn a statement of credit of $ 20 each year for up to five years.
- There is also a distinctive Discover bonus for new cardholders: Discover will automatically match all cash rewards you have earned at the end of your first year.
- There is no record, and there is no limit on how much it equals.
- Although there is no foreign transaction fee, Discover is not as accepted in other countries as other cards are accepted. If you are planning to travel internationally, make sure you have a backup plan.
Best Credit Cards For Students 2020: Citi Rewards + ℠ Student Card

The Citi Rewards + ℠ student card grants additional rewards on gas and groceries, but its most valuable benefit is the way it increases rewards on smaller purchases.
- It is the only credit card that automatically rounds to the nearest 10 points on each purchase without limit.
- Earn 2,500 bonus points after spending $ 500 on purchases with your card within three months of opening the account; redeemable for a $ 25 gift card at thankyou.com.
- 0% APR of introduction in purchases for seven months. After that, the variable annual percentage rate will be 16.49% – 26.49%, depending on your creditworthiness.
- Earn 2 ThankYou® Points at supermarkets and gas stations for the first $ 6,000 per year and then 1 Point thereafter. Also, earn 1 Point on all other purchases.
- Earn 10% back points for the first 100,000 ThankYou® points you redeem per year.
- No annual charge.
- Annual fee: $ 0
- APR (percentage of annual rate) regular: 16.49% – 26.49%, variable APR.
- Introduction APR: 0% on purchases for 7 months.
- Recommended credit score: 690-719 (good).
- You get 2 ThankYou points per dollar spent in supermarkets and service stations (for the first $ 6,000 spent per year) and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
- All purchases are automatically rounded to the nearest 10 points, so a $ 1 cup of coffee, a $ 5 notebook or a $ 9.75 meal would each earn 10 points, assuming a value of one cent per point, That is a high rate of return on small purchases.
- This card also offers a zero per cent APR period and a modest sign-up bonus for an annual fee of $ 0.
- ThankYou points are not very flexible
- . You can redeem them for gift cards worth 1 cent per point, but you cannot get a cash refund.
- The rounding function becomes less valuable as the amount of a transaction increases. For example, a one-dollar purchase rounds up to 10 points for a 10% reward rate, but a $ 201 purchase rounds up to 210 points for a 1.04% rate.
Best Credit Cards For Students 2020: Visa® credit card for State Farm® students

Options are scarce for people with limited credit, but the State Farm® Visa® student credit card offers the opportunity to accumulate credit while earning rewards.
- Earn o State Farm Loyalty Rewards® point for every $ 2 spent on eligible purchases.
- Earn three points for every dollar spent on insurance premium payments, up to $ 4,000 annually.
- Competitive annual percentage rates.
- Many discounts for students provided by Visa.
- Annual fee: $ 0
- APR (percentage of annual rate) regular: 17.49% – 25.49%, variable APR.
- Introduction APR: N / A.
- Recommended credit score: 300-850 (minimum-excellent).
- The rewards on this $ 0 annual fee card are not the best, but the issuer accepts applications from students with less than good credit.
- That makes it a greater option for those looking to accumulate credit.
- The rewards come in the form of State Farm loyalty reward points.
- You get one point for every two dollars spent on most purchases.
- You also get 3 points for every dollar spent on insurance premium payments, up to $ 4,000 spent annually.
- Cardholders are eligible for discounts for Visa students.
- You cannot redeem points for cash, just for travel, merchandise, gift cards, payments or charitable donations for State Farm products.
- The three per cent foreign transaction fees also makes this card less than ideal for those studying abroad.
Best Credit Cards For Students 2020: Capital One® Secured Mastercard®

Capital One® Secured Mastercard® is an excellent start card for someone who has just started a loan.
- No annual fee. In addition, all the benefits of credit construction through the responsible use of the card.
- Unlike a prepaid card, it generates credit when used responsibly, with regular reports to the three main credit bureaus.
- You would receive an initial credit line of two hundred US $ after making a security deposit of $ 49, $ 99 or $ 200.
- Get access to a higher line of credit after making your first 5 monthly payments on time, with no need for an additional deposit.
- Easily manage your account 24/7 with access online, by phone or using the mobile application.
- It is an accepted credit card in millions of locations worldwide.
- Annual fee: $ 0
- Regular APR (percentage of annual rate) : 26.99%, variable APR.
- Introduction APR: N / A.
- Recommended credit score: 300-629 (minimum).
- This is a secured credit card, so you must make a deposit, but you may be able to obtain a $ 200 line of credit with only a $ 49, $ 99 or $ 200 deposit.
- Make your first five monthly payments to time, and the issuer could increase your credit limit without requiring an additional deposit.
- The annual fee is $ 0.
- Although insured cards are easier to qualify than regular unsecured cards, approval is not guaranteed.
- You should be able to show that you can pay your bills, and, of course, you will have to deposit the required money.
For more information about the best credit cards 2020 check this article.