5 Best Credit Card for Students UK

What are the best credit card for students uk has been one of the most Googled topics in the year within the united kingdom geolocation and we have researched on it to provide the best 5.

Getting a credit card as a student is beneficial in many ways. The apparent benefit is that you get access to credit, but that’s not even the most important one. Getting a credit card while in college or university helps you build your credit history, which will eventually be helpful when you graduate.

However, the eligibility criteria of most credit cards in UK bluntly rule out the possibility of a student ever getting access; and that’s why student credit cards exist in the first place. A credit card for students in UK is one designed for students with no credit history to help them build one.

If you’re choosing a credit card for the first time, you certainly want to go with a decent one. In this article, I’ll show you some of the best credit cards for students UK that you should consider. Before then, however, let’s look at some of the reasons why a credit card may be necessary for you.

Why Choose a Student Credit Card?

If you’ve gone through the details on a typical credit card for students UK, you’ll notice that it’s not a big improvement on a typical credit card in terms of rewards and bonus features. With that being the case, why should anyone even get a student-specific credit card in the first place?

There are a couple of reasons, the most important one being that you don’t have many options. As a student, you almost certainly have a terrible credit score, and banks aren’t exactly eager to trust you with their money in form of a credit card. One of the few ways you can access one is by getting a student credit card, with a few catches.

Also, student credit cards are generally unsecured, making it unnecessary to deposit before accessing the card. That way, there’s a very low barrier to getting the card, making it easy for students and other low-income earners to access them.

If you have good finances to afford regular secured credit cards, you should definitely do that, as they’re almost always better than dedicated credit cards for students in UK. Unless you’re working as a student, however, there’s a pretty good chance that you don’t.

Is It Worth It to Get Credit Card as a Student?

There are several benefits and drawbacks of getting a credit card as a student in the UK. It’s up to you to go over them and decide if it’s worth it to get one as a student. To help you with that, I’ll show you some benefits of getting a student-specific credit card.

Here are some of the reasons getting a student credit card might be a good idea.

 1. Credit Score

Students typically have no credit scores, as they’ve not yet been introduced to the banking system. For the uninitiated, your credit score doesn’t start off great; it starts empty, and you try to work your way up to a good score as time goes by.

One excellent way to start building your credit score as a student is to get a credit card while you’re still in school.  With a student credit card and impeccable money management skills, you end up graduating with a credit history that makes it easy for you to make huge financial purchases easily.

 2. Rewards

Credit card rewards are undoubtedly one of the biggest reasons you shouldn’t ignore a student credit card while schooling in the UK. Naturally, credit cards come with many rewards for holders, but you should expect even more of them when it’s a student credit card.

The rewards can range from cashback to discounts at specific retailers. You may even want to check if your university or college will let you pay with your credit card; that might be setting you up for a host of rewards! In short, if you’re the type that fancies a free lunch, you don’t get it better than with a student credit card.

 3. Section 75 Protection

If you often purchase expensive items as a student, you want to use a credit card for all your purchases to get protected under the Section 75 Consumer Credit Act. The act summarily mandates the credit card issuer, as well as the retailer to issue a refund when a purchase of over £100 is faulty or doesn’t work as expected.

That protection doesn’t only exist for tangible items, and it’s also not exclusive to student credit cards. While this isn’t the most practical benefit of a credit card for frugal students, it’s always good to have it, just in case.

 4. Budgeting

There’s no better way to learn budgeting and money management than trying to maintain a good credit score with your student credit card. By deciding what to buy, what not to buy, and when and how to pay back your debt, you build healthy money management and budgeting skills.

From where I stand, the benefits you stand to gain from getting a student credit card are a lot more than the associated risks. In short, making the effort to get one of the best credit cards for students is worthwhile, as long as you can manage the risks. If you think you’re ready, the following section outlines what to consider when choosing credit cards for students UK.

How to Choose the Best Credit Cards for Students

Credit cards for students generally have terrible rewards and ridiculously low credit limits, so you shouldn’t really set the bar high. However, you also don’t want to set it too low, as you’re not looking to get something that will hurt your credit score in the long run.

The most important metric to watch on a credit card is the annual percentage rate. If you’re paying the entirety of your balance every month, you’ll never have to worry about it, but it exists because you’re likely not to. You don’t want to find yourself in a huge debt just because you couldn’t pay off £200.

You should also check to confirm if the card supports someone with your credit history. While everyone wants the best credit card, you should also go for one that wants you. Since we’re talking about student credit cards, most should work for you, unless you did have a credit history, and it’s terrible.

Finally, apply for a card that you think ticks all your boxes and isn’t out of reach. You should make one application at a time to increase your chances of getting accepted, and you should have a student credit card sooner rather than later.

What is the Best Credit Card for Students UK?

Not all banks offer credit card for students UK, but most banks have something that will work for the average student. Of all the options available, here are some of the best credit cards you’ll find.

 1. HSBC Student Credit Card

The HSBC Student Credit Card is arguably the most popular credit card for students UK. You can always order this card if you have an HSBC Student Bank Account. As the name suggests, it’s targeted at students alone and is the best example of a UK student credit card you’ll find.

The credit limit for this card ranges from £250 to £500, which is low, but you should expect that for a student credit card. With zero annual account fees and an 18.9% APR, this card is a contender for the best credit card for students UK.

 2. Barclaycard Forward

Barclaycard Forward isn’t targeted at students specifically, but with the features and rewards, it appears to be the kind of card that works excellently for that demographic. The Barclaycard Forward was designed to help users build their credit, which is what you should be looking forward to as a student in the UK.

The limit ranges from £50 to £1,200, which is around the range of most student credit cards. You also get a high APR, a bit higher than on most credit cards for students UK. While it’s not a student credit card per se, it’s clearly one of the best you can get as a student schooling in the UK and trying to build credit.

 3. TSB Student Credit Card

If you want a higher credit limit than HSBC can offer, you may want to try the TSB Student Credit Card. It’s available to students with a current student bank account with the bank, and it offers similar bonuses and rewards as every other credit card for UK students.

You can get up to a $1,000 credit limit with the card, but that will be unavailable for first-timers. The APR stands at 19.9%, which isn’t outrageous for a student account, and you also get 56 interest-free days per billing, comfortably placing this card among the best credit card for students UK.

 4. NatWest Student Credit Card

If you have a NatWest Student Bank Account, you may want to explore your chances of getting the NatWest Student Credit Card. Before applying, you should consider using the bank’s eligibility checker tool to determine if you can get the card. Applying when you’re not eligible could hurt your credit score, which is something you want to avoid as a student.

The card is your average student credit card, with a credit limit between £250 and £500. Also, you get an APR of 18.9% out of the box with no annual account fees and up to 56 interest-free days. With all these features, NatWest Student Credit Card certainly qualifies to contend as the best credit card for students UK.

 5. RBS Student Credit Card

If you have a student bank account with RBS, the bank’s credit card automatically becomes one of the best credit cards for students UK for you. Everything about it sounds like the average credit card for students UK, making it popular among the demographic. Not only does it offer you access to credit, but it also helps you build a credit history, which is critical for students.

The card requires no annual account fees, just like every other student credit card out there. You also get 56 interest-free days for each billing period, which is standard for most student credit cards. The credit limit ranges from £250 to £500 with a representative APR of 18.9%, making it a compelling credit card for students UK.

Conclusion

There are several other excellent credit cards for students UK, but we believe these are the finest of them all. All the cards listed above work for students with little or no credit history, and provided you use them as advertised, you’ll be thankful you learned about them.

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