If you're headed back to college and interested in scoring a limited-time welcome offer for the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, you'd better act soon; both offers are set to expire in the near future.
The Savor Student and Quicksilver Student currently offer a $100 cash bonus after you spend $300 on the card within the first three months. That's a $50 increase from the last bonus, with the spending requirement also increasing from the previous $100.
While these offers aren't huge, it's rare to have increased intro bonuses for student credit cards — and outside the welcome bonuses, these are some of the best credit cards for students on the market.
The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card features rewards rates that match many of the top cash-back credit cards.
- High cash-back rates for common student expenses, such as groceries, dining and entertainment
- Elevated cash-back rates on Capital One Entertainment and Capital One Travel purchases
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- High variable APR
- No intro APR on purchases or balance transfers
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, plus 1% on all other purchases
- Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Enjoy no annual fee, foreign transaction fees, or hidden fees
- Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn up to $500 a year by referring friends and family when they're approved for a Capital One credit card
- Earn 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal
- Build your credit with responsible card use
- Whether you're at a 4-year university, community college or other higher education institution, this card might be an option for you
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
The Capital One Quicksilver Student Credit Card earns a generous 1.5% cash back on every purchase, which makes it one of the most rewarding credit cards that's available to students.
- Simple rewards structure with no caps or categories to track
- No annual fee
- Potentially high APR
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Enjoy no annual fee, foreign transaction fees, or hidden fees
- Lock your card in the Capital One Mobile app if it's misplaced, lost or stolen
- Earn up to $500 a year by referring friends and family when they're approved for a Capital One credit card
- Build your credit with responsible card use
- Whether you're at a 4-year university, community college or other higher education institution, this card might be an option for you
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
- $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
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Who should get a Capital One student card?
If you're a college student, opening a student credit card can be a good way to start establishing credit history. However, credit cards designed for students and others with little-to-no credit history also tend to be far less rewarding. Many of these cards offer no rewards at all.
Capital One bucks that trend with its Quicksilver Student and Savor Student cards. Surprisingly, both earn cash back at the same rate as their non-student counterparts. The Quicksilver Student card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases, and the Savor Student card earns 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, streaming services and at grocery stores.
If you're a student, you'll have a difficult time finding a credit card you'll qualify for that is more valuable than either of these options.
How to get approved for a Capital One student card
Both cards offer approval to those with limited to fair credit, meaning you don't need a perfect credit score to get the card. You can see if you're prequalified on Capital One's site, which won't impact your credit score; a hard credit check will only happen if you match with a credit card offer and accept it.
While only students are eligible for these Capital One cards, it's not only four-year universities; community colleges or other higher education institutions can also qualify. And if you're admitted and planning to enroll within the next three months, you can still qualify for the card now.
If you're open to considering other options, the Chase Freedom Rise® (see rates and fees) doesn't have student in the title, but it's a great fit for those heading back to school. You can get approved with a limited to fair credit score, and if you're already a Chase banking customer (or willing to open an account and deposit at least $250), you may have an easier time getting approved.
The Chase Freedom Rise® is one of the most rewarding cards that's available if you're new to credit.
- No credit history required
- Above average flat-rate rewards
- No annual fee
- Small welcome offer
- Has a foreign transaction fee
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Limited Time Offer - Earn 3% cash back on dining at restaurants, including takeouts and eligible delivery services, on up to $6,000 spent in the first 6 months from account opening.
- Increase your approval chances - Having a Chase checking or savings account with a balance of at least $250 will increase your chances of getting approved for Chase Freedom Rise®
- Earn Cash Back - With Chase Freedom Rise®, you can establish credit while earning 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back.
- Earn a $25 statement credit after signing up for automatic payments within the first three months of opening your account. With automatic payments, just pick a date and dollar amount to make sure your Credit Card gets paid on time.
- Credit Limit Increase - As a Freedom Rise® cardmember, you'll be evaluated for a credit line increase in as soon as 6 months. Your credit line is the maximum amount of money you can spend on your Freedom Rise® Card
- Free Credit Score - Track your credit score and learn how to build it with Chase Credit Journey.
- No Annual Fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Rise® Card.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
5% or $5 of each transfer, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee
3% of the amount of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
The Chase Freedom Rise earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases. It doesn't have a traditional welcome bonus, but you'll earn 3% on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services) made within your first six months, or until you reach $6,000 in dining purchases.
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