Even without a regular income, students are eligible for credit cards.
The caveat is that unlike normal credit cards, these credit cards are specifically tailored to a student’s lifestyle. That means no minimum income requirement, low annual fees, and low spending limits to name a few.
But even if you’re only spending on things like food, fashion, and telco bills, you should still reap the benefits of cashback and rebates.
That’s why today we’ll be sharing our top 8 picks for student credit cards that will suit your specific spending profile.
| Card | Min. Age | Annual Fees | Perks | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 DBS Live Fresh Student Card | 21 | $192.60, waived for the first 5 years | High cashback rate for student-friendly brands | |
 CIMB AWSM | 18 | None for life! | Cashback on telco bills | |
 Maybank eVibes Card | 18 | $20, waived for the first 2 years | Unlimited cashback with no minimum spend | |
 Citi Clear Card | 18 | $29.96, waived for the first year | Access to Citi’s deals and discounts globally | |
 Diners Club/Sheng Siong Cobrand Card | 18 | $28, waived for the first year | 2% rebate at all Sheng Siong outlets | |
 OCBC Frank Debit Card | 16 | None | All-in-one card with cashback | |
 Diners Club/Don Don Donki Cobrand Credit Card | 18 | $28, waived for the first year | 2% rebate at Don Don Donki | |
 BOC Qoo10 Platinum Mastercard | 18 | $32.10 | High rebate rates, especially for public transport and Qoo10 |
Best for Entertainment: DBS Live Fresh Student Card
DBS Live Fresh Student Card
Most students have a few items in common on their list of expenses: Spotify, Netflix, online games, and studying at Starbucks for example. With that, the DBS Live Fresh Student Card is a great fit.
This card grants a 5% cashback on all our favourite brands, like McDonald’s & McDelivery, Starbucks, and even Golden Village. If you’re eco-conscious, there’s even an extra 5% green cashback when you spend at any participating eco-friendly merchants (e.g. BlueSG, Scoop Wholefoods, and Bettr Barista).
Any spending outside of the participating merchants will get a 0.3% cashback.
There is, of course, a catch to the high cashback rate. The maximum cashback you can earn is capped at S$50 per month, which isn’t too bad for a student-level credit card.
Eligibility & Fees:
- Age: 21-27 years old
- Income: No minimum required
- Eligibility:
- Be a Singaporean citizen/PR
- Be a registered student in NTU, NUS, SMU, SIM, SUTD, SIT, SUSS, NYP, NP, TP, SP, or RP
- Not have any existing DBS/POSB credit cards
- Credit limit: S$500
- Annual Fees: S$194.40, waived for the first 5 years
Cons:
- Low spending limit means it’s not suitable for big purchases (e.g. a new laptop)
- Lacks travel and overseas spending rewards
Best for Being Widely Accepted Within SEA: CIMB AWSM Card
CIMB AWSM Card
This card offers you unlimited 1% cashback on dining, entertainment, online shopping, and ‘all things’ telco with no minimum spend required. You can even take advantage of the cashback during weekend trips to JB or Batam.
The CIMB card also offers users over 1,000 deals across dining, retail, and lifestyle outlets across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. That makes this card especially suitable for people who like to dine out and shop online.
The card also gives you cashback on your telco bills, which is an added bonus — as there are certain cards that exclude these recurring charges from cashback eligibility.
Eligibility & Fees:
- Age: 18-29 years old
- Income: No minimum required for students
- Eligibility:
- Be a Singaporean citizen/PR
- Applicants must not be an existing CIMB credit card member
- