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Student Starter Pack

Your first card as a student: built for little or no credit history, mostly no annual fee.

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•••• •••• •••• 7288

Chase Freedom RiseVISA

$25 bonus (set up autopay)

Annual fee No fee Foreign transaction fee 3%

1.5% on all purchases
Friendly to credit newcomers
Chase says $250+ in Chase deposits helps

✓ Fees checkedStudent OK

Details

Capital OneMainstream

•••• •••• •••• 3312

Capital One SavorMastercard

$200 (spend $500 in 3 months)

Annual fee No fee Foreign transaction fee None

3% dining, entertainment & grocery
3% streaming
No annual fee, no FTF

✓ Fees checkedNone FTFStudent OK

Details

Capital OneMainstream

•••• •••• •••• 3751

Capital One QuicksilverMastercard

$200 (spend $500 in 3 months)

Annual fee No fee Foreign transaction fee None

1.5% on all purchases
No annual fee, no FTF
Approachable for fair credit

✓ Fees checkedNone FTFStudent OK

Details

DiscoverStarter

•••• •••• •••• 3059

Discover it StudentDiscover

First-year Cashback Match

Annual fee No fee Foreign transaction fee None

Built for students with little or no credit history
5% rotating categories
No annual fee

✓ Fees checkedNone FTFStudent OK

Details

•••• •••• •••• 4205

Zolve AzpireMastercard

No sign-up bonus

Annual fee No fee Foreign transaction fee None

Apply with a passport, SSN or ITIN (per Zolve)
Apply before you land in the U.S.
Reports to all three bureaus

✓ Fees checkedNone FTFStudent OKPassport/ITIN OKSecured

Details

Capital OneStarter

•••• •••• •••• 5773

Capital One Quicksilver StudentMastercard

$50 (spend $100 in 3 months; confirm with issuer)

Annual fee No fee Foreign transaction fee None

1.5% cash back on every purchase
No annual fee and no foreign transaction fee
Built for students building credit

✓ Fees checkedNone FTFStudent OK

Details