What is a student credit card?

The easiest credit cards for students to get are student credit cards for applicants with limited or no credit history and secured credit cards, which are available to people with no credit or even bad credit. Since college students tend to have higher incomes in the long term, issuers are willing to extend them better offers than most people without established credit could get. Think of it as an investment in a student’s future financial needs, which could prove quite profitable for a bank that gets in on the ground floor.… read full answer

The best student credit cards, including Journey Student Rewards from Capital One and the Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students, will be easy to get as long as you’re enrolled in school and have at least a small income as well as a credit score that’s anything but bad. In fact, you can get them even if you don’t have a credit score yet (you’ve never had a loan or line of credit before). And if you do have bad credit, a secured card will still be pretty easy to get.

Easiest Student Credit Cards to Get

In general, student credit cards allow young people to begin building credit before entering the real world. If you use your card responsibly and pay your bills on time, you should be able to get a better deal once you graduate. And that’s true whether you’re starting with a student credit card or a secured card.

Yes. You have to be a student to get a student credit card most of the time. Most student credit cards require applicants to provide the name of their school, their expected graduation date, or some other proof of enrollment.

The terms and conditions for some student credit cards also state that the card is specifically for currently-enrolled students. It’s illegal to lie on a credit card application, so applicants are legally compelled to be honest about their college enrollment status.… read full answer

Even if a student credit card application doesn’t ask you about your enrollment status, student cards are meant for students. If you don’t qualify as a currently-enrolled student, there are plenty of alternatives for people just starting to build their credit. You can get a secured credit card or a starter credit card, for example, without needing to be a student.

Yes, it is a good idea for college students to have a credit card because it is the best way to begin building credit history. Simply owning a credit card account and keeping it in good standing can allow a student to go from having no credit at the start of college to fair or even good credit by graduation.… read full answer

At the very least, college students should have a credit card as an authorized user on a parent’s account. You can build credit as an authorized user while the primary cardholder is responsible for making payments. The primary cardholder can also monitor the account. If there’s any sign of reckless card use, they can remove the authorized user at any time.

Notable Credit Cards for College Students

What you should know before applying for a student credit card:

• Requirements: To qualify for a student credit card, you have to be at least 18 years old and demonstrate the ability to afford monthly bill payments. More specifically, anyone between the ages of 18 and 21 must prove their ability to independently pay back debt before they can own a credit card.
  
  Alternatively, an applicant may have a co-signer who is at least 21 years old. The cosigner would be financially liable for the account. Most credit card companies don’t allow co-signers anymore, though.
• What to watch out for: Missing payments and racking up debt are the biggest concerns when it comes to credit cards as a college student. But there are easy ways to minimize the risk while still reaping all the benefits.
  
  For example, you’ll be less likely to miss any due dates if you set up automatic payments from a bank account. You could also pay any annual fee the card may have and then lock the card away somewhere safe – to resist the temptation to overspend. You’ll still build credit that way.

If you wait until after college to get a credit card, it could cost you when it comes it annual fees and rewards. Credit cards for college students tend to be a lot more attractive than other credit cards for people with limited or no credit.