At a glance
If you’re a college student, the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card can help you build credit while also earning a return on your spending. The additional travel perks and no foreign transaction fees also make it ideal if you’re studying abroad.
- Intro Offer
-
Earn $50 Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.99% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
580 – 669
Fair
- Rewards rate
-
1.5% – 10% Earn 10% cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024; Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
Our take
With cash rewards, a welcome bonus and credit building and monitoring capabilities, the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card* is a well-rounded option for college students -- even if you don’t have much of a credit history. You’ll need to be enrolled in college to qualify, but after you graduate you can continue using this card.
The Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards is a good choice if you’re studying abroad as it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and offers a few travel-centric perks like travel accident insurance** and greater rewards for booking your hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel.
The card doesn’t have any incentives or bonuses for earning good grades like some other student credit cards, but it does let you start building a positive credit history even if your credit report is limited. The Quicksilver Student Cash card is recommended for students with fair credit or a limited credit history.
Pros
No minimum credit score requirement
Impressive number of perks for a student card
No annual fee
No foreign transaction fees
Higher flat-rate on rewards than many other student cards
Cons
No intro APR
Fewer elevated rewards categories than other top student credit cards
Rewards
The Quicksilver Student Cash card earns 1.5% cash back for all purchases, and you can earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, the card provider’s travel portal. Additionally, you can earn 10% cash back on qualifying purchases made through Uber and Uber Eats through Nov. 14, 2024.
There’s no cap on rewards and they never expire as long as you keep the card open. You can also redeem them a variety of ways including:
- Statement credits
- Paper checks
- Travel through Capital One Travel
- Gift cards
You can even set your rewards to redeem automatically, either at a certain time of year or when you reach a certain amount. Redeeming for statement credits or travel is generally best and can help you redeem at a value of 1 cent per point, but valuations may vary depending on how you redeem.
Welcome bonus
The Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash card offers a $50 cash bonus when you spend $100 on purchases within three months from account opening.
Most welcome bonuses don’t offer such a high return for a low spending threshold, so it’s a particularly valuable deal. Just be sure you can reach it without overspending. Otherwise the welcome bonus could essentially be canceled out by the interest that accrues on your account.
If you earn the bonus, it’s applied directly to your cash rewards balance. If you already have another Capital One card, you may not qualify for this welcome bonus.
Travel and entertainment
Students with an itch to travel will find this card particularly useful, since it comes with a few travel and entertainment perks. In addition to extra cash rewards for eligible travel purchases, you also get:
- No foreign transaction fees, which can save you money if you’re studying abroad.
- Travel accident insurance when you use your credit card to buy airfare.
- Concierge service available 24/7 to help you book travel, dining and entertainment experiences.
- 24/7 travel assistance services to help if you need an emergency replacement card or cash advance if your card is lost or stolen.
- Capital One Dining, Capital One Entertainment and Capital One Travel portals all provide access to exclusive experiences.
- $0 fraud liability if unauthorized charges are made on your account.
- Card lock services to protect your account if you think your card may have been lost or stolen.
- Free Uber One membership through Nov. 14, 2024 if you pay the monthly membership fee with your card.
It’s rare to find a student card with so many perks. If you’re studying internationally, the Quicksilver Student Cash card could put some funds back in your pocket for Uber purchases, while also providing access to emergency cash. And even if you’re not traveling, if you order delivery often, this card can still help you earn money back each time you order food -- plus the 1.5% flat rate for all purchases is hard to beat.
Alternative cards
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One SavorOne Student Card* has a lot of similarities to the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card. It has no annual fee, the same welcome bonus and unlimited rewards potential.
The main difference is how rewards are earned. With the SavorOne, cardholders can earn 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, grocery store (excluding superstores like Target and Walmart) and popular streaming service expenses. It also has no foreign transaction fees and earns 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Any other purchases earn 1% cash back -- slightly lower than the Quicksilver’s 1.5% flat rate.
Which card will serve you better depends on your spending habits. If most of your monthly budget is spent on one or more of these higher rewards categories (like food and entertainment), the SavorOne student card’s rewards can quickly out-pace the Quicksilver Student Cash card, while providing all of the same travel benefits. But if your spending fluctuates and you’d rather earn a steady cash-back rate, the Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards may be a better fit.
Discover it® Student Cash Back
The Discover it Student Cash Back* card is one of the best student credit cards out there. Its Cashback Match™ welcome bonus alone makes the card worth considering. For your first year with the card, Discover will essentially double all the rewards you earn at the end of your first year.
It’s a bit more complicated to manage, because the rewards change quarterly and need to be manually activated. Right now, you can earn 5% cash back at gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations, home improvement stores, and public transit through June 30, 2024. You have to activate the 5% categories and you’ll only earn this rate on up to $1,500 per quarter, then 1% after. All other purchases earn a 1% cash back rate. The Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards card will likely be less rewarding, especially since you can essentially double your first year of rewards with the Discover card at the end of your first year. However, if you’re not interested in manually activating categories or strategizing to earn higher rewards, the Quicksilver will offer you a better flat-rate return.
You can learn more in our Discover it Student Cash Back review.
How Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card compares to other cards
- Intro Offer
-
Earn $50 Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.99% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Fair
- Rewards rate
-
1.5% – 10% Earn 10% cash back on purchases made through Uber & Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024; Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
- Intro Offer
-
$50 Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.99% – 29.99% (Variable)
- Intro Purchase APR
- N/A
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- Fair
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 8% 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply); 3% Cash Back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®); 1% Cash Back on all other purchases
- Intro Offer
-
Cashback Match™ Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 into $200. There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 18.24% – 27.24% Variable APR
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 6 months
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
- No Credit History
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 5% Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases-automatically.; Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
FAQs
Capital One has a variety of credit cards available, and the credit score requirements vary for each card. The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card* caters to those with poor credit history, so even those with a low credit score can apply.
Yes, you can open a credit card as a student, even if you have limited or no credit history. There are many credit cards that cater specifically to college students. Some are secured -- which require a security deposit to serve as your credit line -- and some are traditional cards that may even earn rewards. But if your main focus is on credit-building and you’re worried you might overspend to earn rewards, it may be best to stick to a no-frills credit-building card, so you can get in the habit of paying your bill in full and on time every month.
The credit score requirements for student credit cards vary by issuer and card type. In general, student credit cards typically don’t require high credit scores or an expansive credit history.
*All information about the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, the Capital One SavorOne Student Card, Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card, and Discover it Student Cash Back has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
**Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Please refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.