Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is no longer accepting applications.
Using a student credit card is an easy way to earn some cash rewards while building your credit for a future car, apartment or even a job. The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One makes it simple to do that, with its straightforward rewards rate, a $0 annual fee and no bonus rewards categories to worry about.
It’s not as robust as other student credit cards out there, but it does have some unique features: You may qualify for an automatic credit line review after just six months and a higher rewards rate for paying your monthly balance on time.
However, if you don’t mind a more complicated earning rate, you may be able to earn more cash back with the Discover it® Student Cash Back or the Discover it® Student Chrome, depending on your spending habits.
Intro Purchase APR
N/A
Regular Purchase APR
29.99% (Variable)
Intro BT APR
N/A
Regular BT APR
29.99% (Variable)
Annual Fee
$0
Cash Advance Fee
3% of the amount of the cash advance, but not less than $3
Foreign Transaction Fee
None
Balance Transfer Fee
$0 at this Transfer APR
Cash back on every purchase
This card earns 1% Cash Back on all purchases; 0.25% Cash Back bonus on the cash back you earn each month you pay on time; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply). Having a bonus rewarding you for when you pay on time is a good incentive for students who are just learning how to responsibly manage credit.
Rewards don’t expire and there’s no limit to how much you can earn on purchases — though if your account is closed, you’ll lose rewards you haven’t redeemed.
Chance to earn a higher credit limit
If approved for the card, Capital One will set your initial credit limit after reviewing your application and considering your ability to pay. The minimum credit line you’ll get is $300. Whatever your starting limit, cardholders can be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as six months. You’re also able to ask for a credit line increase after having an account open with Capital One for at least three months and showing good payment history and utilization. Paying your bill on time every month is also the most important thing you can do to build and maintain a good credit score.
Not many typical credit cards have this feature — let alone student credit cards.
$0 annual fee
You don’t have to pay a fee to carry this card, since the annual fee is $0 — like most student credit cards. That’s a good thing for college students on a tight budget.
Foreign transaction fee: None
If you’re planning to study abroad, this is a great card to take with you. You don’t have to worry about being charged a foreign transaction fee on each purchase you make outside the United States because there is none. Other cards may charge up to 3% for each purchase you make abroad with the card.
Plus, the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is a Visa card, which tends to have a wider acceptance than Discover or American Express credit cards.
Low rewards rate
If you’re making all your payments on time with this card, you’ll earn 1.25% cash back per $1 spent. There are more rewarding student credit cards, including the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply).
However, if your main focus is establishing a solid credit history, earning rewards may not be your first priority
Rewards not earned all at once
The way this card’s rewards structure works is that you earn 1% Cash Back on all purchases; 0.25% Cash Back bonus on the cash back you earn each month you pay on time; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply). Many rewards credit cards earn rewards after making a purchase, rather than making the cardholder wait for a bonus after payment. However, if you need an incentive to stay on top of your payments, the rewards structure of the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One could be a good thing.
High APR
The APR on this card is 29.99% (variable), so you want to avoid carrying a balance from month to month.
That’s high compared to the national average APR, which is 23.65% according to LendingTree’s analysis. Pay on time and in full every month to avoid incurring expensive interest charges.
The Discover it® Student Cash Back is one of the best student credit cards. It earns a higher rewards rate than the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One: 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
As long as your spending patterns match up well with the 5% categories and you don’t mind having to manually activate the new categories each quarter, you can earn significant value from the Discover it® Student Cash Back. Plus, there’s a unique sign-up bonus for new cardmembers: 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.
However, the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is a Visa — and Visa tends to be more widely accepted abroad than Discover. So, if you’re planning to travel, the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One might be a better choice.
The Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is a cash back card that’s great for students that spend a lot on dining, entertainment, streaming services and groceries. You can earn 3% Cash Back on dining and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®); 3% Cash Back on popular streaming services and entertainment; 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; 1% Cash Back on all other purchases.
Unlike the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One, the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card has a sign-up bonus: Earn $50 Cash Back when you spend $100 in the first three months.
The Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card also has a $0 annual fee. This card will likely help you earn more in cash back, since its elevated rewards rate applies to common student spending categories. But if you’re looking for the simpler option, you should consider the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One.
The Discover it® Student Chrome can be a good choice for students who spend frequently on restaurants and gas. You can earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases - automatically.
Plus, the Discover it® Student Chrome offers you an 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.
The Discover it® Student Chrome‘s sign-up bonus alone could be a good enough reason to choose over the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One — but you could also potentially earn more cash back if gas and restaurants are common expenses for you. The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One might be better for you if you’re looking for a simple rewards rate and want to automatically be considered for credit limit reviews.
| Credit Cards | Annual Fee | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Intro Purchase APR | Regular APR | Intro Balance Transfer APR | Regular Balance Transfer Rate | Balance Transfer Fee | Recommended Credit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
Review Coming Soon
|
$0 | No bonus | 1% Cash Back on all purchases; 0.25% Cash Back bonus on the cash back you earn each month you pay on time; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply) | N/A | 29.99% (Variable) | N/A | 29.99% (Variable) | $0 at this Transfer APR | Fair/Limited | Review Coming Soon |
Discover it® Student Cash Back
 Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
$0 | 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. | 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically | 0% Intro APR for 6 months on purchases | 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR | 10.99% Intro APR for 6 months | 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR | 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)* | Fair/Limited |
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
|
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
Apply Now
on Capital One's secure site Rates & Fees |
$0 | Earn $50 Cash Back when you spend $100 in the first three months | 3% Cash Back on dining and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®); 3% Cash Back on popular streaming services and entertainment; 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; 1% Cash Back on all other purchases | N/A | 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) | N/A | 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) | $0 at the Transfer APR, 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you | Fair/Limited |
Apply Now
on Capital One's secure site Rates & Fees |
Discover it® Student Chrome
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
$0 | 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. | 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases - automatically | 0% Intro APR for 6 months | 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR | 10.99% Intro APR for 6 months | 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR | 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)* | Fair/Limited |
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is a good credit card for students who want to build credit and take advantage of a simple cashback program that rewards responsible credit behavior.
After demonstrating that you pay on time and don’t max your card out, you can request an upgrade to another Capital One offering better rewards — such as the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply).
If earning cash back is important to you while maintaining a simple rewards rate, you should consider other student credit cards with higher earning rates, including the Discover it® Student Cash Back and the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card.
The information related to the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.
