credit card college student wallet

Credit Cards for College Students: What Should You Be Looking For?

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If you’re in school, you’re probably just learning about loans and credit. Many students opt to get a credit card to help pay for expenses and build their credit. There are dozens of options out there, so how do you choose which one to apply for?

Rates and What They Mean

The APR is the Annual Percentage Rate, and it is your interest rate for your credit card or loan expressed as a yearly rate. This value will give you a good idea of how much you’ll be paying if you don’t pay off your credit card balance in full each month. The APR of your potential student credit card can vary widely, depending both on the type of card you apply for and your credit worthiness. Some cards, such as the Wells Fargo Cash Back College Card have an APR as low as 12.65%, while some cards have an APR as high as 26.74%.

The U.S. 2020 Credit Card survey of college students showed that the majority of college students considered the interest rate as their primary concern when choosing a credit card, at 32.9%. This is especially a concern for college students that do not pay off their balance in full each month. According to the survey, only about 51% of students paid their balance each month, with about 9% paying less than the minimum or missing payments. It’s important when you decide to get a credit card that you use it properly, and paying off the balance is the best way to improve your credit score.

Credit Card Benefits

There are limited options for credit card benefits with credit cards for college students. The vast majority of cards do not have an annual fee, which many credit cards on the market charge each year. The main reward options for college student credit cards include cash back on purchases, usually at a rate of 1-2%. Others offer miles or points when you use your credit card, which may then be used for cash, payments on your credit card, travel, and even merchandise.

Many credit cards offer other forms of benefits that you should consider when you are choosing a card and learning about your potential cardholder benefits. Many cards will give you access to your FICO credit score each month. They may offer roadside assistance, travel insurance, or even rental car collision damage waivers. Many cards will offer zero liability for fraudulent transactions with the card, and some may even extend your warranty protection on items that you buy with your credit card.

What Sort of Limit Will I Have?

Credit cards for college students typically have lower limits than some other credit cards. In the Spring of 2016, the average credit limit according to the Student Monitor was $1,315, which you can compare to credit cards that offer limits of over $20,000 when you have an established credit history. For students with a limited credit history or a poor credit history, the credit limit may be under $1,000. This can be increased over time when you maintain a positive credit history, by using your credit card but paying off the balance in full every month.

In Summary

Choosing a credit card is an important decision that can affect you for years to come. Find a credit card that offers the best benefits for you. For example, if you plan to do a lot of traveling, you may choose a card that will earn you travel miles. Always remember to pay off your balance each month, or at least pay more than the minimum payment so that you have less to pay in interest.

credit card choices on table

Getting Your First Credit Card as a College Student

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For most students, going away to college is the first time they have lived on their own. You have to learn to make your own decisions, from what you eat to what your financial future will hold. One of the things you should do at this time is start to build a good credit score by using a credit card properly.

Choosing Your Credit Card

There are lots of things to consider when you research credit cards. The interest rate or APR is especially important if you are going to be carrying a balance from month to month, which you should not plan on doing. Different credit cards also offer benefits that you can use, such as earning cash back on some or all purchases, which in many cases can be applied back to your credit card balance.

Applying for a Credit Card

One of the things that will affect your ability to get a credit card is your FICO score. You should make it a regular practice to review your credit report and ensure that there are no errors, which can negatively impact your credit score. Knowing this three-digit value will be beneficial when you go to apply for a credit card.

When you apply for a credit card, you are usually going to need to prove that you can make the payments associated with having a credit card. Companies may verify the amount of income you bring in and will generally review current payment obligations, such as other loan payments or rental payments. As a student, you may need to provide information on your college, including proof that you are currently enrolled in an educational program.

When you decide to apply for a credit card, do not apply for a lot of cards at one. Too many providers looking into your credit history can actually have a negative impact on your credit score. These are “hard” inquiries and can make it seem like you are about to take on more debt or are having a hard time being accepted by credit card or lending companies. You can compare that to “soft” inquiries, which don’t impact your credit score in the same way, and include you getting a copy of your own credit report.

Once You Have Your Credit Card

Once you have received a credit card, it’s time to practice good credit habits. Pay off your credit card balance regularly, so that you don’t end up paying interest. Doing this will also improve your credit score. Regularly check your account to ensure there are no fraudulent charges, as you usually only have a limited period of time before you can make a claim about fraud. In addition, you should check your credit history regularly: you can get a free copy of your report from each of the credit reporting agencies annually.

