We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

Still in school? These are the best credit cards for students

  • Joseph Hostetler

    • Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

    (Photo by Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.)

    Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

    As a student, you may not have the credit history or income to jump in and apply for one of the best travel credit cards, but there are plenty of cards designed for students to build their credit history. Some of them earn lucrative travel rewards or straightforward cash back.

    Let’s look at the best credit cards for students, including ones with no credit history requirement and others with rock-solid, easy-to-earn welcome offers.

    The information for the Citi Rewards Student card and the Citi Double Cash Card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

    Comparison of the best credit cards for students

    Should I get a student credit card or a regular credit card?

    Student credit cards are tailored for young students lacking a robust and lengthy credit score. They’re more of a stepping stone to other more useful cards. You’ll find that the benefits of a student card pale in comparison to any of the best rewards credit cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (which, incidentally is our pick for the best credit card for beginners in the miles and points hobby).

    Additionally, student cards usually offer a relatively small line of credit, as the banks are unwilling to provide access to thousands and thousands of dollars to someone who has not proven themselves responsible with credit.

    If you’re a student, it’s worth noting that these cards do occasionally come with perks just for you. Examples include:

    If your credits core is 700 or above, there are better credit cards you should open. If not, and you don’t want to open a student credit card, you can improve your credit score by becoming an authorized user on the account of someone with good credit. Check out our post on the best credit cards for authorized users.

    Citi® Double Cash Card

    Best for cash back

    Intro bonus

    No current intro bonus

    Benefits

    Earn 2% cash back: 1% cash back when you make a purchase and another 1% cash back when you make a payment.

    Annual fee

    $0

    Our take

    The Citi Double Cash card is one of the best cash-back credit cards, regardless of whether or not you are a student. You won’t find a better cash-back card with no annual fee.

    One of the hidden benefits of this card comes from pairing it with certain Citibank credit cards that earn ThankYou points, so the rewards you earn become more valuable. If you have either the Citi Prestige® Card or Citi Premier® Card, you can convert the cash back from the Double Cash card into transferrable ThankYou points at a rate of one cent to one point. So you could earn cash back with your Double Cash card and later, when you can get a more valuable rewards credit card, you can power up those rewards.

    The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets and has not been reviewed by the card issuer.

    Citi Rewards+℠ Student Card

    Best for small purchases

    Intro bonus

    Earn 2,500 points after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months after opening your account.

    Benefits

    With the Citi Rewards+ Student card you’ll earn 2 ThankYou points per dollar on the first $6,000 you spend at supermarkets and gas stations each year (then 1 point per dollar), and 1 ThankYou point per dollar on all other purchases. The card has a unique benefit, which rounds the points up to the nearest 10 points. So a $3 coffee purchase earns 10 ThankYou points. This card is an excellent choice for small purchases because you’ll never earn fewer than 10 points for a purchase.

    The points can be redeemed for rewards like gift cards or used to book travel through the Citi travel site at a rate of 1 cent per point. This card earns a 10% points rebate on the first 100,000 points you redeem each year.

    Annual fee

    $0

    Our take

    The Citi Rewards+ Student card is a great no-annual-fee starter card with some interesting perks. Like the Citi Double Cash card, you can increase the value of your points if you pair it with a Citi Prestige or Citi Premier card to transfer the points you’ve earned to one of Citi’s many airline partners.

    Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

    Best for travel rewards

    Intro bonus

    Earn 20,000 Capital One miles (worth $200 in travel) after spending $500 in the first three months from account opening.

    Benefits

    The Capital One VentureOne credit card earns an unlimited 1.25x miles on every purchase. The miles you earn can be transferred to Capital One airline partners at a 2:1.5 ratio and another three partners at a 2:1 ratio. You can also redeem your miles for 1 cent each toward eligible travel purchases.

    Annual fee

    $0

    Our take

    The Capital One VentureOne credit card benefits aren’t as valuable as those you get with the more popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, but the VentureOne doesn’t have an annual fee, which makes it one of the few cards that earns rewards you can transfer to travel partners without pairing with a card that has an annual fee. That fact alone makes it the best option for students looking to earn travel rewards.

    Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

    Best for less-than-perfect credit

    Intro bonus

    This card currently has no intro bonus offer.

    Benefits

    The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card doesn’t earn any rewards or have any valuable benefits.

    Annual fee

    $0

    Our take

    Although this card doesn’t earn any rewards, it is a good card for those with no credit or those who are rebuilding a credit history. The card requires a refundable minimum security deposit of $49, $99 or $200 dollars. You’ll have a credit line of at least $200 and it will be higher if you make a larger security deposit before the account opens. Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as six months. So even though you won’t earn anything for opening or spending on this card, it can set you up to open more lucrative cards in the future.

    Chase Freedom Unlimited®

    Best welcome offer

    Intro bonus

    Earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months from opening your account.

    Benefits

    The Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5% cash back on purchases.

    Annual fee

    $0

    Our take

    You can increase the Chase Freedom Unlimited cash-back benefits by converting to Chase Ultimate Rewards points if you pair this card with an annual-fee Ultimate Rewards card (Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card). Then you can transfer your points to many valuable Chase transfer partners.

    Getting a head start with the best credit cards for students

    College students with limited credit histories can find a credit card with benefits. There are plenty of cards out there with intro bonuses and ongoing rewards for everyday purchases. Many of them have no annual fee, so they’re great for students on a tight budget. You may already qualify for a top rewards credit card if you’re a student with a good credit score and income. For example, if you’re a graduate student or have returned to school part-time while you continue to work.

    Some of the cards on this list have great welcome bonuses to jump-start your rewards, but you need to meet the minimum spending requirements. One strategy is to time your credit card applications with large upcoming expenses like textbooks, a new computer, or other school-related expenses. It’s important to always pay your credit card bill in full and on time. This will help you build a good credit score, so that when you graduate, you’ll be able to get a great rate for that car loan or mortgage, saving you thousands of dollars in interest over the life of the loan.

    There are many credit monitoring services you can use to get an idea of your current credit score. Just remember that while your credit score can give you an indication of how likely you are to be approved, each bank has its own criteria and can look at more than your credit score in making their decision.

    To get your own credit card, you must be at least 18 years old — but again, that doesn’t mean you can’t start building your credit history sooner. You can get a head start on credit by having your parents or another family member add you as an authorized user. If your loved ones have a high credit score, you can piggyback on their good credit and develop your own history with the banks.

    Being an authorized user will not prevent you from earning a valuable welcome bonus from the same card in the future. However, it may count against you with banks like Chase, which includes authorized user accounts when they calculate your “5/24” count.

    Let us know if you’re in the market for a student credit card! And subscribe to our newsletter for more miles and points info, as well as general credit card advice.

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)