Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card: One of the best student credit cards
Top-tier rewards for students new to credit.
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Snapshot
4.6
Bottom line
Intro offer
Earn $50
Rewards rate
1% - 8%
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
4.5
Cardholder rating
Extra perks
Online tools
Customer service
Information safe
4.6
Bankrate score
Introductory offer
Fees
Rewards value
Features
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Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card overview
The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is among the best student credit cards available. It offers numerous unlimited bonus categories, solid benefits and no annual fee (See Rates & Fees), along with a modest welcome offer, which is uncommon among starter cards.
This card offers bonuses in everyday spending categories, including dining, popular streaming services, grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®) and entertainment. You don’t need to activate categories or watch for spending limits, making this an easy-to-use card for any student.
These features make it easy for first-time cardholders to learn responsible credit card habits while providing long-term value. Plus, students can eventually upgrade to the full-fledged Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card once they’ve graduated or their credit score is high enough.
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Rewards
- 3 percent cash back on dining, qualifying entertainment purchases, popular streaming services and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
- 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 8 percent cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
- 1 percent cash back on all other purchases
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis -
Welcome offer
- Earn a one-time $50 cash bonus once you spend $100 on purchases within three months from account opening.
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0
- Foreign transaction fee: $0
- Purchase APR: 19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
- Balance transfer APR: 19.49% - 29.49% (Variable); No transfer fee with this transfer APR; 4 percent on the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you.
- Cash advance fee: Either $5 or 5 percent of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater.
- Late payment fee: up to $40
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis
Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card pros and cons
Pros
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The card offers common bonus categories for a student card, making it an excellent way to earn cash back.
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It doesn’t charge annual or foreign transaction fees, so it’s an ideal starter card for studying abroad.
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You don’t need to activate categories or worry about spending caps with this card.
Cons
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It has a potentially high APR for a student card.
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There are no intro APR offers for purchases or balance transfers, meaning you could pay interest immediately if you don’t pay your balance in full every billing period.
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Earning rates on purchases outside the bonus categories are mediocre compared to other cards.
Why you might want the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice for your first cash back card. It has a solid foundation of perks and benefits to get students started on the road to good credit.
Rewards: Excellent everyday categories
This card earns excellent rates for dining, qualifying entertainment purchases, grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®) and popular streaming service purchases. You can get even higher rates through the Capital One Travel and Capital One Entertainment portals. The rate for purchases outside your bonus categories isn’t great, only earning 1 percent cash back, but the bonus categories cover many common expenses. The bonus categories have no spending limit or enrollment requirement, making earning rewards simple.
You can check the merchant’s category code if you aren’t sure what counts as eligible streaming services or entertainment purchases. Here are more details on how Capital One defines these two types of purchases:
Eligible “entertainment” purchases | Eligible streaming services |
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Ticket purchases from:
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Eligible video streaming services include:
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Cash back rewards are simple to understand and have a 1 cent per point value. You can redeem your rewards for statement credits, gift cards, a check or through Amazon.com or PayPal.
Perks: Solid foundation for students
Student cards don’t typically offer additional perks since their primary goal is to build credit. Still, the Capital One Savor Student card has travel and purchase protection benefits on par with a no-annual-fee credit card for good credit (See Rates & Fees). Although you won’t find any student-centric perks, the valuable combination of account, travel and shopping protections is a solid foundation for students.
You’ll get extended warranty coverage that goes above and beyond, doubling your warranty (terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefit for more details). You’ll also have price protection to reimburse a price drop within 120 days of purchase.
You’ll also have access to CreditWise and virtual credit card number features. CreditWise is a free credit monitoring service that alerts you of suspicious credit report changes and social security number leaks on the dark web. Capital One’s Eno browser extension can generate unique card numbers for each online merchant as an extra wall of security, a worthwhile safeguard for students who frequently shop online.