In Summary

Having a credit card is an important step that will affect your financial and credit history. Making mistakes in college can impact you for years to come, so it’s important to practice due diligence when getting your card.

credit card sign hanging on door

What Fees Are Associated with Credit Cards?

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When you apply for and receive a credit card, you might be surprised by the number of fees associated with having a credit card. The good news is there are some ways you can help keep the costs of having a credit card down.

Annual Fees

While many college student credit cards don’t have an annual fee, this is something you need to watch out for, especially with credit cards that offer a variety of rewards. As this name suggests, this is the yearly fee associated with carrying a specific credit card. You’ll want to do your math carefully to decide if having a card with an annual fee is worth it in your situation. Are you going to rack up enough benefits to outweigh that annual fee?

Interest Rate

The interest rate or Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is how much you will owe over the course of the year by having a balance on your credit card. According to WalletHub‘s Credit Card Landscape Report, the average rate on an existing credit card account is 15.10%, while the average credit card offer offers an APR of 19.02%.

Some credit cards offer an introductory APR for a set period of time, usually the first few months that you have the card. This could be as low as 0% APR, but you’ll want to keep in mind that violating the terms of your credit card agreement, such as missing a payment, may result in your promotional APR going away and a much higher rate getting applied to your account.

Late Fees

A late fee or late payment fee is a fee assessed to  your account when you don’t make at least the minimum monthly payment by your credit card account’s due date. This amount will vary by the type of card you have and the company you have your line of credit through.

When applying for a card, you should consider this fee, but you should always plan to avoid it. To get around paying this fee, always make at least the minimum monthly payment. You may also consider a card with late fee forgiveness or that doesn’t charge late fees, such as the Citi Simplicity Card – No Late Fees Ever, but remember — late payments will hurt your credit score.

Other Fees

You might find yourself contending with other fees associated with your credit card. A balance transfer fee is assessed when you move debt from one credit card to another credit card that you have. The fee ranges, with typical fees being roughly 3% to 5%. Some cards offer promotional rates, such as 0% interest on any balance transfers within the first 6 to 12 months that you have the card, but you will usually still be assessed the balance transfer fee.

Another fee to consider is a foreign transaction fee, which is usually 1% to 3%. This fee is added to purchases that are made outside of the U.S., such as when you are traveling or studying abroad. If you’re going to be doing a lot of traveling, you should consider one of the cards that doesn’t assess this fee. Most travel credit cards, as well as Discover and Capital One cards, don’t charge a foreign transaction fee.

One fee to watch out for is the over-limit fee, which gets assessed if you spend over your card’s credit limit. You are not automatically opted in to this fee, which will help keep your transactions from getting rejected or declined when you are at a register or buying online.

Tips to Keep Your Credit Card Fees Low

There are a variety of different things you can do to keep the credit card fees associated with your account as low as possible. First, you should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of having a credit card with an annual fee. If you’re not going to use the perks associated with the card, pick one without an annual fee.

As obvious as it may seem, you should pay off your balance each month in order to avoid having to pay associated interest fees and avoid spending over your credit card limit to avoid over-limit fees.

In addition, you should make your payment on time, preventing a late fee from being assessed. Paying your minimum payment on time will also help minimize the effect of your credit card debt on your credit score. Set up an autopayment to make sure that your payment is never late. If you don’t do this, you should consider setting up alerts on your phone or putting a reminder in your planner.

In Summary

You’ll find that there are lots of fees associated with the privilege of having a credit card. Good practices to put into place are making regular payments and understanding your card agreements so that you are prepared for any fees that might be assessed when you are using your card.

credit cards in wallet

What Is My Credit Score and How Does It Factor Into Credit Cards?

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When you’re dealing with credit cards, loans, and even mortgages, one of the things you need to be aware of is your credit score. This three digit number tells companies an awful lot about your ability to repay debts.

Your Credit Score

Your credit score is a number derived through different calculations that evaluates your creditworthiness. It is largely based on your credit history, including how many loans or credit cards you have, how you pay them, and other outstanding debts. Your score falls within a range between 300 and 850, with a higher score meaning that you are considered more financially trustworthy.

The FICO score is the most commonly used method of credit scoring. Scores above 700 are generally considered a good score, while scores below 640 are usually considered subprime credit scores. You can access your credit score through a variety of ways. Each of the major credit reporting bureaus will give you a free copy of your report once per year. Many credit cards also provide that information with your credit card, as well.

