College students have enough stress, and the surging rates of student loan interest and credit card delinquencies aren’t helping. To help, we compiled a list of the best student credit cards. We reviewed card issuer details such as fees, rewards, and interest rates. We also considered customer feedback and expert reviews from leading personal finance sites like NerdWallet, The Points Guy, and Credit Karma to inform our analysis.
As an initial matter, a good student credit card should address several criteria. Ideally, it should:
- Have no annual fee
- Have a low or fair interest rate (APR)
- Report to all major credit bureaus
- Offer rewards or incentives like cash back
- Include educational tools and credit tracking
When you’re shopping for your first student card, remember the advice of Ellen Cannon, Editorial Director of NerdWallet: “Make sure you can qualify, then look for one with no annual fee that reports payments to all three major credit bureaus.” Experts agree these features are key when evaluating your first card.
While this list includes seven of the best starter credit cards for students, it’s not exhaustive. So continue your research until you’ve found the card that best meets your unique needs.
