Capital One vs Discover Student Credit Card: A Comparison of Features and Benefits

If you're a student looking for a credit card to help you build credit and earn rewards, you've likely considered Capital One and Discover. Both cards offer a range of benefits, but they also have some key differences.

Capital One's Journey Student Rewards Credit Card offers a 1% cash back reward on all purchases, with a 0.25% bonus for making on-time payments. This means you can earn 1.25% cash back on your purchases if you pay your bill on time.

Discover it Student Cash Back Credit Card, on the other hand, offers 5% cash back on various categories throughout the year, such as gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants. You'll also get 1% cash back on all other purchases.

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Both Discover and Capital One offer student credit cards with no annual fee, making them great options for students on a budget.

Discover student cards offer an intro APR offer for purchases and cash back rewards, with Discover doubling all rewards earned after the first year.

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Capital One student credit cards offer generous rewards, including traditional credit card sign-up bonuses that can be earned after meeting a minimum spending requirement within the first few months.

None of these cards charge an annual fee, and all card options are available for students with limited credit history.

Discover doesn't require student applicants to have a credit score, making it a better option for credit newcomers with no credit history.

Here's a comparison of the rewards offered by Discover and Capital One student credit cards:

Both Discover it Student Cash Back and Discover it Student Chrome offer unlimited cash back match, doubling your cash back earnings at the end of your first year, while Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card offer sign-up bonuses that can be earned after meeting a minimum spending requirement within the first few months.

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Credit card features are a crucial aspect to consider when choosing between Capital One and Discover student credit cards. Both issuers offer rewards, but they differ in their approach.

Discover student cards offer cash back rewards, with some cards doubling all rewards earned after the first year. Capital One student credit cards also offer generous rewards, including traditional credit card sign-up bonuses.

Here's a comparison of the rewards offered by Discover's student cards:

Both issuers also offer an introductory APR period for purchases and balance transfers, with Discover's student cards offering a 0% intro APR on Purchases for 6 months and 10.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months.

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Discover stands out in the 0% APR credit card category, especially with their selection of student credit cards that offer an interest-free period on purchases.

The Discover it Student Cash Back and the Discover it Student Chrome are two such cards that offer this perk.

Both of these cards offer a 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months.

Discover's student cards also offer an introductory APR period for both purchases and balance transfers, which is a unique feature compared to Capital One's student cards.

Cardholders get a 0% intro APR on Purchases for 6 months and 10.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months.

After the introductory period ends, the ongoing APR of 17.24%-26.24% Variable APR applies.

Discover's student cards also offer cash back rewards, and they'll double all rewards earned after the first year.

This is a great benefit for students who want to earn rewards without having to pay an annual fee.

None of Discover's student cards charge an annual fee, making them an attractive option for students with limited credit history.

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Late payment forgiveness is a rare perk among credit cards, but Discover's student cards offer it on the first late payment. This means you won't have to worry about getting hit with a late fee right off the bat.

Discover's student cards are a great option for college students who are new to credit cards and might not be aware of the importance of making timely payments.

The Discover it Student Cash Back and Student Chrome cards are two solid choices, but they handle reward bonus categories differently.

The Discover it Student Cash Back offers 5% cash back on rotating purchase categories.

Most people will earn slightly more with the rotating categories of the Student Cash Back card.

The Discover Student Chrome, on the other hand, gives 2% cash back on gas and restaurant purchases only.

It's hard to go wrong with either card, but the difference in reward categories is worth considering.

To get a Capital One or Discover student credit card, you don't need a credit score, which is a plus for students with limited credit history.

Capital One student credit cards are available to students with no credit history, making it a good option for those who are new to credit.

Discover, on the other hand, requires no credit score for student applicants, so it's a great choice for students with no credit history.

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Having good credit is essential for getting approved for a credit card, and one of the key factors is your credit score. Capital One requires at least a fair credit score, which is between 630-689, to qualify for its student cards.

Discover, on the other hand, is more lenient and approves applicants without a credit history, making it a better option for students with bad or no credit. This is a significant advantage for students who are just starting to build their credit.

Being a student alone isn't enough to qualify for a credit card, issuers often require a full-time income if you're under 21.

You can prequalify for a credit card without hurting your score, and it's a great way to shop around without getting rejected.

Capital One and Discover allow you to prequalify online by performing a soft pull on your credit.

This soft pull doesn't affect your credit score, so you can try out different cards without any risk.

Rewards are a crucial aspect to consider when choosing between a Capital One and Discover student credit card. Both options offer rewards structures that can help you earn cash back on your purchases.

The most low-maintenance card of the four is the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns an unlimited flat 1.5% cash-back rate on every purchase. This is a great option for those who don't want to worry about keeping track of rewards categories.

The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card offers an unlimited 3% back on dining, entertainment, select streaming services and grocery stores, popular spending categories for many students. It also earns an unlimited 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases.

The two Discover student cards require maintenance and a decent memory to maximize rewards. The Discover it Student Cash Back card offers 5% cash back on everyday purchases in categories that rotate quarterly, up to $1,500 in spending each quarter. The Discover it Student Chrome card offers 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants, up to $1,000 in spending each quarter.

Here's a comparison of the rewards structures of the two Discover student cards:

Assuming you max out the bonus categories, the Discover it Student Cash Back card is the much better choice, offering $300 in cash back from bonus category spending to just $80 offered by Student Chrome.