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Best by audience

Best credit cards for the student

Student cards are credit cards designed around the realities of being in school: thin credit file, no income beyond a part-time job, and a small enough credit limit that you can't get yourself into too much trouble. The right student card has no annual fee, modest rewards on student-relevant categories (dining, streaming, groceries), and approves on a thin file.

Top pick

From the current catalog

Discover it Student Cash Back

Discover · no annual fee

The it Student Cash Back is the same rotating 5% card as Discover's flagship it Cash Back, opened up to students with little or no credit history. You earn 5% on quarterly categories you activate, on up to $1,500 in purchases, and 1% on everything else, plus the unlimited Cashback Match that doubles your first year.

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What we look for

  • Annual fee is zero. Always.
  • Approves applicants with limited or no credit history.
  • Rewards (if any) are on categories students actually spend in: dining, streaming, groceries.

What to watch for

  • Some 'student cards' are just regular cards with student marketing. Check the actual approval requirements.
  • Co-signed cards aren't student cards. They have their own dynamics; talk to whoever's co-signing.

The full list

1 card from the catalog

Ranking is formulaic, not editorial. The criteria above are the score function in plain English; you can see the exact weights in src/lib/best-topics.ts on GitHub.

Different audience?