MoneyGeek’s Take

Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students Review

Students looking for a credit card with no annual fee or international transaction fees can benefit significantly from the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students. It also offers 1% cash back rewards on every purchase.

Advertising & Editorial DisclosureLast Updated: 11/9/2022
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Last Updated: 11/9/2022

The Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students is primarily meant for students with a limited credit history. Usually, people with bad credit scores would have to put down a security deposit or have a co-signer to get approved for a credit card. However, this isn't the case with this unsecured card.

Since you don’t need a Social Security number to apply for this card, it is an excellent option for international students in the U.S.

Card Details to Know Up Front
  • Bonus, Fee or Feature
    Has or Not
  • Has Annual Fee
  • Has Balance Transfer Offer
  • Has APR Offer
  • Cash Back Rewards
  • Travel Rewards
Click to see this card’s rates, fees and how they compare to other cards in our dataset.
OUR REVIEW AT A GLANCE

Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students at a Glance

With the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students, you earn a 1% cash back reward on every type of purchase. You can also get Amazon Prime Student free for one year after you’ve spent $500 in the first three billing cycles.

By referring this card to a friend, you can both earn a bonus of $30 once the friend signs up and uses the card.


  • Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students

    Best student cash back card for limited credit history

    • None-PoorRecommended Credit
    • $0Annual Fee
    • 1% Cash BackRewards Rate
    • 1xRewards Rate on Online Shopping
    • 1xRewards Rate on Groceries

    Terms, rates and fees apply

    Compare this credit card with other student credit cards.

Pros & Cons Explained

The pros and cons of Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students will help you decide if this card is the right option for you.

Pros

  • Benefits
    Description
  • No foreign transaction fee
    This card has no foreign transaction fees, making it an outstanding option while traveling internationally.
  • No security deposit
    Credit cards for people with limited credit history usually require a security deposit to get approved; however, that is not the case with this card.
  • No SSN requirement
    International students in the U.S. don’t have a Social Security number. The lack of an SSN requirement makes this a solid choice for foreign students studying abroad in America.

Cons

  • Drawbacks
    Description
  • High APR
    The variable regular APR of this card is 18.74%, which is pretty high compared to some competing cards. With this APR, you’ll accrue a lot of interest on your balance if you don’t pay it off every month.
  • Low cash back reward rate
    With this card, you get a 1% cash back reward on all purchases. Many other cards offer a much better cash back reward rate.
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LOOKING FOR THE BEST CREDIT CARDS OF 2022?

MoneyGeek features the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students in the Best Student Credit Cards of 2022. You can compare the features of other cards on the list to see if you can get a card with better rewards programs.

Bonuses & Rewards Explained

Understanding the bonus and rewards structures of this card will help make your decision-making process easier.

1

Free Amazon Prime Student

After spending $500 in three billing cycles, you’ll get an Amazon Prime Student membership (worth $59) free for a whole year.

2

Rental car insurance

With this card, you’ll be covered if your rental car is lost or stolen. However, it only covers property damage liability, not bodily injury liability.

3

Cell phone protection

By paying your cell phone bill with this card, you’ll have free coverage for cell phone fraud and theft

Other Features Explained

The Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students also offers some other features for their customers.

  • Card Feature
    Description
  • Zero fraud liability
    In case your card is lost or stolen, you won’t be liable for any unauthorized transactions that take place.
  • Mastercard ID Theft Protection
    With this feature, your card will be monitored for any suspicious activity and you’ll be immediately notified if any fraudulent activity occurs.
  • Easy pre-qualification
    You can pre-qualify for this card without affecting your credit score.
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MONEYGEEK EXPERT TIP

This is a great credit card to help build your credit while you’re a student. You can automate payments (which can be set to the minimum payment) to be sure you’re always on time. You’ll increase your credit score in no time.

Understanding the Fine Print

You’ll have a clear picture in your mind about the various fees associated with the Deserve EDU Mastercard for students after reading the fine print of this card. With a relatively high APR and low cash back rate, this card doesn’t excel in these areas like some competing cards.

  • Card Feature
    Amount or Rate
  • APR
    21.74%
  • Annual Fee
    $0
  • Cash Back Rewards
  • Rewards Rate
    1% Cash Back
  • Airline Benefits
  • This is an icon

    Regular APR

    This card charges a high variable regular APR of 18.74%, a much higher rate than you’ll find with some other cards. This means that to avoid a lot of interest on your balance, you should pay it off in full every month.

  • This is an icon

    Cash back Rewards Rate

    With this card, you’ll get a flat cash back reward of 1% on every type of purchase. It’s certainly better than nothing, but many other cards offer higher rates and/or bonus categories that help you accrue rewards faster.

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WHERE TO FIND THIS INFORMATION?

You can find the above information on your card issuer’s website, mobile app, your latest billing statement or the credit card agreement database maintained by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Who Should & Shouldn’t Consider Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students?

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Other Considerations for Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students

Depending on your history with credit cards, you should keep the following things in mind to use your card in a better way.

Things to Consider if This Will Be Your First or Only Credit Card

The variable regular APR of this card is 18.74%, which is pretty high compared to the average variable APR. With this card, you should be making your monthly payments before the due date and pay the balance in full. Otherwise, you’ll incur a large amount of interest on your balance.

Things to Consider if This Will Be an Additional Card in Your Wallet

If this will be one of several cards in your wallet, you’ll likely lean on it for international purchases thanks to its lack of transaction fees. The $0 annual fee is another aspect that makes this card a good option for someone who has other credit cards. However, you may prefer using your other cards for everyday purchases if those cards offer a better reward rate.

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WHY TRUST OUR REVIEWS

MoneyGeek’s methodology for this review involves collecting credit card information, standardizing data points, analyzing potential cardholder profiles, considering annual and introductory bonuses, establishing the card values and reviewing data monthly to reprocess rankings.

How Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students Compares to Other Cards

The Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students compares well with other cards in the same category because very few cards meant for students have a $0 annual fee and no fee for international transactions.

In-Depth Credit Card Comparisons:
Quick Comparison of Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students
creditCard

Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students

  • Purchase APR: 18.74%
  • Annual fee: $0
  • International transactions fee: None
  • Cash back rate: 1%
  • Best for: international students without an SSN and frequent travelers
creditCard1

Chase Freedom® Student credit card

  • Purchase APR: 14.99%
  • Annual fee: $0
  • International transactions fee: 3%
  • Cash back rate: 1%
  • Best for: Students with no credit history looking for an easy cash back rewards program

Other Helpful Decision-Making Q&As

The following frequently asked questions can clear any confusions you might have about the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students.

Still not sure about this card? Consider these options.

You can look over other options in the same category if you’re still not sure about getting the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students.

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*Rates, fees or bonuses may vary or include specific stipulations. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting/last updated date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. We recommend visiting the card issuer’s website for the most up-to-date information available.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses and recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity.
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