Full Review

The Capital One Journey Card is a credit card for college students with limited or no credit that offers unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 25% bonus (for a total of 1.25% back) each month you pay the bill by the due date. Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One® also has a $0 annual fee. The card's $0 foreign transaction fee makes it a good study-abroad companion, too, as does the fact that it's on the VISA card network, which is accepted worldwide.

If you'd like to learn more about the Capital One Journey Card before submitting an application, you can find a quick rundown of the key points to consider below.

Highlights

Solid, straightforward rewards.You will earn at least 1% cash back – basically the market average for a rewards card – on every purchase that you make with the Capital One Journey Card. Plus, you get a little bonus each month that you pay your bill on time, bringing your earn rate to 1.25%. Not bad for a card that requires no previous credit experience.

Not built for carrying a balance.You won't get a 0% intro rate from the Journey Student Credit Card. You won't even get a decent regular APR, considering Journey’s is well above the average for a student credit card. So it's doubly important that you pay your monthly bills on time and in full.

Build credit for free.Credit building is without a doubt the most important reason to use any student credit card, and you can do it for free with Journey Student Rewards from Capital One. There is no annual fee, so all you have to do is pay your bill in full each month in order to avoid interest. You don't even need to make purchases to build credit, if you'd rather avoid the temptation. But however you decide to proceed, make sure to sign up for 24/7 credit monitoring and to check your credit score on a regular basis. This will help keep you spot errors and signs of fraud on your credit report as well as determine when it's time for a credit-card upgrade.

Higher credit lines for responsible customers.Journey cardholders will be eligible for a credit-line increase after as little as 6 months. Being granted one would be helpful not only because it would give you more spending power, but also because having more available credit is good for your credit score. You just need to make sure you don't overspend as a result.

No foreign-transaction fee.The Capital One Journey Credit Card does not assess a fee for purchases processed outside of the U.S. So if you plan to study abroad or just do some backpacking with friends, you won't have to waste any of your precious funds on fees.

There are several really good student credit cards available right now, and Capital Journey is one of them. Below, we’ll summarize the main reasons why that’s the case, so you have a clear idea of what to focus on when comparing offers.