10 Best Student Credit Cards for Bad Credit
If you are struggling to find the right credit card with bad credit score, we have compiled a detailed list and reviewed the best credit cards for students with poor credit.
A bad or poor credit score can feel disappointing, especially when you apply for credit cards, as you can be disqualified. Nevertheless, having bad credit does not limit all your options for credit cards. There are credit cards for students with bad credit that you can apply for and get approved with a low credit score or none at all.
Using these poor credit credit cards, you can start building your credit upward so that in the future, you have all the card options available to you.
In this post, we have reviewed all the credit cards for students with bad credit that you can apply for. There are a total of 10 options to choose from.
Types of Credit Cards For Students With Bad Credit
There are three types of credit cards that are available to students with bad credit including subprime credit cards, secured credit cards, and unsecured credit cards.
- Subprime Credit Cards: These are unsecured credit cards designed for people with bad credit scores. These cards have higher interest rates and lower limits than other types of credit cards, and may also have additional fees associated with them.
- Secured Credit Card: A secured credit card requires users to put in a deposit amount as collateral against the card before it can be issued. Secured cards are easiest to get with bad credit and have the same credit limit as the deposit. However, they may have higher interest rates.
- Unsecured Credit Card: An unsecured card is a card that can be issued to anyone who is eligible and will usually have a higher credit limit and more rewards. However unsecured credit cards are harder to obtain with low credit scores. There are student credit cards for bad credit that are easier to obtain than other unsecured ones.
Best Subprime Credit Cards For Students With Bad Credit
We are starting with subprime credit cards since many students and users may not want to put in a deposit for the secured cards.
| Lender | Scholaroo rating | APR Rates % | Minimum Credit Score |
|---|---|---|---|
 PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Widely accepted worldwide Visit website | 36% | 500 | |
 Aspire® Cash Back Reward Good for fair credit Visit website | 29.99% or 36% | 630 |
PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard®
Widely accepted worldwide
Aspire® Cash Back Reward
Good for fair credit
#1 PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Credit Card
#2 Aspire® Cash Back Reward Card
Best Secured Credit Cards For Students With Bad Credit
The next category we are reviewing are the secured credit cards which require a deposit before it can be approved. Here are the 3 best secured credit cards:
| Lender | Scholaroo rating | APR Rates % | minimum Credit Score |
|---|---|---|---|
 Applied Bank® Gold Preferred® Secured Visa® Best for lowest interest rates Visit website | 9.99% | N/A | |
 OpenSky® Secured Visa® Good for individuals with no bank account Visit website | 22.39% | N/A | |
 Capital One® Platinum Secured Best secured card for rebuilding credit Visit website | 30.49% | N/A | |
 First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Best secured Mastercard with cash back rewards Visit website | 15.24% | N/A | |
 Discover it® Secured Best secured card for high rewards Visit website | 28.24% | N/A |
Applied Bank® Gold Preferred® Secured Visa®
Best for lowest interest rates
OpenSky® Secured Visa®
Good for individuals with no bank account
Capital One® Platinum Secured
Best secured card for rebuilding credit
First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured
Best secured Mastercard with cash back rewards
Discover it® Secured
Best secured card for high rewards
#3 Applied Bank® Gold Preferred® Secured Visa®
#4 OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
#5 Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
#6 First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured
#7 Discover it® Secured credit card
Best Unsecured Student Credit Cards for Bad Credit
The two best student credit cards that are easy to get are by Discover. These are unsecured but designed for students so that you don’t have to worry about credit scores. These are great to build credit scores. The third student card by Capital One is also a great student credit card but requires fair credit for approval.
| Lender | Scholaroo rating | APR Rates % | Minimum Credit Score |
|---|---|---|---|
 Discover it® Student Cash Back Best student credit card Visit website | 18.24% - 27.24% | Not Required | |
 Discover it® Student Chrome Good for everyday rewards Visit website | 18.24% - 27.24% | Not Required | |
| Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Good for students with fair credit Visit website | 19.99% - 29.99% | 580 |
Discover it® Student Cash Back
Best student credit card
Discover it® Student Chrome
Good for everyday rewards
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards
Good for students with fair credit
#8 Discover it® Student Cash Back
#9 Discover it® Student Chrome
#10 Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards
General Requirements for Student Credit Cards for Bad Credit
The eligibility requirements for credit cards vary from one to another. However, there are some general requirements that most credit card companies require and they are listed below.
- Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Applicant must be 18 years old or at the age of maturity according to your state
- Must have a Social Security Number
- Enrolled at least half-time at an educational institution as a student
- Must be under 21
- Applicant must have a source of income to pay for the card or have a cosigner who can take responsibility for that on the applicant’s behalf
Having a minimum credit score is usually not a requirement for student cards as students are just entering the financial world and it is hard for them to have good credit at the beginning of their financial journey. To have an established credit record as a student, you can have yourself added as an authorized user to your parent’s cards beforehand as this can allow you to have a credit history when you go to get your own student credit card.
