Student credit cards are targeted to young people who may never have owned a credit card before and who may have little or no established credit history of their own. Income requirements are often low, and these student cards usually come with low credit limits for new cardholders. Student cards also tend to have limited credit score requirements, so credit card issuing banks offset uncertainties about creditworthiness by extending lower credit limits and charging higher interest rates.

Students who sign up for a credit card should be conservative with card usage and limit their usage to avoid falling into debt. There is no one credit card that’s a perfect match for every student. Different students have different needs, and will use their cards in different ways. Some students will need to carry a balance; others will use them to maximize rewards and convenience and will pay off the balance every month.

U.S. News evaluated 29 different student cards based on their terms, fees and rewards potentials and selected the top cards for each type of spending habit and background. Discover it® for Students: Best for cash back with rotating bonus categories. Bank of America BankAmericard Travel Rewards for Students: Best for travel rewards with a sign-up bonus. Discover it® Secured Card: Best secured card with cash back. Bank of America Cash Rewards for Students: Best for cash back with gas and grocery bonus categories.

Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card for College Students: Best for varied rewards with dining and entertainment bonus categories and sign-up bonus. Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®: Best for flat cash back on everyday spending. Best for cash back with rotating bonus categories. Get a dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, automatically. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically.

20 statement credit each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next 5 years. No annual fee. No late fee on first late payment. No APR change for paying late. Get 100% U.S. based customer service & get your free Credit Scorecard with your FICO® Credit Score, number of recent inquiries and more. Freeze It® on/off switch for your account that prevents new purchases, cash advances & balance transfers in seconds. Receive Free Social Security number alerts—Discover will monitor thousands of risky websites when you sign up. Best for travel rewards with a sign-up bonus.

Best secured card with cash back. No Annual Fee, cash back on every purchase, and helps you build your credit with responsible use. 200 which will establish your credit line. You will need to provide your bank information when submitting your security deposit. We will automatically begin reviewing your account starting at 8 months to see if we can transition you to an unsecured line of credit. 1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically.

Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically. Get a dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, automatically. Receive Free Social Security number alerts— Discover will monitor thousands of risky websites when you sign up. Best for cash back with gas and grocery bonus categories. 3% of the U.S.

Best for varied rewards with dining and entertainment bonus categories and sign-up bonus. Best for flat cash back on everyday spending. Earn 1% cash back on all your purchases. U.S. News ran a nationwide survey of 1,000 college students who own credit cards, asking them about their credit card habits and knowledge. The results conveyed that many students don’t have adequate knowledge of credit cards and aren’t currently using best practices needed to build a strong financial foundation.

Forty percent of respondents weren’t educated by their parents or teachers on important topics related to credit usage and management before getting a credit card. Credit cards come with all sorts of protections and benefits including not having to carry cash, a rewards program, and an accounting system to know how you spent your money, along with the fact that you’re building your credit history.

But if you don’t pay the balance off there is a stiff penalty in the form of interest. More than 25 percent of student respondents either don’t know how to check their credit score or don’t know what a credit score is. However, 42 percent of students with credit cards are on the right track, checking their credit scores within the last month.