Your Savor Student card also covers eligible rental vehicles against damage and theft with MasterRental® Coverage (by paying with your card), and protects you with 24-hour Master RoadAssist® Service (fees apply). Although these are typical credit card network perks, they can be beneficial if needed.
Automatic credit line reviews: As quickly as six months
Automatic account reviews are an excellent benefit when you’re building credit. The quicker your score improves, the sooner you can qualify for the best credit cards. Capital One is one of the best issuers for quick credit line upgrades since its automatic review period typically starts sooner than other issuers.
After only six months, Capital One will review your account and may increase your credit line. This can help improve your credit score since a higher credit limit can lower your credit utilization ratio with responsible use.
Why you might want a different student card
While the Capital One Savor Student card has great features for a student card, you may want to look elsewhere for a slightly better welcome offer or an intro APR offer.
Welcome offer: Not entirely on the level of other cards
Welcome offers like sign-up bonuses and zero-interest intro periods aren’t common for student cards. However, the Capital One Savor Student card offers a modest $50 cash bonus after spending $100 on purchases within your first three months — a terrific 50 percent rate of return. Frugal spenders would benefit from this welcome offer.
However, other student cards do a bit better. The Discover it® Student Cash Back Card matches all cash back earned at the end of your first year, which can provide more value, depending on your spending. The deciding factor between these cards should be how much you will need to spend to make the welcome offer worth it without risking overspending.
Rates and fees: Decent for a student card
The Savor Student cash back card has low fees but isn’t the best choice if you need to carry a balance. The purchase and balance transfer APR can range from relatively low to fairly high compared to the average APR rates. Interest charges can add up quickly, cancel out your rewards and make it harder to pay off your debt.
The Savor Student card’s other fees are typical for a student card. You won’t have to worry about paying an annual fee, foreign transaction fees or a penalty APR, although there are late payment fees if you miss a payment. The lack of fees makes this a decent option if you want to travel abroad or miss a payment, but shouldn’t be enough to sway your decision. (See Rates & Fees)
Intro APR: Missed opportunity for new purchases
Like most student cards, the Savor Student has no intro APR offer. If you already have a starter card and want to transfer your balance to Capital One, you won’t pay a balance transfer fee (See Rates & Fees) , which can help consolidate your debt.
But, if you need some time to finance a large purchase, a better option might be the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students*, which has a decent intro APR for both purchases and balance transfers. An intro APR offer gives you the flexibility to cover larger purchases and builds credit if paid off successfully.
How the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card compares to other student cards
The Savor Student Cash Rewards card is great for any student who spends in the card’s bonus categories, but keeping up with categories can be confusing for first-time cardholders. Plus, the lack of an intro APR can be detrimental if students need to make large purchases. Consider a flat-rate rewards card if the Savor Student card’s rewards categories aren’t as useful or if you value simplicity.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
Rewards rate
8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases. 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply). 3% Cash Back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services. 1% Cash Back on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Early Spend Bonus: Earn $50 when you spend $100 in the first three months
Rewards rate
Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200. There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
Rewards rate
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Who is the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card right for?
The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards card is ideal for college students and responsible spenders. It offers common everyday categories and excellent rewards for people who can manage their spending.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card worth it?
The Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of the best overall credit cards for students. It’s simple to manage since there are no spending caps, and it’s also great for its automatic credit line review after only six months. Plus, its structure is comparable to the full-fledged Capital One Savor card.
While you may be better off with a card that has an intro APR offer or lower interest rate, if you need to carry a balance, the Savor Student card is a top choice for students who want a low-cost, simple cash back card to use until graduating to a traditional rewards card.
*All information about the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card and Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
How we rated this card
Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring credit cards for students and people building credit, including each card’s cost, APR, credit-building tools and more.
We analyzed over 50 of the most popular cards designed for students and people with no credit history, bad credit or a fair credit score and scored each based on where its key features stood in relation to others in its category.
Here are some of the key factors that gave this card its score:
Frequently asked questions
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.