Still not sure about getting your first credit card? College is a great time to start building your credit. Lenders will use credit to judge your financial responsibility when applying for student loans, bank accounts, or the first car you purchase on your own. Finding the best card is important. So here’s what you should know about Deserve credit cards.

What is Deserve®?

Deserve is a credit card company built to help people develop a strong foundation of credit. Perfect for college students! Unlike other credit card companies, Deserve doesn’t accept cosigners. This means that as long as you’re 18, you can make an application on your own and, if approved, you have independent control of your credit card account. Deserve doesn’t require a credit history or even US citizenship. Instead, Deserve looks at your current financial standing and financial habits to determine your approval.

Deserve offers students the EDU* Mastercard.

EDU

The EDU card is for all students – US citizens and international students alike. The EDU card has a $0 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and no deposit required. It also comes with an 18.74% variable APR and some outstanding rewards and perks. You get 1% cash back¹ on all your purchases and a year membership of Amazon Prime Student on Deserve.²

If you’re an international student, you don’t even need a social security number to apply. Just have proof of a US bank account, your passport, student visa, and I-20 form.

Benefits

Both cards give you Mastercard cardholder perks, along with the other exclusive benefits listed above per card. The Deserve Mastercard perks include:

• Earn 1% Cash Back on all purchases with your Deserve EDU Mastercard. Once approved, you’ll automatically start earning cash back on all purchases
• No deposit required. No annual fees
• No international transaction fees on purchases abroad so you can travel with confidence
• No Social Security Number required for international students to apply
• Cellphone lost/stolen/damage insurance³
• Mastercard Platinum Benefits like Mastercard ID Theft Preventionâ„¢ and Master Rental®
• Unlimited referral bonuses when a friend signs up and is approved using your personal referral code
• Manage and track your spending, set automatic payments, and securely freeze your card all through one easy to use app

The Application Process:

The application process is simple. If you aren’t sure what credit card is right for you, Deserve has a quick questionnaire to help you decide. There are four parts:

1. Are you a student in the US, student from abroad, a working professional, or building your credit?
2. Your basic information, including legal name, date of birth, email, and social security number. If you’re an international student and don’t have a social security number, you can still apply for a Deserve EDU Mastercard.
3. Your permanent address.
4. Whether you rent or own a house, monthly rent or mortgage, and monthly income before tax.

Deserve processes your information and suggests which card(s) are best suited for you. You’ll find out if you prequalify in minutes with no impact to your credit score. When you decide on one, you go to an application that asks for your financial information, school if you’re a student, and your employment status.

Should you get a Deserve credit card?

If you’re a college student or someone who wants to build credit, Deserve may be a perfect option for you. Of course, do your homework and research all your options before selecting which credit card is right for you! 

Disclaimers:

* Review Cardholder Agreement Terms and Conditions for comprehensive information on Deserve Mastercards.

¹ All cash back rewards are issued as statement credits, and are automatically applied to your statement in increments of $25. Purchases do not include items returned for credit, or interest and account fees.

²To qualify and receive the rebated fee, you must first make Purchases totaling $500 or more within the first three statements after card issuance. “Purchases” do not include travelers’ checks, foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers or similar cash-like transactions, lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, race track wagers or similar betting transactions, returned merchandise or refunds, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, and fees of any kind.) If you enroll with Amazon Prime Student, attain and pay for such service with your Deserve EDU card following the 3-statement post account opening qualification period, we will reimburse your Amazon Prime Student subscription fees as a benefit of being a Deserve EDU Mastercard cardholder. Each eligible Deserve EDU Mastercard cardholder may redeem this benefit for a lifetime maximum reimbursement of $59.

If you elect to pay for Amazon Prime Student on a monthly basis (currently $6.49 per month), our payment/reimbursements will appear on your account statements for 9 months after the completion of the 6-month no-cost trial period when Amazon bills your credit card account, until you reach a total reimbursement of $58.41, provided that your Deserve Mastercard account remains in good standing during the 9-month period.

If you elect to pay the Amazon Prime Student annual fee (currently $59), our payment/reimbursement for $59 will appear on your account after the completion of the 6-month free period when Amazon bills your Deserve Mastercard account, provided that your account is eligible and in good standing at that time.

Deserve is not affiliated with Amazon and Amazon does not warrant this offer. Any questions about the offer should be directed to Deserve, Inc. Any questions about Amazon Prime services should be directed to Amazon.

³ Coverage provided under a group insurance policy issued by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG company. Policy provides secondary coverage only. The $600 benefit amount applies to each claim, and is subject to a $50 co-pay per claim. Protection applies to up to 3 phones, the primary line and up to the first two secondary lines on the covered phone bill. $1,000 maximum claim benefit per 12 months.

Subject to limitations and exclusions. See terms and conditions for complete details.

Deserve is a trademark of Deserve, Inc. All Deserve credit cards are issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah-chartered Industrial Bank, Member FDIC.