Discover it® Student Chrome Review

WHAT DISCOVER SAYS ABOUT THIS CARD

FEATURED CARD

 

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• Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
• Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
• Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% - 29.99%. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
• 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
• 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
• 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations.
• 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
• 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
• Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
• Get up to $120 in statement credits annually when you pay for an auto-renewing subscription to Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. That's $10 in statement credits each month. Enrollment required.
• Thinking about getting the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+? Your decision made easy with $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. Enrollment required.
• Terms Apply.

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See Rates and Fees

Terms and Limitations Apply

Credit Needed:

Good, Excellent

CardName benefits

College is an excellent time to learn about financial responsibility, and a student credit card is a great way to do that. And as students can almost always use a little extra cash, a rewards credit card can be particularly helpful.

CardName understands the spending habits and priorities of college students and has been designed to cater to their needs.

The automatic cash-back rewards on gas and restaurants are what struck a chord with us first. With classes, schoolwork and socializing, college students are crazy busy and have enough to deadlines to remember without keeping up with a quarterly need to sign up for rewards.

The CardName removes that hassle from your to-do list. Cardholders earn 2% back on gas and restaurant purchases up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, and 1% on everything else. Restaurant purchases include dining out on date night, a quick bite at the drive-thru or even late-night pizza deliveries.

Those 2% categories are perfect for the road-tripping college student or even just for quick weekend drives home to see family.

Another attractive feature is that all the cash back you earn in year one, will be matched. No limits. So not only will students get paid to buy everyday items, you'll see that cash back amount jump up at the end of the year. If you earn $150 in cash back in your first year, Discover will add a matching $150 at the end of the year to bump up the total to $300.

Free is a word that is music to the ears of every college student and the Discover it® Student Chrome card has a $0 annual fee.

In addition, new cardholders get an intro 0% interest rate on all new purchases for the first six months after the card is issued. No interest puts money directly into your pocket. After six months, your interest rate moves to RegAPR, depending on your credit worthiness.

Who is eligible to apply for CardName?

You must be at least 18 years of age, have a U.S. address and a Social Security number. When you apply, you will also need to provide proof of your school enrollment.

No credit? No problem. You're still eligible to apply for the CardName. A student credit card is terrific way to start building a positive credit history.

Can you use CardName once your graduate?

Absolutely. Discover is hoping that your experience with the CardName is the first step in a lifetime financial relationship. When you graduate, you should call Discover to update your personal information such as income, housing, e-mail and address. This may make you eligible for credit line increases. At this point, you might even be eligible to graduate to one of Discover's non-student cards, but you can certainly continue using your student card if you're pleased with its offerings and terms.

>>SEE MORE: What to do with your student credit card after graduation

What are the potential downsides of CardName?

While CardName offers a ton of perks for college students, the low cash-back rates stand out as a downside, especially if you are a big spender in categories other than gas and restaurants. The difference between 1% and 5% up to the quarterly maximum in categories that rotate (activation required) offered by CardName can add up fast (more on this below).

Even with the 2% cash back on combined gas and restaurant purchases, there is a $1,000 quarterly spending cap. That works out to just $76 per week. Given the price of gas and recent increases in the cost of dining out, that $1,000 threshold can be reached quickly. That said, if you're on a meal plan while away at college, perhaps you'll stay well under that cap.

Ultimately, you'll need to decide whether the Chrome rewards are right for your lifestyle and budget. If not, you can consider one of the options compared below.

CardName cardholder scores

*Scores above reflect the results of surveys with actual cardholders. Full methodology below.

How does the CardName compare to other student cards?

CardName vs. CardName

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These sibling cards have more similarities than differences. The biggest difference is in the cash-back rewards program. Rather than a flat 2%/1% cash-back program, CardName has a rotating calendar of featured categories. Cardholders can earn a hefty 5% cash back on purchases in a featured category up to $1,500 spent in the category (activation required) during the designated quarter of the year. Some of these potential categories include: grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations.

All other purchases earn 1% cash back.

This card also offers a cash-back match at the end of the year for all new cardmembers, and finally, this is also a no-annual-fee card.

CardName vs. CardName

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CardName offers a slightly higher flat rate of cash back of 1.5%. It offers a premium cash back of 5% but only on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Also, for a limited time, earn 10% cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024. All other purchases earn 1.5% which is nice if you don't want to think about where you're spending money, and instead just want to earn on all purchases.

Instead of a cash-back match, Capital One Quicksilver Student offers an early spend bonus of $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months. This is nice for those who want the bonus right away (well, in around three months) instead of having to wait until the end of the first year of card membership.

CardName vs. CardName

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CardName is an attractive option for college students due to its targeted cash back rewards program and easy redemption options. It offers unlimited 3% cash back on all dining, grocery (excluding superstores like Target and Walmart) and entertainment purchases, as well as select streaming services. Additionally, students can earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options (terms apply). For many college students, this covers most standard expenditures. The card offers 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Like the Quicksilver Student, new cardholders can earn an early spend bonus of $50 once spending $100 in the first three months of opening an account.

Who is a good fit for CardName?

CardName is an excellent choice for students with little or no credit, who are looking to build a positive credit history. No annual fee means you're not immediately starting in a hole and a 0% introductory APR on purchases for six months gives new cardholders a chance to build some positive fiscal momentum (after the intro period a RegAPR applies).

This card is designed specifically for students who don't have time to sign on to activate rewards every month. These students, however, spend regularly on food and gas.

It's likely not the best choice for people who relish the opportunity to strategically use their credit cards to rack up maximum rewards in categories that change quarterly, but for the average college student it's an above-average option.

Survey Methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September 2023 to conduct surveys among 1,869 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2023-Aug. 31, 2023 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents' scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. “Current Scores” reflect scores from the most recent survey (2023); "Past Scores" reflect scores from the 2022 survey.