If you’re looking for a student credit card that can help you build your credit without requiring a security deposit, the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is a solid choice. This card is a student version of the parent card — the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card — which is one of the most popular flat-rate cash back cards out there.

The Quicksilver Student can help you build credit while earning rewards at the same time. First, here’s a quick look at the overall card details. Then, we’ll dive into the perks and benefits you need to know about.

As a reminder: Details of the Capital One Quicksilver Student

  • Rewards rate: 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases; 5 percent back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
  • Welcome bonus: $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
  • Annual fee: $0
  • Regular APR: 19.24 percent and 29.24 percent variable

Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Card benefits

The Capital One Quicksilver Student offers a number of attractive benefits for a student credit card, including flat-rate cash back rewards and a solid welcome bonus. Here are the Quicksilver Student card benefits we picked out for you to focus on:

Ongoing cash back rewards

The Quicksilver Student card offers one of the more competitive cash back rates for student cards out there. You’ll earn 1.5 percent cash back on every purchase, as well as 5 percent back on hotels and rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel portal.

The 5 percent back rate was recently added this summer, and while it may not be applicable to students who don’t plan on traveling much while in school, it’s still a valuable perk to have in your back pocket.

Variety of redemption options

You can easily redeem the rewards you earn on this card, either automatically when you earn a certain amount ($25, $50, $200, $500 or $1,500) or at certain dates you decide on. There’s no minimum amount to redeem your cash back rewards, and you can redeem them in the form of a statement credit, mailed check, credit on a prior purchase, gift card or checkout payment on Amazon.com or PayPal.

First-year welcome bonus

The Capital One Quicksilver Student offers a welcome bonus that’s easy to earn. You’ll receive $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months. Considering you only have to spend $33 per month to earn this reward, this cash back bonus offer is one of the most accessible for students.

No annual fee

This student card doesn’t charge an annual fee, meaning there’s no yearly cost for owning it — and no pressure to earn enough rewards to make up for it.

Capital One Entertainment and Dining

With the Quicksilver Student, you get access to Capital One Entertainment, which offers special rates on dining, music, sports events, comedy and theater and more. Given the range of events and offers, you’ll likely be able to take advantage of these competitive deals.

You’ll also have access to Capital One Dining, which grants cardholder-only reservations to award-winning restaurants and unique culinary events.

Travel and purchase protections

You’ll receive extended warranty protection on eligible items you purchase with this card. The card’s 24-hour travel assistance services will provide you with an emergency replacement card and a cash advance if your card is lost or stolen.

Fraud protection and credit monitoring tools

This card protects you from being responsible for any unauthorized charges. You’ll also have access to a number of credit monitoring tools, including the ability to receive alerts when one of the three credit bureaus reports changes or unexpected charges on your card.

No foreign transaction fees

You won’t have to pay any foreign transaction fees when you use the Capital One Quicksilver Student outside of the U.S., making it a great card to bring on your study abroad or vacation.

Maximizing the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Card

To make the most of the Quicksilver Student, you’ll want to make sure to pay your card in full and on time each month. This card has a variable APR between 19.24 percent and 29.24 percent and doesn’t offer an introductory APR period, meaning you won’t have any wiggle room when it comes to paying your card on time within the first few months.

Further, the Quicksilver Student will not waive its late fee the first time you miss a payment (unlike some other student credit cards), so paying your bill even one day late might mean all your rewards will be eaten up by late fees.

You’ll also want to make sure you take a closer look at all the benefits available, such as Capital One Entertainment and Dining access. Given the wide selection, there may be tickets for events you’re already planning to attend, which means you’ll easily save money.

Lastly, if you have any trips coming up (think: fall, winter or spring break plans), be sure to try and take advantage of booking through the Capital One Travel portal in order to hit that 5 percent cash back rate on hotels (and rental cars).

The bottom line

The Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is a great option for a student card. Its competitive, flat cash back rate, lack of an annual fee and list of benefits make it stand out against other competing student cards.

That being said, you may earn more rewards with a student card that offers higher bonuses for specific spending categories. Be sure to check out our guide to the top student credit cards before making a decision.