The Discover Student Card, issued by Discover Financial (NYSE:DFS), is one of the most popular student credit cards as it lets you earn 5% cash rebates on rotating categories of purchases, and up to 20% cash back on purchases in Discover’s online mall. Unlike a debit card, the Discover Student Credit Card will help you build a credit history while you are in college; if you make purchases with it and pay your bills on time, you would build a good credit score over time, which is essential when you apply for loans or get a job in the future.

Here’s a detailed review of the Discover Student Card, one of the best credit cards for students in the US, and I’ll tell you what I like and dislike about this card.

Things We Like About This Card

No annual fee for you or for any additional cardholders. No reward redemption fee too.

0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 9 months. After that the APR will be from 12.99% to 18.99%, depending on your creditworthiness.

Earn 5% Cashback Bonus in quarterly rotating categories, such as movies, restaurants, gas stations, department store, etc. which rotate and change quarterly. This is one of the best benefits of the Discover Student Card. Keep in mind that you must enroll (it’s free) for each 5% program in advance every quarter! If you spend above the specified amount for each category, the excess will automatically earn up to 1% cash back.

Earn unlimited 1% Cashback Bonus on all eligible purchases after spending $3,000 for the year. After spending $3,000 annually on purchases with your card, you will get 1% cash back for every purchase you make. For the first $3,000 for the year, you will receive 0.25% cash back.

Receive 5% to 20% Cashback Bonus when you shop online at ShopDiscover, Discover’s exclusive online shopping mall with over 150 retailers.

Redeem your Cashback Bonus for merchandise, gift cards, Discover gift cards or cold hard cash. If you prefer cash, you can redeem for cash in the form of a direct deposit to your bank account or a credit to your Discover card account in $50 increments, starting at $50.

Rebates don’t expire and there is no limit as to how much you can earn with them. However if your account is closed for any reason or inactive for 18 consecutive months or if you don’t make any minimum payment due for two consecutive billing periods, your rebates will be forfeited.

Talk to a real U.S. based customer service representative when you call their hotline. If you have any questions about your card, they will try to answer your questions within 3 minutes. How refreshing!

Choose from over 30 card designs. With so many designs to choose from, there’s surely one that fits your style.

$0 fraud liability. You won’t be responsible for any fraudulent transactions in your account.

Our Least Favorite Things About This Card

Only get 1% cashback once you spend above $3,000. For the first $3,000 in purchases, you will only get 0.25% cashback. So for example if you spend $4,000, the 1% cashback will apply to $1,000, and 0.25% cashback will apply to the first $3,000.

You can only cash your rewards when you have at least $20 worth of rebates. This prevents you from cashing your rebates when you have a smaller amount. To redeem for cash, you need at least $50 worth of Cashback Bonus.

Our Verdict: 4.4/5 Stars

The Discover Student Card is a good choice for those who want to earn cash back rewards whether you are buying textbooks, stationery or pizza. If you are financially responsible enough to pay off your balances in full each month, and would like to take advantage of your college years to start building your credit history, then you should consider this card. As long as you pay in full every month on time, you won’t incur any interest charges. This Discover Student Card has a promotion for new sign-ups: You get 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 9 months, so if you plan to buy something and then pay it off within the first 9 months, you can do so interest-free.

In addition to the amazing rewards program, the Discover Student Card also offers platinum advantages such as $0 liability for unauthorized transactions, online account management, and discounts on products and services at participating retailers. We would definitely recommend the Discover Student Card if you are a student looking for a credit card to help build your credit.

Apply online for the Discover Student Card and get a response within 60 seconds.

Click here to go to Discover’s official application to apply online for the Discover Student Card now.