We’re going to talk about three cards that you can use. The cards are in the order of your approval chances. We wouldn’t recommend applying to some of these cards if you don’t have a credit history. The biggest obstacle for international students to get a credit card is the Social Security Number (SSN). We’re also going to talk about the cards you can apply for without an SSN.
Deserve Credit Card – No SSN required.
- Perfect for incoming international students
- 0% annual fee
- Amazon Prime Student free for a year (worth $60)
- 1% cashback on all purchases
- Cell phone protection up to $600 – you can read more about it here.
- Collision damage waiver – rental vehicle insurance coverage.
We want to clarify here that you don’t even need an SSN for Deserve card. Deserve EDU cards are specially designed for international students. The pre-qualification process asks you to upload your bank account statement, passport, visa, and I-20. Once you send these documents and fill in the required information, you are pre-qualified. It’s just that easy. You can get a credit card even without an SSN, and once you get it, you can always submit it.
Remember, you need a credit card to build credit. It can pull your credit report even without your SNN by using your name, address, and DOB. SSN is a preferred way to check credit because it’s the easiest way.
What are the benefits other than building a credit score? Well, you get 1 percent Cashback on everything along with a year of Amazon’s top student. There is 0 annual fee. It works well internationally too. Just get international travel on it. All of this has been tested by our fellow international students.
You can check out their website right here – https://www.deserve.com.
🗣️Here is a link with which you can get $30 if you sign up – https://deserve.com/8ED36
Note: By using the link above, you’ll be providing Gradicle with a monetary benefit.
Discover Card – SSN required
- 5% cashback on rotating categories every quarter. You will have to activate this in your phone application.
- January – March – Grocery store, Walgreens, CVS
- Apr – June – Gas station, wholesale clubs (Walmart, Target, etc.), select streaming services
- July – September – Restaurants, and Paypal
- October – December – Amazon.com, Walmart.com & Target.com
- 1% cashback on every purchase
- Cashback Match-For the first year, it’s a nice little gift for you to join the discover family. Match and cashback to the exact amount of money. So let’s say you’re going to spend $15,000 on the Card. You can get $150 cashback because it’s 1 percent cash back. They’re going to match it, and you’re going to add $150 at the end of the first year.
- $0 fraud liability
- Easier to qualify as international students.
- Great customer service
- Credit score updates in the app
- $0 annual fee forever
It is one of the best credit cards you can get as an international student to describe a little about Discover card. First of all, it’s relatively easy to get it if you are a student. They will give you a decent credit limit and a 5% cashback, which you cannot complain about.
In the Long term, this 5 % cashback will come in handy as, during Christmas, you can buy a lot of gifts from amazon.com and get a good amount of your spending back in your pocket.
Here is a link to compare some of the other similar-level credit cards. https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/compare/cash-back.html
But honestly, to even qualify for those cards without any credit history is extremely difficult.
🗣️Here is a link using which you can get $50 if you sign up – https://refer.discover.com/s/vijayvergiyaparth1
Note: By using the above link, you’ll be providing Gradicle with a monetary benefit.
American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card – SSN required
- Earn 20% back on purchases at Amazon.com on the Card in the first six months, up to $200 back.
- Plus, earn $100 back after spending $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first six months.
- 3% Cash Back at the U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year on purchases, then 1%).
- 2% Cash Back at the U.S. gas stations and selected department stores.
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Low intro APR: 0% for 15 months on purchases from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 13.99% to 23.99%.
- Plan It® gives the option of selecting $100 or more to be divided into monthly payments with a fixed fee.
- Cashback is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can quickly redeem for statement credits.
- No annual fee.
Another great add-on to the credit card list is no additional annual fee. It is always great to have an American Express card in your wallet as the given credit limit is higher. I would recommend getting this credit once your credit history is more than a year long.
Like other cards, AMEX also offers zero liability for fraud, which means that you are secure if someone uses your Card. Their app is intuitive; you can see reward dollars, freeze your account, etc., right away.
🗣️Here is a link using which you can get $100 if you sign up https://refer.amex.us/PARTHVXwXn?xl=cp01
Note: By using the above link, you’ll be providing Gradicle with a monetary benefit.
