Best Credit Cards for Students

Many of our readers are international students studying in the U.S. As someone who also started getting into credit cards back in my student days, I want to share some advice and guidance. Even if your income is limited, the right credit card can still make life a little easier.

BofA Customized Cash Rewards

BofA Customized Cash Rewards is a no-annual-fee credit card. If you do not have an SSN, you can open a checking account with BofA and apply for a BofA Secure Card in branch. After using it for 1-2 years, you may be able to convert it to this card. If you have a large deposit balance, some bankers may also be able to help you get this card directly. Of course, if you do have an SSN, you can also apply directly and may be eligible for a welcome bonus. This card’s cash back structure is a great fit for international students: you can choose one 3% cash back category from online shopping, travel, drugstores, home improvement/furnishings, gas, or dining. You can pick the category that best matches your spending, so it is very flexible. In addition, the card earns 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (Costco, Sam's Club, etc.), and 1% on all other purchases. If you keep a substantial balance in your checking account, your cash back can receive up to a 75% bonus, which works out to 5.25%/3.5%/1.75% cash back, making it very competitive. The card also comes with perks such as free museum admission each month, a free credit score, and BofA Deals, so it is a solid option.

Discover it

Discover it is a no-annual-fee credit card, and you do need to provide an SSN to apply. There is also a Discover it student version; you just need to select student status when applying. This card is very friendly to students with no credit history and works well as a first credit card. In general, once your identity is verified, approval is fairly easy. Your starting credit limit may be low, around $500, but as long as you pay on time each month and keep using the card, the limit can increase automatically. Each quarter, the card offers a 5% cash back category, with common options like groceries, gas, Uber, Amazon, PayPal, and department stores, which makes it very practical. One especially great perk is that during your first year, all the cash back you earn will be matched. That means 5% effectively becomes 10% cash back, and the usual 1% becomes 2%, which is an excellent deal.

As for other benefits, this card also provides a free credit score and a simple credit report, making it easy to keep track of changes to your credit. In addition, in China, the card can be processed through the UnionPay network, so it is relatively easy to use there, and it does not charge foreign transaction fees, making it useful for international travel. Cash back can be redeemed as cash, or for discounted gift cards, which is also a nice feature.

AMEX Blue Cash EveryDay

Blue Cash EveryDay is a no-annual-fee credit card. If you have previously had a credit card or built some credit history through other methods, such as being an authorized user or using a secured card, you may still be able to apply online even without an SSN, and then call in to provide additional identity documentation. Of course, applicants with an SSN can apply directly as well. Its cash back structure is simple: 3% back at grocery stores, on online shopping, and at gas stations (up to $6,000 per year in spending in each category), which fits student spending patterns and limits fairly well. In addition, the card offers a $7 monthly statement credit for Disney, Hulu, and ESPN, which is a nice extra if you can use it.

Also, as an AMEX card, it comes with AMEX Offers, which can help you save quite a bit on everyday shopping. Extended warranty protection on electronics, a free credit score, and complimentary ShopRunner membership are all practical benefits. AMEX is also relatively generous with credit limits, and after using the card for a while, you may be able to request a 3x credit limit increase.

Citi Double Cash

Citi Double Cash is a no-annual-fee credit card that earns 2x (2%) cash back on all purchases, with no cap. More specifically, you earn 1x when you make a purchase and another 1x when you pay it off, for a total of 2x. This card is extremely simple and does not really come with many other benefits. It is especially good for students who do not want to track bonus categories. The card earns ThankYou Points, and if you value them at 1.5c/p, that is equivalent to 3% cash back. However, to get that higher value from TYP, you need to also hold a premium card such as Citi Premier, Prestige, or Citi Strata Elite.

From an application standpoint, if you have a Citi Checking account, your approval odds can be much better. Citi Checking itself often comes with a good bank account bonus, so it can make sense to do both.

Citi Custom Cash

Citi Custom Cash is a no-annual-fee credit card. Each month, it earns 5% cash back in your top spending category, with eligible categories including restaurants, gas, grocery stores, travel, transit, streaming, drugstores, home improvement, fitness, and entertainment. However, only the first $500 in spending per month earns 5% cash back. For students who do not want to think about categories, this card can also be used very simply since it automatically gives you 5% back in the category where you spend the most. This card earns ThankYou Points, and at 1.5 cents per point, that is equivalent to 7.5% cash back. But again, to unlock that higher value for ThankYou Points, you need to hold a premium card such as Citi Premier, Prestige, or Citi Strata Elite.

From an application standpoint, if you have a Citi Checking account, your approval odds can be much better. Citi Checking also has a generous bank account bonus, so it is a good pairing.

