College student credit cards can offer many advantages in addition to providing easy access to cash and credit. They enable you to earn cash back or rewards on your expenses. They also allow you to start building a good credit history, which will be a real plus later in life, when you are looking to take out loans to buy a car or a house.

The cash back or reward earnings on college student credit cards can vary from 1% to as high as 10% for different types of purchases. To compare credit cards, read through the terms and conditions to determine which card will give you the highest rewards on your most frequent expenses. Some college student credit cards even reward you points for maintaining a good GPA and paying on time.

Points can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, including a straight cash back, plane tickets, concert tickets, gift cards, and in some cases exclusive motive Rewards, like VIP passes to Spring Break, Studio Tours, and more. Again, to compare credit card offers, look for the card that offers the rewards that you find most exciting.

Most credit cards for students come with a 0% introductory interest rate for six months. Depending on the card, this rate may apply only to purchases, but in some cases, it also applies to balance transfers and cash advances. In short, if you will be using your card for cash advances or balance transfers in addition to purchases, look for a card that offers a 0% introductory rate on these services.

College student credit cards offer great advantages if you pay the balance in full every month. It is best, however, to avoid using your card as a supplemental student loan. Once the introductory rate expires, college student credit cards charge a fairly high APR, from 16.99% and up.

So, when you are in the market for a college student credit card, make sure you check out the promotions. Promotions let you take advantage of special deals that the card issuers promote up front. These credit card deals include bonus cash back, points redeemable for merchandise or cash, airline miles or travel promotions when you sign up for the card or after your first purchase. Browse the cards options and the different categories to find the most attractive promotions for you.

Some promotional options are:

• Cash and Cash Back Promotions
• Air miles and frequent flyer Promotions
• Reward Point Promotions
• Business Cards Promotions
• Hotel and Travel Promotions
• Student Cards with Promotions

These are just a few out of many.

With access to the internet, there are instant online decision, credit cards you will usually be notified within a minute after you apply of whether you have been approved or not. In some cases, you will be notified that more time is needed to evaluate your application. Good credit ratings are needed for instant approval.

There is also Prepaid Visa or master card (also known as stored value cards). These are pre-funded reload able cards. They require payment in advance to the card company, after which the cards can be used until the payment is depleted. The cards can be recharged to be used again. The cards can be used anywhere Visa or master card are accepted and at ATM’s worldwide.

There are fees associated with these cards so please read the fees and disclosures for each card when applying.