"Nothing can be compared to the joy of financial independence" Said by Tung from Tiendayvi.com. When you are financially independent, you have enough income to pay for your living expenses without depending on someone else. Tien Day Vi is a new Vietnamese financial startup that is trying to solve personal finance problems like short term cash lending, Credit Cards offers.
The sad news is that not everyone attains financial independence. Attaining financial independence is not an event. It is a process that requires discipline and commitment over a long time. Without discipline and dedication, financial independence is beyond your reach.
One way to train yourself to be financially disciplined from a teenage age is to get a student credit card. Access to a credit card also helps a student build a credit history and a good credit score.
What is a credit card? What is a student credit card? What are the best credit cards for students? You've landed at the right place. Stick with us till the end.
A credit card is a pocket-sized rectangular piece of laminated plastic. They are issued by financial institutions to allow you to purchase goods and pay for services by borrowing money up to a pre-determined limit.
Credit cards are issued with the condition that the cardholder will pay back the borrowed money, plus any applicable interest. The cardholder is also obliged to pay any agreed-upon additional charges as and when they fall due. Like most loans, the amount you pay increases depending on how long you take to pay the loan.
Each cardholder has a credit limit. A credit limit is the maximum amount of money you can borrow. The credit limit is set by the issuing company depending on a cardholder's credit history and credit score. Cardholders with a good credit history and a higher credit score will enjoy a higher credit limit. A bad credit history and low credit score will greatly hurt your credit limit.
How do credit cards work? A credit card can only be used where the service merchant accepts credit cards as a way of payment. Depending on the design, a credit card can either be tapped or swiped over a merchant's credit card reader. For online purchases, you have to manually input the card numbers on the seller's platform.
Swiping or tapping your card initiates a series of communication between the retailer, the card issuer, and the payment network. The retailer sends your card information to the payment network and a message to the card issuer, asking for authorization. The card issuer checks to be sure that you are still within your credit limit. If you are within your limit, the card issuer will give the authorization.
Many students are yet to build up a good credit history. They are therefore not eligible for standard credit cards. Student credit cards are designed to serve these students.
Student credit cards work the same way as standard credit cards. The major difference is that student credit cards have a lower credit limit. Due to the high risk of non-payment, these cards charge a higher interest than standard credit cards.
Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of student credit cards.
Below is a checklist of some of the things you should consider when applying for a credit card.
What are the requirements for applying for a student credit card? Student credit cards don't require that you have a good credit history or credit score to be eligible to apply. However, some proof of financial experience and responsibility is required.
How do you tell that a student credit card is good? The definition of good is vague. Generally, a good student credit card will have the following features:
Based on the above criterion, the following emerged as the best student credit cards:
This student credit card is widely praised for its lenient terms for first-time credit cardholders. It boasts of good cashback and loyalty reward programs. The card does not have an exorbitant penalty Annual Percentage Rate.
Offered by MasterCard, this student credit card prides itself as an alternative to commercial banks and credit card issuers. This card offers a 1% cashback on all purchases. Additionally, it has a comparatively lower late payment fee. To sum it up, it has a flat APR.