Apply for Student Credit Cards Before Graduating College As a Shortcut

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• Student credit cards are usually easier to get approved for, because they’re geared to those with limited or average credit.
• The Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is a terrific card for soon-to-be college graduates who spend a lot on dining, streaming, and Uber purchases.
• After graduation, you can request an upgrade to the regular Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card which is usually only available to folks with at least good credit. 
• Read Insider’s guide to the best credit cards for recent college graduates

Finding a decent credit card as a college student with limited or fair credit (a FICO score between 580 and 669) can be discouraging. But if you’re currently enrolled in a college or university, and about to graduate, there’s a trick you can use to get approved for a better card faster. 

Soon-to-be college graduates with a limited credit history may want to consider getting the

Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card. With no annual fee and multiple bonus spending categories like dining, streaming, and Uber, the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is an easy card to love. 

Plus, upon passing your graduation date, the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card can be converted into the regular SavorOne Cash Rewards Card — a card typically only available to those with a good to excellent credit score (FICO score of at least 670). 

So even if you have limited credit (like many college graduates do), the SavorOne Cash Rewards Card could be the shortcut you’ve been looking for. 

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Cards like the Capital One SavorOne Student card are a great stepping stone

The Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of Insider’s top card picks for students looking to earn cash back in student-friendly categories like rideshares, dining, streaming, and grocery store purchases. 

It doesn’t offer a 0% intro APR on purchases or balance transfers. However, cardholders can earn a $50 cash bonus once you spend $100 on purchases within 3 months of account opening.

Finding a no-annual-fee rewards card that offers multiple valuable cash-back categories can be hard. But the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card offers excellent reward rates: 

SavorOne Student Cash Card perks

If you value your perks as much as your rewards, the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is certainly a win. The best perk by far is the limited-time, free Uber One membership through November 14, 2024, which normally costs $9.99 per month. With this perk, cardholders get:

• Unlimited $0 delivery fees on eligible food, groceries, and other Uber Eats orders (order must be at least $15 from non-grocery stores, and at least $30 from grocery stores)
• Up to 10% off eligible orders with Uber Eats (grocery orders do not qualify)
• Up to 5% off eligible rides with Uber (shared rides or rides booked 30 minutes or more in advance do not qualify)
• Access to exclusive member-only perks and promotions 

The card also gets you access to Capital One Travel, Capital One Entertainment, and Capital One Dining for exclusive experiences, features, and even price match guarantee and hard-to-get reservations at high-end restaurants. 

Other useful perks you’ll get include price protection, extended warranty, car rental coverage, roadside dispatch, travel accident insurance, concierge services, and theft monitoring.

Upgrade to the regular version of the card after graduation

The SavorOne Cash Rewards Card is typically only available to folks with good to excellent credit, but if you own the student version while in school, you should be able to upgrade to the regular version of the card after you graduate.  

There’s good and bad news for the SavorOne Cash Rewards Card bonus categories. The upside is that those who loved the student version of the card get to keep the same diverse selection of bonus spending categories. But the downside is that the reward rates don’t get any higher. 

You also won’t be able to earn the SavorOne Cash Rewards Card welcome bonus (Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening), since upgrading a credit card is different from applying for a new one.

SavorOne Cash Rewards Card benefits

If you loved your complimentary Uber One membership, the SavorOne Cash Rewards Card has got you covered. After converting to the regular version of the card, you’ll still earn 10% cash back on eligible Uber and Uber Eats purchases, plus all the benefits of the membership (offer ends November 14, 2024). 

You’ll also get decent perks like extended warranty, travel accident insurance, 24-hour travel assistance service, event access, $0 fraud liability, and more.

Another option: Quicksilver Student Card and Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card

If you don’t want to be tied down to specific bonus spending categories, and would prefer to earn flat-rate rewards on your purchases, you could consider the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. The same methodology used on the SavorOne cards can be applied here: current students with fair credit can apply for the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card and later request an upgrade to the Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card after graduation. 

Both Quicksilver Rewards cards are no-annual-fee credit cards that earn 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 1.5% back on all other purchases. However, only the student version earns 10% back with Uber and Uber Eats (through November 14, 2024).

Compare: SavorOne Student vs SavorOne Cash Rewards

Compare: Quicksilver Student Card vs Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card