Deserve EDU Student Credit Card Review

Deserve EDU Credit Card Review Summary

The Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students is a good choice for anyone who’s currently enrolled in a U.S. college or university, particularly international students and fans of Amazon.com. The Deserve EDU Card is worth it because it doesn’t charge an annual fee, but does offer rewards: 1% cash back on all purchases. That’s roughly the average among all rewards credit cards, not just those for students.

Unlike most student credit cards, which require you to have a Social Security number, Deserve EDU is available to students who were born abroad. International students simply need a passport, U.S. bank account and Student visa.

Whether you’re a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or international student, you don’t need any prior credit experience to get the Deserve Student Credit Card. Just be prepared to pay your balance in full every month, given the card’s high APR.

Deserve EDU Credit Card Review Highlights

1% Cash Back on All Purchases

Deserve Edu’s rewards rate is good but not great. The average credit card, market-wide, offers only slightly more. The Deserve Student Card looks good by comparison, considering that most cards with better rewards used credit responsibly in the past. But its rewards are still about average, and many student credit cards have it beat in this regard, thanks to either a higher everyday earning rate or initial rewards bonus.

$59-Worth of Amazon Prime Student

Amazon Prime Student is a cheaper version of Prime, specifically for college students. It gives you a six-month free trial period, during which most Prime benefits – such as free two-day shipping – are available. After six months, you get access to all Prime benefits, including unlimited music streaming, at half the usual price. Your two options are $59 per year or $6.49 per month ($77.88 for a year). And Deserve will cover the first $59 charged to your Edu Mastercard for Students if you spend $500 within the first three billing cycles. So you can score free Prime services for up to a year and a half just by using this card.

No Annual Fee

This saves you $22 per year compared to the average credit card. It’s par for the course among student credit cards, though.

Deserve EDU Credit Card Review Lowlights

Above-Average APR

It’s generally unwise to carry a balance from month to month in the absence of a 0% introductory APR, which the Deserve Edu Credit Card doesn’t have. And it’s an especially bad idea to do so when you’re being charged interest at a high rate, which Deserve Edu does. Its regular APR – 22.99% Variable – is well above the average for a student credit card.

Other Things To Consider About The Deserve EDU Credit Card

Credit Limit as High as $5,000

Deserve doesn’t provide much information about the Edu Mastercard’s credit line, other than it’s based on your overall creditworthiness and can be as high as $5,000. Most applicants are unlikely to be approved for that much spending power, though.

Available to International Students

Not all credit cards are available to international students who don’t have an SSN. And those that are typically require an Individual Taxpayer Identification number (ITIN) instead. Few cards are available with just a passport (from any country) and some other basic documentation, as is the case with the Deserve Edu Mastercard.

In addition to a copy of your passport, you will need to provide proof of a U.S. bank account as well as copies of your Student Visa and I-20 form, also known as a “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.”

Balance Transfers & Cash Advances Not Allowed

Cash advances are very expensive and are best avoided, anyway. And students generally don’t have enough credit card debt to warrant transferring a balance. But it’s still good to know ahead of time that these normally standard features won’t be available.

Deserve EDU Credit Card Review vs. The Competition

There are lots of great student credit cards on the market right now. To help you find the right fit for your needs, we compared the Deserve Edu Mastercard to some of the most popular alternatives. You can check out what each card brings to the table below