Factors Affecting Your Credit Score

A variety of factors affect your credit score. One of the most important things is your payment history. When you have a consistent history of making on-time payments, that is beneficial to your credit score. Missing or making late payments can have a negative effect on your credit score. If you’ve missed a couple of payments but start a trend of on-time payments and reducing your debt, your score will generally improve.

The types of credit you have will also affect your credit score. Having multiple loans and credit cards, eve if you are making regular payments can be detrimental to your credit score. You want to have a low utilization rate, meaning the rate between the total balance you owe and the total line of credit on all of your revolving accounts. If you have a lot of accounts, especially with balances, you will appear to be a riskier bet for a lender than a person with one credit card.
Other factors that relate to your credit score include the length of your credit history. The ages of your oldest account and your newest account are assessed to determine the average age of your accounts. Opening new accounts can decrease your credit score.

Another factor in your credit score is the mix of types and lines of credit. A healthy mix, including student loans and credit card debt is better than solely credit card debt.

How Does Your Credit Score Affect Credit Cards?

When you apply for a credit card, the issuing company will run a credit check on your account. The higher your credit score is, the more likely it means that you pay your bills and use credit cards and loans responsibly. In many cases, the higher your credit score is, the lower the interest rate on your new credit card will be. This can save you money, especially if you carry a balance on the card from month to month, which ideally you will not do. Paying off your credit card each month will also improve your credit score and supports the fact that you are creditworthy.

In Summary

There are a great deal of factors affecting your credit score. These numbers will affect the credit cards and loans that you may be able to apply for. In fact, having poor credit through using loans and credit cards irresponsibly may adversely affect your ability to get buy a house or have a low-interest car loan.

hand over credit card

Paying Your Credit Card Bills

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Paying for your credit card is an important step that will affect your financial future. Missing payments or carrying a balance will end up costing you more, as you get charged interest payments or even have your APR increase. You should take steps to make sure you pay your credit card payments on time.

Tips on Paying For Your Credit Card

When you have bills to pay, such as monthly credit card payments, you want to do everything possible to make your minimum payment each month and make sure that your payment is not late. Late payments will generally increase your credit card payment by increasing your APR or Annual Percentage Rate, the amount of interest you will pay each year.

Many bill companies allow you to set up auto pay, which is a great way to ensure that your payments aren’t late. If you’re paying your complete balance on your credit card each month, auto pay may not be the option for you. Instead, set up monthly calendar reminders to make your payments. These can be on your phone, in a planner, or even on a big wall calendar — whichever way works for you.
Paying your credit card payment on time each month has a host of benefits. There are the obvious, such as staying out of collections. Did you know that as much as 35% of your credit score is based upon you making bill payments, such as for your credit card, on time? You can avoid late fees as well as higher interest and monthly payments by making your payments on time.

Mistakes When Paying For Your Credit Card

The biggest mistake you can make when paying for your credit card is not paying your bill on time or not making the minimum payment, which go hand-on-hand. When your payment is late, you will generally be assessed a late fee, and you may find that your APR increases. (These are important things to be aware of when choosing a credit card to apply for.) Some cards offer late fee forgiveness, such as some Discover cards. With this program, the first time your payment is late, you don’t have to worry about a late fee or changes in your APR: your mistake is “forgiven.”

Your late fee may be as high as $25 to $35 each month that your payment is late, and it will generally be reflected on your next card billing statement. You will incur more late fees if you continue to miss the due date on your credit card payment. At the same time, your credit card interest rate may rise with a penalty APR, which can be as high as 30%. If you are in the middle of a promotional 0% APR, you will generally lose that perk and have it revert to the default interest rate on your card.

Other consequences of missing your credit card payments are that this will show up on your credit reports, usually 30 days after you’ve missed a payment. This can drastically decrease your credit score, especially if you had a good or excellent credit score to begin with.

Other Considerations

Most payments that you make will be for a combination of the principal amount of your credit card debt and any interest that you have accrued. One way to shorten the amount of time you are paying off your debt is to make principal-only payments, which many — but not all — lenders allow. This is generally an extra payment made during the month that gets applied just to your principal amount.

If you have more than one credit card, you need to make the monthly minimum payments on each card. One suggested way to pay off all of your card debt is through the snowball method. Make the minimum monthly payments for each card and add an additional payment of whatever you can afford to the card with the lowest amount on it. Once you’ve paid off that card, apply the minimum payment and any additional to your card with the next highest balance, and so on, until you’ve paid off your credit cards.