How to Build Credit with a Credit Card
There are a few main ways that can help you build credit using your new credit card.
- Make on-time payments: Making prompt payments is the most important factor in building credit. Late or missed payments hurt your credit score and should be avoided at all costs as they can stay on your report for around 7 years. Moreover, try to pay off your card in full each month to avoid the expensive interest charges. If unable to make full payments, make sure to pay the minimum at least.
- Keep your utilization low: If you keep getting very close to your maximum card limit, or have a high credit utilization, issuers might consider you risky. A low credit utilization, around 30% or lower, can help give a boost to your credit overall. To keep the utilization low, you can either increase the credit limit on your card or make more than one payment a month if allowed by your card issuer.
- Stick to one card in the beginning: Every time you apply for a credit card, the issuer carries out a hard pull credit check which can hurt your credit score in the short term and knock around 5 to 10 points off of it. So applying for multiple card accounts in the beginning and too often is not advisable. However, in the long term, if you open new accounts sensibly, it could help you if you have more than one card.
- Use your card regularly: Leaving your credit card dormant frequently can affect the length of your credit history negatively. Make sure to keep using your card regularly as long as you stay within your credit limits. A way to do it is to sign up for an automatic monthly subscription, a magazine or video streaming site for example, using your card that requires a minimal monthly payment each month.
FAQs
Can I get a student credit card with low credit score?
Yes, there are credit card options for students with bad credit. It’s possible to get student credit cards as most of them do not have a credit requirement. Secured credit cards also are designed for people with poor or no credit. They are easy to get and can help build credit in the future with responsible use. Student credit cards by Discover it® require no minimum credit for application and are great for building credit. Capital One® Platinum Secured and Discover it® Secured are two secured credit cards that you can consider with a low credit score.
What credit card is the easiest to get for students with bad credit?
Secured credit cards are easier to get with bad or no credit as they require a security deposit which is equal to the card limit you get. This reduces the risk of issuing credit cards to students with poor credit. The best secured credit card for bad credit is Applied Bank® Gold Preferred® Secured Visa® card as it offers the lowest interest rates. Other secured credit cards like Capital One® Platinum Secured and Discover it® Secured are also great options that you can get easily with bad credit. Since these cards have a credit limit that is not huge, it keeps the spending in check and makes on-time repayments more manageable. This makes them the best credit cards for rebuilding credit too.
After secured credit cards, you can look into student cards as they are specifically for students and mostly do not require a minimum credit. Student credit cards by Discover it® are good student cards for poor credit.
What are the best credit cards for poor credit with no deposit?
Student credit cards are best for students with poor credit that do not require any security deposit. Discover it® Student Cash Back and Discover it® Student Chrome are two good options for cards that do not require any deposit or a minimum credit to get approved for.
Can you get a credit card at 18 with no credit?
Yes, it is possible to get a credit card at 18 with no credit. Just look for cards that do not require a minimum score to apply. Student cards and secured credit cards are your best bet.
What credit score is considered bad?
Anything below 600 is generally considered a bad credit score. Although this varies depending on the scoring model used, scores below 600 are commonly viewed as a sign of poor credit and can make it difficult to get approved for certain types of loans or credit cards. However, you still have options of subprime, secured, and student credit cards which can be approved based on eligibility and not credit scores.
What credit score do you need for a student credit card?
Every credit card issuer has a different minimum requirement for credit score. Generally, unsecured credit cards require a good credit score of 670 and above for approval. However, if you go for student credit cards and secured ones, they usually do not have a minimum credit requirement and, therefore, are easier to get with bad credit or even if you have none.
What is the easiest way to build credit score?
The easiest way to build your credit score is by using a secured credit card. A secured credit card requires you to put down a security deposit, which then becomes your line of credit. This allows you to make purchases and build your credit without the risk of defaulting on payments. Additionally, you can use this opportunity to practice responsible spending habits. If you make timely payments and use the card responsibly, you can quickly build up your credit score over time.
Can I use my student credit card for building credit?
Yes! By making timely payments on your credit card, you can build up a positive credit score and history that will help you in many ways in the future.
What to do when you get denied a credit card due to bad credit?
If you are declined by an issuer for a card, you can ask the issuer to reconsider your application. If they do not consider it then you can apply for other cards that do not have a credit score requirement and are designed for building credit like Capital One® Platinum Secured or Discover it® Student Chrome. Using these cards, you can work on building your credit score and history after which you can go for unsecured credit cards with higher limits.
