A challenge undertaken by only a small percentage of Americans, graduate school can be a great adventure — and a lot of hard work. And, depending on your field, a whole lot of money.
In fact, many graduate programs provide little to no financial support for their graduate students. Furthermore, even if you’re lucky enough to be provided with a stipend, they’re rarely very lucrative (and often come with time-consuming teaching responsibilities).
Given that the typical grad student is likely on a tight budget, finding savings where you can is a big priority. With smart credit card use, however, you can earn rewards on every purchase and even maximize your earnings for extra value.
Everyday | Travel | Dining | Books & Supplies | No/Limited Credit
Best Cards for Your Everyday Spending
Starting with that mandatory cup of morning pick-me-up, our daily lives are full of little purchases seemingly everywhere we go. For a busy grad student trying to fit as much research into each day as possible, trying to maximize each of those little purchases can be a tedious proposition.
That’s why many of the best everyday credit cards are those that offer simple, straightforward cash back rewards, with no categories to track or limits on how much you can earn. Pairing easy rewards with no annual fee, these cards can ensure you’re not wasting your time or money.
This card offers unlimited cash back rewards on every purchase, a solid signup bonus that boosts your rewards, and an intro-APR offer that can help you avoid interest fees if you need a little extra time to pay off that last round of textbooks.
This card is currently not available.2. Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card
In addition to unlimited cash back rewards on every purchase, this card offers bonus cash back on mobile wallet purchases for the first 12 months. Plus, get cellphone protection, a nice signup bonus, and an introductory APR offer, all with no annual fee.
Additional Disclosure: Citi is a CardRates advertiser.
Although this card doesn’t come with a signup bonus like its competition, it does offer higher unlimited cash back — albeit with a twist. You’ll earn the first 1% when you purchase and another 1% when you pay your bill.
Best Cards for Ride-Shares & Travel Expenses
How you commute to campus will often depend on where your university is located; grad students in the big city are more likely to use public transit or ride-sharing, while those in the ‘burbs may drive through tolls and pay for parking.
Many grad students may also face additional travel expenses, like flying home for breaks or attending important networking events. Regardless of what type of travel you do, there’s likely a credit card designed to help you save along the way.
While this card made its name for blackout-free travel rewards that were redeemed as a statement credit, you can also transfer your miles to an airline loyalty program to pool with your existing frequent flyer miles. You’ll earn 2X miles on every purchase.
This is one of the most popular travel rewards credit cards on the market, and for good reason. You’ll earn 2X Ultimate Rewards® points for travel expenses, a broad category that includes everything from ride-shares to parking garages to airline tickets. Plus, Ultimate Rewards® can be transferred to a dozen airline and hotel partners for extra value.
6. Uber Visa Card
The Uber Visa Card is a solid contender for ride-sharing and travel rewards, providing 3% cash back on hotels and air fare, plus 2% cash back ob Uber rides.
- Earn 4% cash back on dining purchases, including restaurants, takeout, bars, and UberEATS
- Earn 3% cash back on hotel & airfare, 2% for online purchases
- Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
If you’re a regular Uber user, then the Uber Visa Card has an additional perk that may be handy; you can redeem your rewards for Uber credits straight from your phone.
Best Cards for Dining, Take-Out & Food Delivery
After eight hours of research, an hour of grading papers, and a particularly tedious pair of office hours, chances are good the idea of an hour spent cooking dinner is less than appealing.
Happily, there’s a card for that. Whether you prefer to dine in, take out, or have it delivered, you can save on sustenance with the right credit card. Even better, our top cards in this category offer bonus rewards for other useful purchases, too.
Offering the same 2X Ultimate Rewards® points per dollar on dining as it does travel, this card can pay for its own annual fee in rewards alone for cardholders who spend a lot in those categories — and that’s before you consider the big signup bonus.
8. U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card
The U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card lets cardholders choose their own categories, which means you could earn 5% cash back on fast food and 2% at restaurants or grocery stores, plus still have another 5% category of your choice.
- Earn 5% cash back in two categories of your choosing, plus 2% cash back in an additional category you select
- Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Pay no annual fee
Additional categories include everything from electronics stores to gyms and fitness centers. Cardholders can select new categories each quarter, making it easy to customize your rewards to your spending habits all year long.
9. Uber Visa Card
The Uber Visa Card is a great option for rewards on dining, offering 4% cash back for sit-down, take-out, and delivery purchases, including UberEATS.
- Earn 4% cash back on dining purchases, including restaurants, takeout, bars, and UberEATS
- Earn 3% cash back on hotel & airfare, 2% for online purchases
- Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
The Uber Visa Card can also be a solid option for making online purchases, offering 2% cash back on a wide range of online shopping and digital purchases.
Best Cards for Buying Textbooks & Study Supplies
Outside of food and rent, most grad students probably spend the most money on keeping their backpack stocked and their bookshelves full — neither of which are inexpensive tasks.
Here, too, however, you can likely find a good credit card to take the edge off the cost of all those study supplies. You can find bonus rewards for a variety of retailers, from Target to your local bookstore, that can help keep your study sessions going without breaking the bank.
With its rotating bonus rewards categories, this card offers a variety of ways to save on supplies and books. You’ll see quarterly categories, like grocery stores and gas stations, that let you earn bonus cash back rewards for eligible category purchases when activated. Quarterly spending limits apply.
11. Amazon Rewards Visa Signature® Card
The Amazon Rewards Visa Signature® Card is a good pick for students who are also Amazon Prime members, offering 5% rewards on Amazon.com purchases.
- Earn 3% back on Amazon.com and Whole Foods purchases; Prime members earn 5% back
- Earn 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores
- Pay no annual card fee, Prime fee may apply
Don’t forget to swipe your Amazon Rewards Visa Signature® Card while shopping at whole foods for 5% off on groceries. And the 2% back on restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores is a nice bonus for those without better cards for these purchases.
12. Marvel Mastercard®
The Marvel Mastercard® is a fun addition to the wallet of any entertainment lover, as it offers 3% cash back on entertainment purchases, but it can also be useful for students looking to stock up on textbooks and supplies thanks to the fact that bookstores are included in the 3% entertainment category.
- Earn 3% cash back on dining, select entertainment, and eligible Marvel merchandise purchases
- Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Pay no annual fee
In addition to the Marvel Mastercard®’s broad entertainment category, the card also offers 3% cash back on dining, which is a solid rate for those without a better dining rewards credit card.
Best Cards for Building No/Limited Credit Profiles
Given that you need to be at least 21 to qualify for a credit card on your own (unless you’re at least 18 and have an independent income), there’s a good chance you may not have the most robust credit profile as a new grad student.
Thankfully, there are a range of credit cards on the market specifically designed to help build credit, including several options tailor-made for student credit-builders. The best student starter cards come with solid purchase rewards and won’t charge an annual fee.
This card offers much of the same experience as Discover’s non-student cash back card, providing the same rotating bonus categories that offer the opportunity to earn bonus cash back every quarter.
If rotating categories aren’t your thing, this card is a solid alternative, offering tiered cash back rewards. Plus, you’ll receive the same valuable benefits as Discover’s other student card.
Don’t Waste Your Stipend on the Wrong Card
Whether you’re paying out of pocket or subsisting on a meager stipend, graduate school isn’t typically a time of extraneous spending or high-price splurges. Indeed, the typical grad student budget more likely resembles that of the undergraduate they were, rather than the budget of the professional they’re working to become.
On the plus side, there are a variety of ways to stretch even small budgets, including making the most of credit card rewards. With the right combination of rewards cards, you can make the most of your spending and capitalize on every take-out meal or textbook purchase.
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