In Summary

When making credit card payments, you ideally want to pay off the balance each month. If you can’t do that, you should always make at least the minimum monthly payment to avoid penalties, such as higher APR rates and late fees.

Presidential Election & Cost of College Crisis

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Education: They say it’s the most important thing in an adolescent’s life—the “gateway” to opportunities and financial stability. But how much “financial stability” can a young college student attain in spite of the inflating costs of tuition and the ever-increasing burden of student loan debt? Well, many students are placing their faith in the presidential elections, which will grant the power of the Federal Government back to President Barack Obama, or into the grasping hands of Mitt Romney—both of whom are campaigning hard across college campuses to win the “student vote”.

What Are College Students Saying?

The costs of a college education are still skyrocketing almost four years now after Obama took office, straining the “hope” for “change” that many students thought their president would be able to offer. “I think he’s doing the best he can with a stubborn Congress” said Maria Crecsenzo, a college student at Florida International University

These sentiments, however, are quickly juxtaposed by the opposing “team”, where Mitt Romney Supporter and activist Francois St. Victor says that Mitt Romney has the right plan to improve the economy as a whole, and in turn the costs of college. In regards to Mitt’s “59-Point Plan”, Francois said, “It’s a free market thing: by not doing anything, he’s doing the best thing for college tuition, and for the country.”

Crunching the Numbers

The political “back-and-forth” seems to yield no solid ground on which agreements can be made, but at least the numerical data regarding rising costs can transcend these differences. And, hey, the numbers don’t lie.

Over the past 10 years:

  • The costs of an annual tuition, on average, for a community college has risen 40% to $3,122, according to the College Board, a nonprofit group that is associated with the SAT exam.
  • More sobering numbers can be found within the halls of 4-year public universities, with 68% cost increases to an average of $7,692 per year.

At this juncture, the price of the presidential elections may be too costly for some students, who are now suffering from the impending weight of student loan debt. Quickly being regarded as the “next biggest bubble to burst”, student loans are based on credit derived out of nothing and granted to students without the need for very high qualifications like good grades, credit history, the students’ major, and future job prospects. The result has been clear: 2/3 of college students are now graduating with $24,000 in debt on average. To add salt to this financial wound, it is even being speculated by some that college degrees are becoming so commonplace that students are more likely to standout to potential employers if they do not have a degree. The situation is becoming quite serious, to say the least…

The President’s Plans?

The presidential election will play a pivotal role in the outcome of tuition costs, primarily because of how each potential candidate thinks about and approaches the issue. President Obama, being associated with the liberalism of the left, places a greater emphasis on government intervention as a means to lower costs. Click here for President Obama’s Education Plan.

President Barack Obama’s Speech at Barnard College

In the past, President Barak Obama has pushed for states to increase their cash flow to student loan programs, or to at least adopt programs that add efficiencies (money saving) to universities throughout. It seems, however, that no matter how much pushing and shoving Obama does, it will not change the sobering reality that, with the decreasing value of homes across the country, there have also been reductions in property taxes—which are fundamental to what funds schooling. In some cases, those who lost their homes simply stopped contributing to the property taxes entirely.

Obama’s plan for 2012 is to:

  • Encourage states to support a new program that incentivizes the creation of ideas that cut costs.
  • Such a program would offer rewards for universities when developing any actions that increase efficiencies or lower fees.
  • Doing this, however, would require Congress to fund it—and Congress has not been very compliant.

Another, and more controversial, approach is to connect higher education funding to the capacity of a college to keep costs down. This, however, would most likely harm students because most education funds are transferred directly to them. This new approach would inhibit students from utilizing their low-interest Stafford loans or Pell Grants at some colleges.

Mitt’s Plan: Do Nothing to Do Something

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, does not have a specific plan to lower the costs of student loans which, ironically, is his plan, given his “free market” approach to such issues. Controversial comments by Mitt regarding college tuition costs include telling students to, “…borrow money if you have to from your parents” and “shop around” for low prices. These words have been red meat for the President, who has quoted Romney numerous times at his stops around colleges in the country. Click here to read Mitt Romney’s Education Plan.

Mitt Romney Telling Ohio Students to Borrow Money from Parents.

The future of college tuition costs rests in the hands of two presidential candidates and the swarms of citizens who will choose either one. With profit-seeking free market universities thirsting for higher sales on one side, and an “altruistic” government seeking to lower costs on the other side, it seems the clash between the private and the public is prevalent even in education. With all of the harping about the importance of an education, it seems very little is actually being done to make education more accessible to those who are hurting the most right now: college students.