Journey Student Rewards Card From Capital One Review: Should You Get It?
Rating as of Aug. 25, 2022 based on a review of services May 17, 2023.
- Fair
The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is a great student rewards credit card focused on making on-time payments. One benefit of paying on time is a boost from 1% cash back to 1.25% cash back. Capital One will also automatically review your credit limit in as little as six months.
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1% cash back on all purchases and pay on time to get a boost to 1.25% cash back
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Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
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No annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- N/A
Getting a line of credit is hard for people without much credit history or no credit whatsoever. This is most particularly true in the case of students who are too young to have had time to build up their own credit.
If that’s your situation, the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One credit card is a good solution.
With no annual fee and a refreshing rewards points program, the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is helping students and others with low or no credit get their foot in the door — with a few perks along the way.
Wondering if you should apply? Here’s our in-depth review to help you decide if this is the right credit card for you.
Journey Student Rewards Card Overview
- APR: 29.99% (Variable).
- Annual fee: $0.
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Intro offer: None.
- Cash back: 1% on every dollar spent, plus an additional 0.25% for every month that you pay on time.
- Other benefits: $0 Fraud Liability, Automatic Credit Line Review
- Best for: Students with little to no credit history.
The Journey Student Rewards From Capital One has a lot going for it. Helpful customer support and a juicy rewards program add up to a lucrative offer for students who need help getting started in the world of credit building.
The Journey Student Rewards From Capital One also comes with several benefits and smart spending perks.
On the downside, the card doesn’t have any welcome bonus, but there aren’t too many credit-building cards that do offer such frills.
Pros & Cons of the Journey Student Rewards Card
Pros
- Valuable rewards on all purchases — Earn 1% cash back on all purchases with no limits.
- Designed just for students — Students can qualify with little or no credit history.
- Extra rewards for responsible use — Earn additional 0.25% cash back when you make your payments on time.
Cons
- Costly interest charges — This card has a high standard interest rate.
- Small credit limit — You will likely receive a low initial line of credit.
In-Depth Review of the Journey Student Rewards From Capital One
Rates and Fees
To begin with, there’s no annual fee with the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One. That means students who are working with a limited income can have the convenience of a credit card without the pressure of paying an annual fee (in case they don’t use it in the end).
Additionally, the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One provides students with a way to open a line of credit without having to put down any collateral like with secured credit cards.
The card also boasts no foreign transaction fees, which is a big perk for anyone who travels or frequently purchases products online from a foreign company.
The APR for new purchases, cash advances, and balance transfers is the same: 29.99% (Variable).
Cash advances fee is 3% of the amount of the cash advance, but not less than $3.
The one thing we don’t like about this card is that it charges up to $40 for late payments. In truth though, this is a fair charge considering any first-time credit card holder should be making timely payments to build their credit through responsible credit card use.
Credit Access
After six months, Capital One will automatically review your account for a potential credit limit increase.
Bonus Rewards
The bonus rewards structure is a major added benefit to the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One credit card. Most student credit cards don’t offer any rewards program, so this is already a big step up. The Journey Student Rewards From Capital One earns you 1% on every dollar spent with the card — not bad for a beginner’s card.
Additionally, for every month that you pay on time, you’ll receive an additional 0.25% cash back. So, assuming you are on time with your payments (something that’s really easy to do if you set up autopay or payment alerts), you can earn 1.25% back on every dollar you spend on purchases that month. Once again, that’s incredibly generous considering the fact that most student cards don’t offer anything back.
Rewards never expire for the entire lifetime of your account, and there’s no cap on how much cash back you can earn. Point redemption is also fairly straightforward. You can get your cash back as a statement credit or check or to get gift cards. Cash back redemption can be done online or over the phone.
Account Management
Account management is easy with the Journey Student Rewards From Capital One, with smart alerts that we’ll discuss below, a personalized payment schedule, and the ability to track authorized users. You can also set up autopay for instant payments, so you can avoid missed payments and late fees.
Easy account management is a big plus for students who are new to the world of credit.
Mobile Banking
The Journey Student Rewards From Capital One comes with a snazzy mobile app that is full of convenient features like instant purchase notifications, mobile bill payment options, and mobile deposits (so you can deposit a check by just taking a picture of it with your phone).
The coolest feature, though, is Eno, the mobile assistant that makes banking a cinch. Eno is a program that lets you text questions about your Journey Student Rewards From Capital One and receive an SMS with the answer instantly. So, you can ask about things like recent transactions, account balance, or what’s my available credit, and get the answer on the spot.
Alerts
The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One lets you receive and customize your security alerts. You can opt to get alerts via text message or email. You can also decide when to be notified by checking off certain activities that should be flagged including overseas purchases, excessive purchasing, or unusual spending action. You’ll even be able to get basic reminders for payment dates to help you stay on top of your account.
Journey Student Rewards From Capital One vs. the Competition
The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One isn’t the only student card that earns you rewards while you spend — it’s not even the only one within the Capital One family. Here’s a look at the Journey’s two sister cards, both of which might be worth considering.
Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- APR: 19.74% - 29.74% (Variable).
- Annual fee: $0
- Intro offer: Limited Time Offer: Earn $50 when you spend $100 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- Cash back: Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase.
- Credit level: 600+.
A smidge better in the cash back category than the Journey Student Rewards From Capital One, the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card offers 1.5% cash back for every dollar you spend on purchases. You’ll also earn a $50 when you spend $100 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
Other perks of the Capital One QuickSilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card include no foreign transaction fees and the Master RoadAssist® Service*. Take advantage of 24-hour toll-free dispatch to help with services like towing, fuel delivery, and more (fees apply) — making it a good choice for that spring break trip or study abroad stint.
Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card
- APR: 19.74% - 29.74% (Variable).
- Annual fee: $0.
- Intro offer: Limited Time Offer: Earn a $50 bonus when you spend $100 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- Cash back: Unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), plus 1% on all other purchases; 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases and tickets.
- Credit level: 600+.
The Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card ups the cash back offer even further, with a strong 3% earning rate on four useful categories, namely dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®). There’s a 1% cash back rate on everything else — with one noteworthy exception. You can also earn a massive 8% back on purchases on Capital One Entertainment and tickets. If you’re into sporting events and concerts, that’s some unbeatable rewards.
Like the Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards cards, the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card comes with a welcome offer of a $50 bonus when you spend $100 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
Also like the Quicksilver, the SavorOne includes no foreign transaction fees and the 24-hour toll-free Master RoadAssist® Service*.
Bottom Line: Is the Journey Student Rewards Credit Card From Capital One Right for You?
The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One comes with a lot of benefits that students can really take advantage of.
The $0 annual fee is already a good start, and then Capital One throws in the benefits to boot.
The rewards program is a major plus considering the category it’s in, and the easy redemption policy gives the Journey even more bragging rights.
With good customer service, a great mobile app, and no foreign transaction fees, the Journey Student Rewards From Capital One makes an amazing offer that we recommend to anyone trying to build their credit.
Proceed with the application for the Journey Student Rewards From Capital OneFor Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.