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Student Credit Cards

Explore our best credit cards for college students

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Student Credit Cards
Discover it Student Cash Back Credit Card

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Discover it Student Chrome Credit Card

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Questions about Student Credit Cards

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What is the credit limit for Discover Student Credit Cards?

Different student credit cards offer different initial credit limits, which depend on factors like:
 
  • Your income
  • Your credit score
  • How much credit you’re already using (known as “credit utilization”), if applicable
There is no set credit limit as everyone’s situation is different.

Three things to know about low APR credit cards for students

It’s essential to understand student credit card APR when you’re looking for the right student credit card for you. “APR” stands for Annual Percentage Rate, and it represents how much it costs to borrow money each year—or, in more simple terms, how much interest you’ll be charged for charges on your student credit card that you don’t pay back right away.

You will often find introductory offers for 0% intro APR student credit cards, but these are offers for a limited period of time. After your introductory period, the standard APR will apply to any balance remaining on your card and any new purchases. This is why it’s important to look at the standard APR when you compare credit cards. 

To apply for a student credit card, students will typically need to provide proof of enrollment (usually a document that confirms your name, the name of your school, and the dates that you’re enrolled there) and income information. It’s wise to research and select a card that aligns closely with your financial habits and needs.

Benefits that don’t just talk the talk

Fraud Liability Icon

$0 Fraud Liability

You’re never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your Discover Card. 7

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Free Social Security number alerts

Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on the dark web. 10 Sign up to activate this free benefit.

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Freeze your account

If you misplace your card, you can prevent new purchases and cash advances in seconds with the on/off switch on our mobile app and website. 11

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FICO® Score and more

It's free and checking your score doesn’t hurt your credit. 2

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Real human customer service 24/7

You can talk to a real human on our customer service team any time. 9

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Tap to pay

It’s fast and easy to pay with your contactless Discover Card. 12

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Build your credit with responsible use 5 in college

Whether you’re brand new or already have some credit, a student Discover card lets you earn great rewards while you build credit with responsible use. 5 Responsible use includes making your payments on time to your account or any other bills and loans.

Questions about Student Credit Cards

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Ready to apply for a Discover student credit card?

See if you’re pre-approved with no harm to your credit score. 8

Brush up on your credit card basics

See our helpful articles on student credit cards below.
Learn how to get your first credit card, including what card to apply for.
If you’re in school and considering a credit card for students, you probably have a lot of questions. This article will cover everything you need to know about student credit cards.
The key to happy card membership is to know what you’re doing from the start. Here are five tips for the first-time credit card holder.

Rates And Fees Information

The offer terms presented on this page (including, but not limited to, APR rates) may be different than offer terms displayed if you navigate away from this page. Check the terms of your specific offer before you move forward with submitting an application.

  1. Footnote 1:

    No credit score required to apply: We may use credit scores if available.

  2. Footnote 2:

    FICO® Credit Score and CreditWise Terms: Eligible users who have signed up for CreditWise, a free credit monitoring service provided by Capital One, will get access to their TransUnion® credit report, FICO Score 8, credit monitoring alerts, tools to help them understand their credit, offers, and more. The credit score provided in CreditWise is a FICO Score 8 based on TransUnion data. The FICO Score 8 gives you a good sense of your credit health but it may not be the same score model used by your lender or creditor. In order to enroll in CreditWise, you need to be over the age of 18 with a valid social security number that can be matched to a credit profile with TransUnion. The availability of the CreditWise tool and certain features in the tool depends on our ability to obtain your credit history from TransUnion and whether you have sufficient credit history to generate a FICO Score 8. Some monitoring and alerts may not be available to you if the information you enter at enrollment does not match the information in your credit file at (or you do not have a file at) one or more consumer reporting agencies. You do not need to have a Capital One account (which includes Discover card accounts) to sign up for CreditWise. FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.

  3. Footnote 3:

    2% Cash Back at gas and restaurants: You will earn 2% cash back on your first $1000 in combined purchases at gas stations (stand-alone) and restaurants each calendar quarter. Calendar quarters begin January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. Purchases at gas stations and restaurants over the quarterly cap, and all other purchases, except as noted below, earn 1% cash back. Gas station purchases include those made at merchants classified as places that sell automotive gasoline that can be bought at the pump or inside the station, and some public electric vehicle charging stations. Gas stations affiliated with supermarkets, supercenters, and wholesale clubs may not be eligible. Restaurant purchases include those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, and restaurant delivery services. Restaurants located inside of or affiliated with another business, such as hotels or retails stores and establishments classified as a bakery, may not qualify. Purchases must be made with merchants in the U.S. To qualify for 2%, the purchase transaction date must be before or on the last day of the offer or promotion. For online purchases, the transaction date from the merchant may be the date when the item ships. Rewards are added to your account within two billing periods. Capital One uses merchant category codes to determine if a purchase is in one of the additional cash back categories. This means that sometimes a purchase may not earn additional cash back. For example, some food trucks or food carts may use a merchandise code and restaurants in department stores or hotels may use a merchandise or hotel code instead of a dining code. Certain third-party payment accounts and digital wallet transactions may not earn additional cash back if the technology does not provide sufficient transaction details or a qualifying MCC. Capital One is not responsible for merchant category codes used by merchants. Applies to all rewards: Earnings will apply to net purchases (purchases minus any credits or returns). Cash advances, balance transfers, transfers from Discover or Capital One checking or other deposit accounts, and checks used to access your account are not considered purchases and will not earn rewards. Portions of purchases paid with rewards, transactions that do not comply with our policies and/or applicable laws, or any cash you receive in connection with a purchase at the point of sale through Discover’s Cash at Checkout feature will not earn rewards. See Your Rewards Program Terms & Conditions and your online account for more details.

