Limited or No Credit History Credit Cards
By Curtis Arnold updated on May 25, 2012
Having no credit or a limited credit history can be a pain when it comes to simple things like turning on utilities in your name. It can also make it nearly impossible for you to qualify for a mortgage. Credit cards are an excellent way to build your credit history. Credit cards for limited or no credit are a great solution for those who want to make day to day purchases and raise their credit score. Many of these cards are secured or prepaid credit cards. Find answers to your questions about the best ways to build your credit score using credit cards.

Capital One® Platinum Credit Card
Capital One® Secured Mastercard®
Journey (SM) Student Rewards from Capital One®
Teaching students the benefits of credit cards over prepaid debit cards According to research conducted by Auriemma Consulting Group, consumers born after the 1980s tend to rely more on checking account debit cards and on prepaid debit cards instead of on credit cards for daily purchasing. They tend to manage money well, but may be missing out on some of the biggest benefits of using credit cards. Journey Student Rewards offers Visa Platinum benefits that include:
- $0 fraud liability. Debit cards that get lost or stolen can put your cash at risk, at least for a little while. Capital One protects its cardholders from paying charges made without permission.
- Travel assistance services. Studying abroad and setting out on spring break become safer and simpler with help from a 24-hour response team that can dispatch replacement credit cards and cash advances.
- Travel accident insurance. Purchase your train or plane tickets with Journey Student Rewards, and Capital One provides coverage for your trip.
- Rental car insurance. Occasional drivers will appreciate automatic collision, damage, and loss insurance included when you reserve your rental car with Journey Student Rewards.
- Extended warranty coverage. Even if you use some of your credit line to splurge on jewelry, electronics or appliances, you'll appreciate automatic warranty extensions that come with your Capital One credit card.
Like other Capital One credit cards, Journey Student Rewards doesn't charge fees for foreign transactions or currency conversion, making it an ideal travel companion for quick overseas trips or extended stays abroad. You can even transfer a balance from another card at no charge, something for which other credit cards charge up to 5 percent.
Using today's technology to manage a student credit card Even with a strong slate of premium features, Journey Student Rewards really shines by connecting cash back rebates to responsible credit card use. In addition to the 1 percent rebate common among many of today's best cash back rewards cards, Journey Student Rewards offers a 25-percent bonus rebate for cardholders who pay their bills on time. To help keep you from missing your payment or exceeding your credit line, Capital One has set up an elaborate online system that triggers text or email alerts when your account's in danger. You can even help prevent fraud by enabling other notifications for daily card transactions.
Should you switch to Journey Student Rewards? You won't really be able to switch to Journey Student Rewards unless you're a young adult ready to trade in your authorized user status on a parent's account for your very first individual credit card. Capital One doesn't make Journey Student Rewards available to co-applicants, so you'll have to wait until you're at least 21 years old before you can complete their instant approval application. As you get older and gain more money management experience, you'll certainly qualify for credit cards with better interest rates. Until then, Journey Student Rewards is one of the best cash back credit cards you'll find.
CapitalOne® Cash Rewards for Newcomers
Travel rewards
Capital One Cash Rewards for Newcomers uses the same online rebate tracking system that powers the bank's other popular rewards credit cards. You'll earn 2 percent cash back on all travel purchases and 1 percent rebates on everything else, which you can easily redeem for statement credits through Capital One's website. Like other Capital One credit cards, this account charges no foreign transaction fees, saving you up to 5 percent when you travel overseas.
Not the lowest APR card
However, access to credit comes at a price if you want to carry over a balance from month to month. Capital One Cash Rewards for Newcomers comes with an annual percentage rate well into the double digits, far higher than most cash back rewards cards and comparable to many credit cards for bad credit. Although the card charges no fee for balance transfers, it's unlikely that you'll save money by consolidating your debt with this account.
Should you switch?
Not if you already have a Capital One credit card, or a credit card from any other major United States lender. Capital One designed the Capital One Cash Rewards for Newcomers for people who may already have credit cards in their former home countries, or may not have used a credit card before.
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