Student Credit Cards - Are They Important?

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

Students are often neglected with regards to getting any credit benefits from various lending or credit sources who are otherwise ready to offer credit to businessmen and other working professionals. But the students of today are the next generation and are our future. So its important to encourage and support them with the best available financial and credit opportunities so they can grow in their own fields and provide the best output for our country.

As such, student credit cards provide one mechanism for young people to establish credit as well as provide a financial back stop for education and living expenses while attending school. The cost of living today continues to rise, and the amount of money needed to finance an education, particularly secondary education and college education, is outpacing the rate of inflation by a considerable amount. Many parents cannot bear the entire financial burden of the academic costs for their children. Student credit cards provided by a variety of different banks, lending institutions and credit card companies provide significant opportunities for students to establish and build a credit history at an early age. Provided, of course, that the credit card is used with care and caution.

Choosing a Student Credit Card

Before selecting a student credit card, or all types of credit cards for college students or young people for that matter, most suitable to your needs, you must first carefully read the fine print, otherwise known as the terms and conditions of the offer. As tedious as this might sound, it is very important to fully understand the terms of credit by which you will be bound. These include the applicable interest rates, exclusions, fees, restrictions, penalties as well as any bonus, reward or rebate offer stipulations that the card offer terms and conditions will outline. If you are unsure about any of the details or obligations, be sure to contact the card issuer directly for clarification.

All credit card applicants, especially student credit card applicants, absolutely must be mindful of the terms and conditions of any card offer before filling out and applying for a card offer.

Ideal Choices for Student Credit Cards

The best possible choice for a student is to find a card offer with the lowest available APR. Generally speaking, students are more of a credit risk for credit card issuers so they assign a higher ongoing rate of interest, or APR, on student credit cards to offset the increased risk of default by students. Several student credit card offers provide a 0% APR on purchases and cash advances for the first 6 months of card membership, providing some much needed financing that some students might require for books, school supplies, lab fees, etc. Be aware, however, that the interest rates on these offers jumps up significantly when the introductory offer ends. So be sure to have that card balance paid off by the end of the introductory term.

Appling for a student credit card is very simple and can easily be applied for online, making the prospect of researching and comparing various student credit cards pretty easy.