  4. Footnote 4:

    Cashback Match: We’ll match all the cash back you’ve earned on your credit card from the day your new account is approved through your first 365 days and add it to your rewards account within two billing periods. You earn cash back only when transactions are processed, which may be after the transaction date. We will not match: rewards that are processed after your match period ends; statement credits; rewards transfers from Discover or Capital One checking or other deposit accounts; or rewards for accounts that are closed. This promotional offer may not be available in the future and is exclusively for new cardholders. No purchase minimums.

  5. Footnote 5:

    Many factors affect your credit, such as payment history and amount of credit extended and used. Using your credit responsibly may help you build good credit.

  6. Footnote 6:

    About product reviews: All customer reviews used are authentic. Testimonials may be shortened or edited for clarity. We calculate the average product rating based on ratings that customers submit. Some product ratings and reviews may be obtained from customers with different versions of the product. We exclude some reviews from being displayed for reasons such as the customer included profanity, reviewed the wrong product, submitted inappropriate or irrelevant content, or revealed personally identifying information. Reviews are not filtered, edited, or deleted simply because they are negative or are lower rated. If a review is excluded, the associated rating is not calculated in the average product rating.

  7. Footnote 7:

    $0 Fraud Liability: An “unauthorized purchase” is a purchase where you have not given access to your card information to another person or a merchant for one-time or repeated charges. Unauthorized use and $0 fraud liability claims are subject to investigation and verification. Please use reasonable care to protect your card and do not share it with employees, relatives, or friends.

  8. Footnote 8:

    Any pre-approved offers you receive may have offer terms that vary from other offers you see elsewhere. Some card products are not eligible for pre-approval.

  9. Footnote 9:

    Customer service: Certain specialized customer service agents may not be available 24/7.

  10. Footnote 10:

    Alerts and CreditWise Terms: Eligible users who have signed up for CreditWise, a free credit monitoring service provided by Capital One, will get access to their TransUnion® credit report, FICO Score 8, credit monitoring alerts based on select changes to their TransUnion® and Experian® credit reports and information we find on the Dark Web, tools to help them understand their credit, offers, and more. The credit score provided in CreditWise is a FICO Score 8 based on TransUnion data. The FICO Score 8 gives you a good sense of your credit health but it may not be the same score model used by your lender or creditor. In order to enroll in CreditWise, you need to be over the age of 18 with a valid social security number that can be matched to a credit profile with TransUnion. The availability of the CreditWise tool and certain features in the tool depends on our ability to obtain your credit history from TransUnion and whether you have sufficient credit history to generate a FICO Score 8. Some monitoring and alerts may not be available to you if the information you enter at enrollment does not match the information in your credit file at (or you do not have a file at) one or more consumer reporting agencies. You do not need to have a Capital One account (which includes Discover card accounts) to sign up for CreditWise. FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.

  11. Footnote 11:

    When you freeze or lock your account, Capital One will decline new charges including, but not limited to: Purchases (including in-store, online, in-app and by phone) and cash advances. Any cards with the same number will also be locked. If you have authorized users, you need to lock their cards individually. Only the primary cardholder is able to unlock authorized users’ cards online. Some limitations may apply including but not limited to: (i) Service outages may occur and routine maintenance may result in downtime, during which the transactions might be approved; (ii) Some types of activity may continue, including but not limited to, returns, credits, dispute adjustments, payments, protection product fees, other account fees, interest, rewards redemptions and certain exempted transactions; (iii) If you have charges continuing from a previous card number that transferred to this card, those charges should continue since they’ve been authorized. You can remove merchants from your ‘Continued Charges’ list at any time; and (iv) Balance transfers may still be authorized. Capital One customers are responsible for regularly checking their account activity and making payments on locked cards.

  12. Footnote 12:

    You can use the tap to pay feature with your contactless card anywhere your Discover credit card is accepted, and you see the contactless symbol  at checkout. Not all merchants accept contactless payments. The Contactless Symbol is a trademark owned by and used with permission of EMVCo, LLC.

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