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As of July 2023, this offer was paused temporarily and unavailable as Deserve redesigned the card.
The Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students is an under-the-radar student credit card with lots of benefits. These include standard perks like cash back to more unique features, including multiple spending credits. However, this card isn't currently open for applications. Read our Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students review to find out more about it and check out some good alternatives.
Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students
New/Rebuilding Under(579)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
18.74%, variable
Rewards
1% cash back
Annual Fee
$0
Welcome Offer
N/A
A solid choice for building credit while earning cash back on purchases.
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Learn More |
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Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
20,000 ThankYou® Points Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. | Up to 2% cash back 2% cash back: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay |
Intro: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: 0%, 18 months Regular: 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) |
||
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. N/A | 1% - 5% Cashback Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically. |
Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR |
||
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Up to $300 cash back Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. | 1.5% - 5% cash back Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases |
Intro: 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months Regular: 20.49% - 29.24% Variable |
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website. |
This credit card is a good fit for: Students getting started with credit who want a no annual fee cash back card. International students, in particular, benefited from this card since a Social Security number wasn't required to apply.
Here are the standout perks that the Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students offered.
We always recommend students start with no annual fee credit cards to avoid unnecessary expenses and so they can keep the card open for years to come. Fortunately, the Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students fits that bill.
This card earns an unlimited 1% cash back on purchases.
MORE OPTIONS: Best Cash Back Credit Cards
Pay your monthly wireless bill with this card and you'll receive complimentary cellphone insurance. The plan covers damage and theft of your phone up to a limit of $600 per claim and $1,000 within a 12-month period, and there's a $50 deductible. It's still no fun to drop your phone, but at least you'll have peace of mind that you can get it fixed without dipping into your savings.
If you use this card to pay for a subscription to Amazon Prime Student, you'll receive an automatic credit for the membership fee. The maximum benefit amount is $69, which is the cost of a one-year subscription.
Note that the monthly cost of Amazon Prime Student is $7.49 -- Amazon offers a discount when you pay for an entire year at once. Because the Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students credits you up to $69, you should make sure that you choose the yearly payment option. If you choose the monthly payment option, the card will only cover nine months of service.
SEE MORE: Best Credit Cards for Amazon
Whether you're traveling internationally for months to study abroad or just a week for spring break, you won't need to pay any foreign transaction fees with this card.
SEE MORE: Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards
Most credit cards require that applicants have a Social Security number, and that makes it difficult for international students to open one.
One of the nice things about this Deserve card, when it was open to applications, is that you could apply without a Social Security number. Instead, you could provide a copy of your passport, your U.S. student visa, your most recent I-20 or DS-2019 form, and your most recent statements from your U.S. bank account.
Lemonade offers renters and homeowners insurance plans. You'll receive this credit after paying for three consecutive Lemonade insurance statements with the Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students.
Feather is a furniture rental service. If you sign up for a subscription with your card and enter the code DESERVE100, you'll get $100 off your first month. This service is only available in limited areas, and probably won't be in many students' budgets. But if you're interested in trying it out, the Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students will save you $100.
The Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students also had some notable drawbacks.
The biggest issue with this card at the moment is that you can't apply for it. Applications have been closed for months, and there's no indication of when the card will be available again.
At the end of each billing period, Deserve calculates your cash back and applies it to your bill as a statement credit in increments of $25. If you aren't up to $25 yet, your cash back amount will roll over to the next billing period.
It can be frustrating that Deserve is so rigid with its cash back redemptions, because you can't get what you've earned right away. Since this card earns 1% back, your first redemption won't happen until you've spent at least $2,500. Some credit card companies let you redeem cash back of any amount, and that's much more convenient for cardholders.
Many credit card companies provide your credit score, updated monthly, free of charge. This perk is especially nice to have for students who are building credit and want to see their progress. Although you can find free ways to check your credit online, it'd be easier if Deserve offered this service and you could view your score through your online credit card account.
The Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students doesn't offer any bonus categories where you'll earn extra cash back. It also doesn't have a sign-up bonus.
To be fair, this card is for students, and rewards aren't its focus. But some of the best student credit cards earn bonus rewards in select spending categories and/or offer sign-up bonuses.
READ MORE: Best Rewards Credit Cards
Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.
There is no minimum credit score requirement to get a Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students. Since this is a student credit card that's also available to international students, there's no credit history required, either.
The Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students was a great fit for students, especially international students who wanted to build credit. But since applications are paused right now, you'll need to look elsewhere for a credit card.
READ MORE: Expert Credit Card Reviews
At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.
The Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students offers credit limits of up to $5,000.
Yes, this card is only for students enrolled in a U.S. college or university. Deserve offers another credit card, the Deserve Pro, for non-students. However, neither card is open for applications at this time.
Yes, you can use the Deserve Edu Mastercard for Students internationally, and it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Mastercard.