Do you have to be a student to get the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One?

Yes. Capital One designed the Journey Student Rewards card to help college and university students build and access credit during their time in school. If you are working on your credit but you’re not a student, you can look at starter cards or cards for people with no credit history or fair credit. If you’re a recent graduate or leave school early, you can check with your issuer to see if you can upgrade your card to a non-student version.

Is the Journey Student Rewards Card a Visa or Mastercard?

The Journey Student Rewards card is a Visa card. This detail means you get Visa card protections, such as fraud protection and zero liability. If your card is stolen, lost, or used fraudulently, Visa will protect your account, whether the act is committed online or offline. You can also sign up for alerts for purchases and hacking.

What is the Journey Student Rewards Card’s credit limit?

Capital One does not offer a clear maximum or minimum credit limit for this card. The issuer determines your limit after reviewing your application, and bases that decision on factors like your credit score and your ability to pay back what you borrow. That said, student cards tend to have a starting limit of under $1,000.

Does the Journey Student Rewards Card have foreign transaction fees?

There are no foreign transaction fees with the Journey Student Rewards card. Many cards carry a fee of 3 percent on purchases made overseas, so this perk is great if you want to study abroad. Also, since the Journey Student Rewards card is a Visa card, it's accepted in most countries.

Journey Student Rewards from Capital One: A low-maintenance student starter card

Written by

Re'Dreyona Walker

Edited by

Steve Dashiell

Oct 22, 2024 / 5 min

The Bankrate promise

At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for .

Snapshot

3.0

Bankrate rating

Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.

Bottom line

The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One (No longer available) may be a decent option for students building credit who want a straightforward rewards program, but it falls short of several competing student cash back cards because of its high APR and low rewards rate.

Best for flat-rate cash back and studying abroad

Journey Student Rewards from Capital One

Add to compare

No Credit History

Intro offer

N/A

Rewards Rate

Annual fee

Regular APR

29.99% (Variable)

3.0

Bankrate score

Introductory offer

1.0 / 5

Fees

3.4 / 5

Rewards value

2.0 / 5

Features

3.0 / 5

Reward Details

Add up to 3 cards to compare

Compare

Remove a card to add another to compare

On This Page

Bankrate’s take: “The Journey Student Rewards card from Capital One has been discontinued. Fortunately, the Quicksilver Rewards for Students is a step up for those interested in a Capital One student card. Take a look at our best student credit cards if you’re looking to compare rewards, rates and fees as well as perks.”

Journey Student Rewards from Capital One Overview

This straightforward student card from Capital One is a fantastic way to build credit history and learn the ropes of earning rewards. It’s also a solid starter card as it earns cash back on all purchases, rewards good credit habits and imposes no extraneous fees. Plus, its security benefits and lack of foreign transaction fees make it a great study-abroad companion.

However, several other student cards have more to offer once you’re comfortable with credit, and Capital One’s new student cards deliver a ton more value for equally fresh credit builders.

Rewards
Unlimited 1 percent cash back on all purchases — boosted to 1.25 percent for the month when the card is paid on time, 5 percent cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply)

Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
Rates and fees
No annual fee

No foreign transaction fee

No intro APR offer for purchases or balance transfers

29.99 percent ongoing APR

Expert Appraisal: Typical
Credit-building features
Access to CreditWise

Potential credit line increase after account review

Expert Appraisal: Typical
Other cardholder perks
Travel and retail benefits

Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive

Alternatives to the Journey Student Rewards Card

If you’re a first-time cardholder who wants a safety net while building credit, you might want to look at a few of the alternative cards available.

Journey Student Rewards from Capital One

Bankrate Score

3.0

Annual fee

Intro offer

N/A

Rewards rate

Earn 1% cash back on all your purchases. Pay on time to boost your cash back to a total of 1.25% for that month.

Recommended Credit Score

Fair to Good (580 – 740)

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.

