Top student credit cards of March 2023

Discover it® Student Cash Back: Best for rotating cash back bonus categories

• What we love about the Discover it® Student Cash Back: Students can build credit, earn top-of-the-line rotating cash back rewards and take advantage of one of the best sign-up offers around.
• Who this card is good for: Students who want to earn cash back in Discover's rotating cash back calendar categories — such as dining, online shopping and gas. Back-to-school shoppers who need to stock up on college supplies can also take advantage of a modest intro APR offer on purchases.
• Alternatives: If you want a simpler way to earn rewards, a flat-rate credit card like the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card or the Petal 2 “Cash Back, No Fees” Visa Credit Card could be easier to keep up with while still offering you consistent cash back on all of your purchases.

Read our full Discover it® Student Cash Back review.

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Discover it® Student chrome: Best for gas and dining

• What we love about the Discover it® Student Chrome: Instead of forcing you to deal with rotating categories, this Discover card lets you earn cash back year round on gas station purchases and dining — two popular spending categories for students.
• Who this card is good for: Students who want to focus on building credit while also earning cash back on everyday essentials. If you need to make a large purchase, this card’s intro APR offer can also give you time to avoid interest charges.
• Alternatives: If you want more of a say in where you earn the most with your credit card, the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students lets you choose your top spending category from the available options.

Read our full Discover it® Student chrome review.

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Chase Freedom Student credit card: Best student card for benefits

• What we love about the Chase Freedom Student credit card: Notable benefits on this card include a good standing bonus on your account anniversary, trip cancellation insurance and trip interruption insurance. 
• Who this card is good for: Students more interested in being rewarded for their solid financial habits than for spending money.
• Alternatives: The Petal 2 is another great credit-building card that rewards good financial habits, boosting your rewards rate after you make 12 on-time monthly payments.

Read our full Chase Freedom Student credit card review.

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Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best for flat-rate cash back

• What we love about the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: The card’s competitive flat-rate on all purchases is one of the highest base rates available on a student card. This card is also one of the few that offers more than 1 percent back on general purchases as well as bonus rewards in other categories.
• Who this card is good for: Student travelers looking for a hassle-free way to earn rewards on all purchases. Students who plan to study abroad or make online purchases with foreign merchants will also love that this card skips foreign transaction fees.
• Alternatives: If you typically spend more on food and entertainment than hotels and rental cars, the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is a good alternative thanks to its impressive rewards rate in popular categories like grocery stores, restaurants and streaming services.

Read our full Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card review.

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Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Best overall student credit card

• What we love about the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: Students can build credit without sacrificing rewards on food, entertainment and more.
• Who this card is good for: Students, social butterflies and homebodies alike who want a single card that earns rewards on staples like groceries and dining as well as extras like concert tickets, travel and streaming services.
• Alternatives: If you’re looking for even more category variety or spend heavily outside the food and entertainment category, you might have an easier time racking up rewards with a rotating cash back card like the Discover it® Student Cash Back Card.

Read our full Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card review.

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Petal 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa Credit Card: Best for local cash back offers

• What we love about the Petal 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa Credit Card: The Petal 1 mobile app comes loaded with credit-building tools like access to your credit score, a calculator to see how much interest you may face based on your balance and a tool that can help you avoid paying for subscriptions you no longer use. 
• Who this card is good for: Credit builders who prefer an unsecured credit card and could benefit from an approval process that factors in alternative data like their income, bill payment and banking history in addition to their credit report.
• Alternatives: If you have negative marks on your credit report and struggle to qualify for student cards, there are a number of secured and unsecured credit cards for bad credit that have more lenient credit score requirements and can help you build your credit.

Read our full Petal 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa Credit Card review.

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Petal 2 “Cash Back, No Fees” Visa Credit Card: Best for credit-building incentives

• What we love about the Petal 2 “Cash Back, No Fees” Visa Credit Card: It has a relatively low barrier to entry and is accessible to students and other people with a limited credit history. 
• Who this card is good for: People with no credit or a limited credit history who want to avoid a security deposit and annual fees. 
• Alternatives: If you can’t qualify for an unsecured student rewards credit card, the Discover it® Secured Credit Card is a good option that will help you build credit and earn rewards in the popular everyday categories of gas and restaurants.

Read our full Petal 2 “Cash Back, No Fees” Visa Credit Card review.

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If you’re enrolled in college and have little or no credit history, a student credit card can help. Like traditional credit cards, student cards give you access to a line of credit you can use to make purchases. How you use the card is then reported to one or more of the three major credit bureaus.

If you pay your bills on time and don’t use too much of your available credit, you can begin to build up a positive credit history and grow your credit score. These actions will go a long way toward showing creditors that you know how to use credit responsibly. Once you graduate, the hard work you’ve put in building and maintaining good credit can pay off in a number of ways, as you’ll likely qualify for more rewarding credit cards and have an easier time financing a car loan or mortgage at an affordable rate.

A credit card is one of the best ways to build credit, but it’s hard to get approved for one if you have limited or no credit history. Without access to credit, you may face more financial challenges.

