№ 1
Capital OneVisa
Quicksilver Rewards for Students
Cash BackNo Annual FeeNo FX Fee
- Earns 1.5% back on groceries — one of your biggest spending categories
- Welcome bonus worth about $50 in your first year
- Travel rewards & transfer partners
★ BEST CARDS FOR STUDENT TRAVEL949 UNITED STATES CARDS TRACKEDNO BIAS · NO SIGNUP
Best For — Travel cards for students
The best credit cards for student travel in United States
For students who travel, the best cards are student travel cards with no foreign-transaction fees and travel or dining rewards — built for study-abroad terms and cheap trips, with no annual fee to weigh down a student budget. We track 949 United States cards.
The profile
Who this guide is for
- You study abroad or travel on breaks
- No foreign-transaction fees matters for overseas spend
- You want travel or dining rewards without a fee
- You're building credit while you're at it
The shortlist
Top cards for student travel in United States
8 ranked
№ 2
Capital OneMastercard
Savor Rewards for Students
Cash BackNo Annual FeeNo FX Fee
- Earns 3% back on groceries — one of your biggest spending categories
- Travel rewards & transfer partners
№ 3
Patelco Credit UnionMastercard
Progress Student Rewards Mastercard Credit Card
Low InterestNo Annual FeeStudent
- $0/yr annual fee
- Earns 2x on Groceries
- Low Interest card
Annual fee$0per year
Top earn rate2xGroceries
No application link on file · apply through Patelco Credit UnionRead our review →
№ 4
№ 5
Del-One Federal Credit UnionVisa
Student Rewards VISA
No Annual FeeStudent
- $0/yr annual fee
- No Annual Fee card
Annual fee$0per year
Top earn rateNot confirmed
No application link on file · apply through Del-One Federal Credit UnionRead our review →
№ 6
Discover Financial ServicesDiscover
Discover it® Student Chrome
Cash BackDiningGas & Fuel
- Earns 2% back on dining — one of your biggest spending categories
- Travel rewards & transfer partners
№ 7
Bank of AmericaVisa
Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students
StudentTravelRewards
- Travel rewards & transfer partners
- Student card
№ 8
Discover Financial ServicesDiscover
Discover it® Student Cash Back
Cash BackNo Credit HistoryRewards
- Travel rewards & transfer partners
- Cash Back card
Method
How we picked
We start from every card we hold in United States, keep those that suit students who travel, and rank them on estimated first-year value for a typical students who travel profile: rewards from the card's earn rates, plus a welcome offer the page can print, minus the annual fee. A card whose annual fee we cannot state ranks after every card whose fee we can. Nothing here is pay-to-rank. Business cards appear only on business guides, student cards only on student guides, and prepaid cards on none. A figure we do not hold is shown as “Not confirmed”, never as a zero.
More guides
Best cards for other people
TravelersFrequent FlyersInternational JetsettersPoints OptimizersHotel LoyalistsBudget BackpackersDigital NomadsBusiness TravelersCruise LoversRoad TrippersBusinessSole ProprietorsSmall Business (LLC)Startup FoundersE-commerce SellersCorporate / EnterpriseContractors & TradesReal-Estate InvestorsBuilding CreditNo Credit / First CardBad Credit / RebuildFair CreditSecured CardsThin FilePost-BankruptcyYoung AdultsStudentsUndergraduatesGrad StudentsInternational StudentsStudent Cash BackCash BackFlat-Rate Cash BackGrocery MaximizerGas & CommutersDining & FoodiesOnline ShoppersRotating CategoriesStreaming & SubscriptionsRent PayersProfessionalsDoctorsNursesTeachersLawyersTech WorkersGovernment / Public SectorFirst RespondersAccountants & FinanceMilitary & VeteransFamiliesNew ParentsLarge HouseholdsSingle ParentsCommuter FamiliesTeens (Authorized Users)ExecutivesLuxury TravelersAffluent High-IncomePrivate BankingMulti-Card StrategistsConcierge SeekersSeniorsFixed-Income RetireesSnowbirdsRetiree Cash BackNewcomersNew ImmigrantsWork-Visa HoldersReturning ExpatsCross-BorderFreelancersSelf-EmployedRideshare & DeliveryContent CreatorsConsultants (1099)Side HustlersLow Interest & DebtBalance TransferLow Ongoing APRDebt Consolidation0% Big Purchase
Questions
Frequently asked
What is the best credit card for students who travel in United States?
The best card for students who travel in United States depends on your exact spending and credit. The shortlist above holds 8 cards for this profile, each chosen because it fits students who travel: student travel cards with no foreign-transaction fees and travel or dining rewards — built for study-abroad terms and cheap trips, with no annual fee to weigh down a student budget.
How did you choose these cards for students who travel?
We start from every card we hold in United States, keep those that suit students who travel, and rank them on estimated first-year value for a typical students who travel profile: rewards from the card's earn rates, plus a welcome offer the page can print, minus the annual fee. A card whose annual fee we cannot state ranks after every card whose fee we can. Nothing here is pay-to-rank.
Why do some cards show no annual fee figure?
Because we hold no confirmed figure for it. Our fee column used to default to zero, and many cards still carry a zero that no check has confirmed — so a zero on its own cannot be told apart from a field nobody filled in, and printing “$0” there would invent a price. A card shows a fee where a positive one is on record, or where a zero was confirmed against the issuer's terms; otherwise the slot reads “Not confirmed”, and the issuer's own page is the place to check before you apply.
How are these cards ranked?
By that estimated value, computed by the same rules for every card, with one adjustment: a card that matches this guide's goal gains 15% of its estimated value (at least 25) in the ordering, so it can rank above a card with a higher estimated value. The figure printed on each pick is the estimate itself, without that adjustment. Our methodology page sets the rules out in full. Each card's review page marks which of its figures a published document states.