Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students review: An easy starter card for students from the U.S. and abroad

As far as student rewards cards go, flat-rate cash back cards are the simplest options if you want to focus on credit-building rather than maximizing rewards. The Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, however, is perhaps the strongest overall flat-rate cash back student card on the market. It beats the Deserve EDU card by offering a higher 1.5 percent cash back rate on all purchases and richer benefits. The Quicksilver Student card stacks valuable purchase protections and travel perks like extended warranty protection, price protection, virtual credit card numbers and complimentary concierge services on top of the rental car insurance it also offers. Students nurturing their credit score may also benefit from the automatic review for a higher credit line that Capital One offers after only six months of on-time payments and responsible credit use.

Both cards waive annual and foreign transaction fees, but the Deserve EDU does edge out the Quicksilver Student card (See Rates & Fees) in terms of its welcome offer (the Quicksilver Student doesn’t carry one) and its lower ongoing APR. The Deserve EDU Mastercard is also more accessible for first-time cardholders since the Quicksilver Student card requires at least a fair to good credit score (580 to 740 FICO score) to be eligible. However, Capital One’s student Quicksilver card is the stronger option if you’re able to obtain it.

If you don’t mind putting in a little more elbow grease for your cash back, the Discover it® Student Cash Back card might be a more rewarding and lower-cost card that also doesn’t require a credit history to qualify. Activating its rotating bonus categories each quarter allows you to earn 5 percent cash back (up to $1,500 per quarter, then 1 percent) on a variety of everyday student expenses. For instance, depending on the categories each quarter, you could earn boosted cash back on things like grocery stores, drugstores and at popular online retailers.

The Discover it® Student Cash Back doesn’t offer cellphone protection, but it does offer a few other fantastic features. The Discover it® Student Cash Back’s first-year Cashback Match bonus can also be a much more rewarding welcome offer since it will match dollar for dollar all the cash back at the end of your first year. Plus, you may qualify for a higher credit line after graduating and calling Discover to review your account for responsible credit use.

Considering the Discover it® Student Cash Back card’s minimal rates and fees, it’s hard for the Deserve EDU Mastercard to compete unless you’d prefer a more streamlined starter card experience. The Discover it® Student Cash Back doesn’t charge an annual fee, a foreign transaction fee, a penalty APR or a late fee on the first late payment (then up to $41) — plus it carries intro APR offers and a potentially lower ongoing APR.

The Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card would be an excellent card to pair with the Deserve EDU Mastercard for Students, as it offers additional cashback rewards on dining, entertainment and groceries. By using both cards strategically, students can maximize their rewards potential across a broader range of spending categories — providing a well-rounded approach to earning cash back on everyday purchases.

Pairing the Bank of America® Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students with the Deserve EDU Mastercard for Students would be a smart move for students looking to maximize their rewards and financial flexibility. The Bank of America Cash Rewards for Students offers elevated cash back on a category of your choice, like gas or dining, plus bonus cash back at grocery stores, including wholesale clubs, while the Deserve EDU Mastercard provides rewards on purchases not covered by the Bank of America Cash Rewards for Students. By using both cards strategically, students can earn cash back on a variety of expenses, helping them save money and build credit simultaneously.

The Deserve EDU Mastercard for Students is an ideal choice for cardholders attending college due to its student-friendly features and benefits. With no annual fee, no security deposit required and no credit history needed, this card offers a hassle-free application process for students. Additionally, cardholders can earn 1 percent cash back on all purchases, helping them save money on everyday expenses. The card also provides complimentary Amazon Prime Student membership for the first year, cellphone protection and travel assistance services, making it a comprehensive financial tool for college students.

The Deserve EDU Mastercard for Students is an ideal match for Amazon Prime Student subscribers due to its tailored benefits and rewards that align perfectly with the needs of students. With its cashback rewards on all purchases, including those made on Amazon, students can save money while enjoying the convenience of online shopping through Amazon Prime Student. Additionally, the card's welcome offer includes credit for Amazon Prime Student subscribers, so students can enjoy the benefits without the membership cost for a year.

