Pros
- 1% cash back on all purchases
- 0.25% rewards bonus for paying on time
- No annual fee
- Possible credit-line increase after first five on-time payments
Cons
- No reduced introductory interest rates
- Above-average regular APR
Capital One Journey Card Review Summary
Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is a good credit card for college students because it has a $0 annual fee and rewards users with 1% cash back on purchases. The Capital One Journey Card is definitely worth it because its rewards rate jumps to 1.25% cash back when you pay the monthly bill on time. That is a great incentive to adopt responsible habits, which will in turn help you build credit, since account information is reported to the major credit bureaus monthly.
In other words, a Capital One Journey Card in the right hands can work wonders on your credit standing while also leaving you with a bit more money in your pocket. Plus, all you really need to qualify is an active college or university email address and the income or assets necessary to demonstrate your ability to make monthly payments. This card is open to beginners with no credit history.
Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
- Earn 1% cash back on all your purchases. Pay on time to boost your cash back to a total of 1.25% for that month
- Earn up to $500 a year by referring friends and family when they're approved for a Capital One credit card
- Pay for Amazon.com purchases using your Capital One rewards
Rewards Details
- Earn 1% cash back on all your purchases. Pay on time to boost your cash back to a total of 1.25% for that month
- Earn up to $500 a year by referring friends and family when they're approved for a Capital One credit card
- Pay for Amazon.com purchases using your Capital One rewards
Additional Info
- The Journey Student Rewards from Capital One is no longer available through WalletHub.com but may be available on the Capital One website. Info about the card has been collected by us, the financial institution did not provide the details.
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Enjoy no annual fee, foreign transaction fees, or hidden fees
- Lock your card in the Capital One Mobile app if it's misplaced, lost or stolen
- Pick the monthly due date that works best for you
- Pay for online purchases with virtual card numbers and keep your actual card number to yourself
- Get notified via text, email, and phone if Capital One notices potential suspicious transactions on your account
- Build your credit with responsible card use
- More Details & Reviews About Journey Student Rewards from Capital One
Capital One Journey Card Highlights
Up To 1.25% Cash Back On All Purchases
Journey is both rewarding and instructive, supplementing its 1% cash-back base earning rate with a 0.25% bonus on amounts earned during months that you pay your bill on time. This gives you something tangible to strive for while taking the very steps needed to improve your credit standing, especially since earnings can be redeemed at any time and do not expire.
Often, financially unproven college students don’t qualify for such attractive terms. After all, 1.25% is actually above the market average for a cash-back credit card, according to WalletHub’s latest Credit Card Landscape Report. But credit-card companies compete over college students’ business in light of graduates’ above-average earning potential and decades of forthcoming financial needs. So if you have what the issuers want, you might as well take advantage of it.
No Annual Fee
Your first priority in finding your first credit card as a college student should be to rule out offers that charge annual fees. There are simply too many attractive fee-free offers to warrant paying. Besides, funds tend to be tight when you’re in school, so it’s better to save where you can.
The Journey Student Rewards Card enables you to do just that by not charging an annual fee. This allows its rewards to truly shine and even gives you the freedom to make purchases sparingly if you so choose. As long as you pay your bill in full whenever you do spend, your credit will improve either way, especially if you maintain reasonable credit utilization.
Possible Higher Limit After Six Months
After 6 months, Capital One will consider you for “a higher credit line”. Whether that means you’re guaranteed a boost or merely eligible for one remains to be seen.
Capital One Journey Card Lowlights
Above-Average Regular APR
The average new credit card offer has a 22.89% regular APR, whereas the average student credit card charges 19.73%. The Journey Student Rewards Card, however, has a higher regular APR - 29.99% (V) - than both as well as the average secured card’s rate of 22.83%. Such a steep cost underscores Journey’s status as a rewards card for people who always pay their monthly credit-card bill in full.
No Reduced Introductory Interest Rates
Extended 0% introductory financing offers generally are available only to people with above-average credit, particularly those with “excellent” scores. However, students sometimes get a sneak peek at such deals, with a limited number of cards offering 0% financing for six months or so on new purchases, balance transfers or both. Such an opportunity won’t come from Journey Student Rewards, though. There are no 0% rates to be found in the offer, just a high regular APR.
Other Things To Consider About the Capital One Journey Card
No Foreign-Transaction Fees
It would be a shame if the Journey Card charged for journeys abroad, so it’s a good thing that it doesn’t. None of Capital One’s credit cards do. That means you can make purchases abroad or from foreign-based merchants without incurring the 1.56% surcharge assessed by the average credit card.
No Balance-Transfer Fee
Although Journey doesn’t offer a low intro rate and the $0 transfer fee applies only for balances transferred at the card's regular transfer APR, you can transfer any common type of consumer debt, including auto- and student-loan balances, to a Capital One credit card. So if you’re currently paying interest at a rate above 29.99% (V), there won’t be a fee to hold you back from making a balance transfer.
Capital One Journey Card vs. the Competition
annual fee$0 | annual fee$0 | annual fee$0 |
rewards rate
| rewards rate
| rewards rate
|
bonus offer N/A | bonus offer $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. | bonus offer N/A |
Purchase Intro APRN/A | Purchase Intro APR0% for 15 billing cycles | Purchase Intro APR0% for 6 months |
transfer intro aprN/A | transfer intro apr0% for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days Transfer Fee: 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4% | transfer intro apr10.99% for 6 months Transfer Fee: 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)* |
Regular APR29.99% (V) | Regular APR18.24% - 28.24% Variable | Regular APR18.24% - 27.24% Variable |
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Journey Student Rewards from Capital One Review Methodology
This Journey Student Rewards from Capital One review is based on WalletHub’s proprietary 100-point credit card rating system. By using a consistent methodology to evaluate the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One and all other cards, WalletHub’s credit card experts make it easy for people to compare their options and find the best credit cards for their needs.
The WalletHub rating system uses 16 key metrics grouped into seven categories: Fees, Rewards, Two-year Cost, Interest Rates, Approval Requirements, Special Features, and Reviews. Each metric has a maximum number of points allocated to it, based on the metric’s importance as determined by our editors. The points are added up to create an overall rating for the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One out of a maximum of 100 points, which is then converted to a 5-point scale.
Ratings for each category reflect how close Capital One Journey is to WalletHub’s definition of a 5-star credit card, which is based on market conditions and what we believe are reasonable terms. We compare Capital One Journey to that standard to give a numerical approximation of how reasonable and competitive its terms are compared to other cards.
To learn more about how WalletHub rates credit card offers, check out our full credit card review methodology.
Ask the Experts
To gain more insight about Capital One Journey Students Rewards, WalletHub posed the following questions to a panel of experts. Click on the experts below to view their bios and answers.
1. How important is it for a student credit card to offer a feature like Capital One Journey’s rewards bonus for on-time bill payments?
2. How important is it for student credit cards to have no annual fees and no foreign transaction fees?
3. Which is better for students interested in a credit card: a flat rewards rate on all purchases or rotating bonus categories?
WalletHub experts are widely quoted. Contact our media team to schedule an interview.