Student credit cards give you a chance to get a head start on building credit, which can help you overcome some financial obstacles. The earlier you start building credit, the longer your credit history will be. The length of your credit history is also a significant contributing factor to your credit score. Here are more benefits that come with using a student card:

• Access to extra funds: A student credit card gives you access to a line of credit you can use to make purchases. As long as you pay off those purchases in full by your card’s due date, you’ll avoid interest charges. This access to funds is especially useful when returning to school and purchasing necessary supplies or covering moving costs. The extra access is also useful to have in case of an emergency. Remember that money on a credit card is borrowed and must be repaid, so it’s important to monitor your spending and only spend what you can afford to pay back.
• Opportunity to build credit: If you start to build good credit as a college student, you’ll have an easier time borrowing money later in life. Having a long history of good credit not only improves your chances of getting approved for mortgages or auto loans, but also unlocks better interest rates that can help save money over time.
• Time to develop good financial habits: When you use your student credit card responsibly, you’re practicing the good credit habits that show creditors you can be trusted to pay back the money you borrow. Many student cards also come with features that can improve your financial literacy skills.
• Student-centric perks: Since issuers design student credit cards with student needs in mind, there are various benefits that come with using a student card during college. Along with more lenient eligibility requirements, some student cards provide perks like statement credits for good grades, high rewards rates on popular spending categories for students (like streaming, dining and entertainment) and access to free credit-monitoring systems.

If you’ve picked out the credit card that best suits your student lifestyle, then the next step is to get it. When you’re ready, here’s what you’ll need to apply for a student credit card.

1. Your credit score. Determining your credit score will let you know which cards you are likely to be approved for.
2. The application for the card you want. Simply head to the issuer’s website and find the application. You may be able to check if you prequalify for the card before you apply (with no impact to your credit score), which can give you some extra confidence in submitting an application.
3. Personal information. Be sure to have all of your application information ready before getting started. Besides your name, address and identifying information, you’ll need to state your income, which can be more than what you earn at a job if you are older than 21. This amount includes a partner’s income or any allowance, as long as you have reasonable access to the funds.
4. A budget and repayment plan. Responsible credit use starts with a stable budget and a concrete plan to repay what you spend. Once you’re approved, make note of your payment due date so you can always pay on time.

Whether you struggle to gain access to credit or don’t want to deal with the disadvantages of using a credit card, there are a number of alternative options out there that can help.

Secured credit cards

If you’re searching for a way to build your credit with a lower barrier to entry, secured credit cards provide a good alternative. The best secured credit cards have much more lenient requirements. Some don’t require you to even have a credit score when you apply.

Credit-builder loans

For some, a credit-builder loan is one of the best ways to build credit without a credit card. Since you’ll have to pay off the amount of the loan before you actually get to use the loan amount, you not only build credit but also put money aside in savings. Credit-builder loans are accessible to many people, even people with bad credit. According to a study done by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, this alternative is best for people with limited or no credit history.

Authorized user

When you’re an authorized user on the account of a parent, partner or trusted friend, their credit habits can impact your credit profile. If the primary account holder has a long history of good credit behavior, their credit history can help improve a thin credit file and their credit limit can help improve your credit utilization. Each of these factors can help boost your credit score.

UltraFICO and Experian Boost

If a card is completely out of the question, there are alternative methods available for measuring your creditworthiness. Tools like UltraFICO and Experian Boost use your payment history from rent and utility payments to build your credit. 

Checking account

A checking account won’t help you grow your credit score, but how you use it will go a long way to preparing you to manage funds efficiently. Once you’re a pro at handling your own finances, you’ll be more ready for a credit card. Your bank may even have its own line of credit products. If so, your loyalty and good financial habits could make it easier to gain access to credit.

Once you have your student credit card, it’s best to find the balance between maximizing this new financial tool and avoiding falling into excess credit card debt. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your student card and avoid credit card debt.

• Choose the right card for you. Your credit history, finances and lifestyle will all play a role in helping you narrow down your choices for a student credit card. If possible, pick a card that has a low ongoing APR in case you end up carrying a balance.
• Have a budget. If you know how to budget, you can avoid some of the common missteps that lead to debt. A budget will also help you keep track of how much you’re spending on your credit card so you can keep your credit utilization in check and only spend what you can afford to pay back.
• Pay on time. Your payment history has the greatest influence on your credit score. Paying your credit card bill on time as a student will greatly affect how your credit profile looks in the future. Late payments wind up as negative marks on your credit report and can come with late fees. They also trigger penalty APRs, which could lead to more debt.
• Pay off your balance in full whenever possible. Paying more than the minimum payment due and even trying to pay in full each month will help you avoid excessive interest charges that push people deep into credit card debt. This action also signals to lenders that you’re using your credit responsibly and could lead to credit line increases and other perks down the road.
• Avoid cash advances. A cash advance creates an unnecessary burden on your finances, because of its excessively high interest rates that add on to your debt the moment you withdraw funds.
• Build a strategy to maximize rewards. If you pick a student card that offers rewards on certain purchases, strategize your spending to get the most out of your rewards rates. Many student cards also have sign-up bonuses that offer a decent windfall of rewards after you spend a certain amount.