Chase Freedom Flex

Chase Freedom Flex is also a no-annual-fee card. In terms of applying, if you have a Chase checking account and keep a decent amount on deposit, it is relatively easier to get approved. However, an SSN is required. If your online application is denied, you can call Chase and ask them to reconsider the application. Be sure to mention that you have significant deposits with Chase, as that can meaningfully improve your chances.

The main feature of this card is the rotating quarterly 5x bonus categories, which are often very useful. It also earns 5x on travel booked through Chase, and 3x on dining and drugstores, which helps cover part of your everyday spending. The card earns Ultimate Rewards points. Once travel becomes more relevant for you, you can upgrade to or newly apply for a premium card such as Sapphire Preferred or the Reserve card to get 1.5x or potentially even higher value from your points. If you already have a Sapphire Preferred or the Reserve card, you can also consider downgrading to this no-annual-fee card without losing your points.

Chase Freedom Unlimited

Chase Freedom Unlimited is also a no-annual-fee credit card, and its application considerations, points system, and upgrade/downgrade paths are similar to the card above. The key difference is that it earns 1.5 points on all purchases, so you do not need to think about categories at all, which makes it even simpler. It also earns 5 points on travel booked through the Chase website and 3 points on dining and drugstores, helping cover some everyday spending categories.

Capital One Savor

Capital One Savor is also a no-annual-fee card. It is a very solid everyday spending card, offering 3% cash back on dining, groceries, streaming, and entertainment. This card is also relatively beginner-friendly and works well as one of your first few cards. Once you already have many cards, it may actually become harder to get approved. Also, a Capital One checking account may help with your card application, so if you are interested, you could open one first.

Other Cards

If you are not able to apply for a credit card right now, you can consider getting a secured card first to build some credit history before applying again.

• Introduction to secured cards

If you do not want to apply yet, but you have a friend or family member willing to add you as an authorized user, AMEX, Chase, and Citi authorized user cards can also help you build some credit history. After holding an authorized user card for 3-6 months, applying for your own credit card can become much easier.

• Authorized User cards explained

I also want to specifically mention credit cards with “Student” in the name, such as Chase Freedom Student and Capital One Savor Student. In my view, they are not necessarily much easier to get than the regular non-Student versions. On top of that, their benefits and welcome bonuses are often significantly weaker. I do not recommend specifically targeting these lower-tier versions. Instead, you can apply for the cards mentioned above, build some credit history, and then apply directly for the standard non-Student versions.

Summary

All of the cards recommended in this article have no annual fee. The main reason is that students may not have high income, and generally speaking, no-annual-fee cards have lower income requirements and lower minimum approved credit limits. Even so, no-annual-fee cards can still offer practical benefits, such as a free credit score, strong everyday cash back, and useful credit card offers.

Major U.S. banks usually offer both checking accounts and credit cards. Having a checking account or savings account with a bank can significantly help with credit card applications, and for students, this is often a very good path.

Student Credit Cards

Credit Card	Rewards	Notes	Apply
BOA Customized Cash Rewards	3% cash back in one category of your choice among online shopping, travel, drugstores, home improvement/furnishings, gas, and dining (quarterly cap of $1500); 2% at grocery stores and Wholesale clubs; 1% on all other purchases	If you have a BOA Preferred Rewards account, you can get a 10%-75% rewards bonus. This card can also be obtained by upgrading from a secured card. This card can be opened without an SSN.	Link
Discover It	5% cash back each quarter (up to $1500), 1% on other purchases	The 5% categories change every quarter, with useful categories such as Amazon, grocery stores, gas, and department stores. This card is relatively easy to get approved for.	Link
AMEX Blue Cash EveryDay	3% cash back at grocery stores, on online shopping, and at gas stations (up to $6000 per year in each category); 1% on other purchases	You can also use AMEX Offer.	Link
Chase Freedom Flex	5x on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1500); 5x on travel booked through Chase; 3x at restaurants and drugstores; 1x on other purchases	The 5x categories rotate among grocery stores, gas, dining, online shopping, and more.	Link
Chase Freedom Unlimited	5x on travel booked through Chase; 3x at restaurants and drugstores; 1.5x on all other purchases	The rewards structure is simple, making it an easy everyday card to use.	Link
Citi Double Cash	2x on all purchases	Earn 1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay.	Link
Citi Custom Cash	5x cash back on your top eligible spending category each month among restaurants, gas, grocery stores, travel, transit, streaming, drugstores, home improvement, fitness, and entertainment (monthly cap of $500)		Link
Capital One Savor	3% at grocery stores, dining, entertainment, and streaming; 1% on other purchases		Link
Detailed analysis: Best Credit Cards for Students

Best Credit Cards by Category

• Best student credit cards
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• Best credit cards for dining
• Best credit cards for gas
• Best premium credit cards
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• Best credit cards for online shopping
• Best flat-rate rewards credit cards