A student or credit-building card’s cost has a large influence on its overall score. 

Students already face a ton of expenses, so extra card costs are best avoided if possible, and people with limited or damaged credit tend often find the cards they can qualify for are much pricier than traditional credit cards designed for people with a good or better credit score. 

We compare a card’s total cost, including any annual fees, account activation fees, monthly fees and more against the total cost of other cards in this category and assign each card a score based on its affordability. We also factor rewards-earning potential into our assessment of a credit-building card’s total cost, subtracting a card’s expected earnings from the sum of its fees. 

To get a sense of a card’s rewards-earning potential, we estimate its average annual rewards rate and average annual earnings based on the most popular spending categories (as covered in the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer spending report). 

However, we use a slightly lower spending assumption ($300 per month or $3,600 per year) to estimate average earnings, assuming students and credit-builders will start out with a lower credit limit, will want to keep credit utilization low and will focus primarily on small purchases they can easily pay off.

Given the many costs students face — from textbooks to laptops — the presence of an introductory APR on purchases or balance transfers also plays a role in a student card’s score.

A card’s APR is also a major factor in its credit-building score. Each card’s average APR is compared against the average APR of other cards in the category, and the cards with lower-than-average APRs receive a higher rating. 

Though high APRs are hard to avoid when you’re just starting out or working on your score, credit-builders should strive for as low an APR as possible since they’re likely to either be new to managing cards or trying to establish better financial habits and avoid falling into debt.

Along with a credit-building card’s cost, our rating system takes into account how easy the card makes it to build credit. To assess this, we evaluate its credit limit potential and minimum deposit requirement.

Unsecured cards with a high starting credit limit and secured cards that let you put down a large deposit and get a matching high credit limit will score the highest according to our “Ease of building credit” rubric and are more likely to appear on our list. 

This is because a high credit limit can make it much easier to keep your credit utilization low, a primary credit-building factor that makes up 30 percent of your FICO credit score. 

Secured cards have a slight advantage in this category since the maximum credit limit on a secured card tends to be much higher than the typical starting credit limit on an unsecured card that’s available with a bad or fair credit score. However, unsecured credit-building cards have the upper hand in another key aspect of building credit: accessibility. 

Cards that carry no or a low deposit requirement can also receive a high score according to our “Ease of building credit” rubric since these cards offer a lower barrier to entry than secured cards that require you to put up hundreds of dollars in an upfront deposit. 

Indeed, some users may prefer to pay a non-refundable $50 annual fee while they work on their credit score than tie up hundreds in a refundable security deposit.

We also evaluate each card’s benefits based on how useful they are for students or someone looking to build a positive credit history and save money on everyday spending. 

We consider the inclusion of a rewards program, student-centric perks and access to your credit score or a credit monitoring service of prime importance, along with the ability to prequalify for the card with only a soft credit pull and a clear path to increase your credit limit or graduate to an unsecured or full-fledged rewards card.

Cards that include these benefits are likely to score higher according to our credit-building card scoring rubric.

Yes. The Deserve EDU Mastercard is available only to students enrolled in a U.S.-based college or university.

There are cards with similar credit-building features that aren’t exclusive to students. If you’re just starting your credit-building journey, a card like the Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is a solid option. Meanwhile, consumers looking to rebuild their credit should look at secured credit card options like the Discover it® Secured Credit Card.

Like all credit cards in the U.S., the Deserve EDU Mastercard carries a minimum age requirement of 18 years old. You’ll also need to provide a source of income to apply for the card, as well as valid identification.

The card doesn’t require a Social Security number — because it also accepts international students — so a passport will do.

Yes, you can use your Deserve EDU Mastercard while you study abroad. The card is a good choice for students looking to use it internationally since it can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted and carries no foreign transaction fees.