Discover it® Student Cash Back

Bankrate Score

5.0

See Rates & Fees

Apply now

on Discover's secure site

Annual fee

Intro offer

Cashback Match

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

1% - 5%

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

No Credit History

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards for Students credit card

Bankrate Score

4.0

Annual fee

Intro offer

$200

Online $200 cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening

Rewards rate

1% - 3%

3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings. 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)

Rewards-wise, Discover student credit cards offer more than the Journey Student Rewards card. The Discover it® Student Cash Back, earns higher rates of cash back on rotating bonus categories each quarter you enroll, up to a set spending cap before it drops to 1 percent. Discover also matches all the cash back you earn at the end of your first year with the card, maximizing its first-year value.

The Discover it® Student Cash Back is also one of your best options for a low-cost student card. The Journey Student Rewards card posed a higher-than-average variable APR, but the Discover it® Student Cash Back has a much more reasonable variable APR, especially for a student card. Plus, the Discover it® Student’s intro APR offer already puts it ahead of the Journey Rewards Student card. Discover’s policy to charge no annual fee, foreign transaction fee, penalty APR or a late fee on your first late payment (up to $41 after) creates an excellent safeguard for students new to credit cards.
Although the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Card for Students’ benefits are light compared to Capital One cards, it can be a much more rewarding alternative to the Journey card in the right hands: It comes with better interest rates and introductory APRs that can make early student life a breeze by comparison.

This Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Card for Students earns impressive cash back rates on purchases in one of six choice categories that you can swap each month based on your expected expenses. These categories include online shopping, gas, dining, travel drugstores and home improvement/furnishings. You’ll also get a competitive earning rate for purchases at grocery stores and wholesale clubs and 1 percent on all other purchases.

The catch here is that your highest earning categories share a quarterly $2,500 spending limit for combined purchases before reverting to 1 percent. But unless you’re spending heavily, this may not be an issue if you’re a student.

Journey Student Rewards Card pros and cons

Pros

You could increase your cash back rate to 1.25 percent on purchases for the month after making an on-time payment.
The card charges no annual fee or foreign transaction fees.
You were automatically considered for a higher credit line after only six months, which is one of the quickest review periods on the market.

Cons

This card has a high ongoing APR, even for a student credit card.
The card is missing zero-interest offers and common student perks like cellphone insurance, which other Capital One student cards offer.
You only receive your boosted rewards rate after making on-time payments each month.

Best cards to pair with the Journey Student Rewards Card from Capital One

Since the Journey Student Rewards card is a flat-rate card with a low 1 percent to 1.25 percent cash back when you make an on-time payment that month, other cash back cards with higher rewards rates in your top spending categories can help maximize your rewards earnings.

If you often spend money on everyday purchases, like shopping or going out with friends, the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards credit card is an excellent choice to pair with the Journey Student Rewards. Its unlimited 3 percent cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services and grocery store purchases (excluding superstores like Walmart and Target) will be a great fit. Plus, the Savor Student gives you an unlimited 8 percent back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal.

Bankrate’s Take — Is the Journey Student Rewards Card from Capital One worth keeping?

The Journey Student Rewards Card from Capital One is an adequate option if you're a first-time cardholder who wants an easy-to-handle cash back card for every occasion. The card’s 1 percent flat cash back rate on all purchases is a solid offer, but not the strongest on the market. Plus, the card’s perks can give you peace of mind when you’re shopping or traveling.

But, the card’s high ongoing APR and relatively low rewards rate leave the card overshadowed by new student offerings.

*All information about the 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Capital One designed the Journey Student Rewards card to help college and university students build and access credit during their time in school. If you are working on your credit but you’re not a student, you can look at starter cards or cards for people with no credit history or fair credit. If you’re a recent graduate or leave school early, you can check with your issuer to see if you can upgrade your card to a non-student version.
The Journey Student Rewards card is a Visa card. This detail means you get Visa card protections, such as fraud protection and zero liability. If your card is stolen, lost, or used fraudulently, Visa will protect your account, whether the act is committed online or offline. You can also sign up for alerts for purchases and hacking.
Capital One does not offer a clear maximum or minimum credit limit for this card. The issuer determines your limit after reviewing your application, and bases that decision on factors like your credit score and your ability to pay back what you borrow. That said, student cards tend to have a starting limit of under $1,000.
There are no foreign transaction fees with the Journey Student Rewards card. Many cards carry a fee of 3 percent on purchases made overseas, so this perk is great if you want to study abroad. Also, since the Journey Student Rewards card is a Visa card, it's accepted in most countries.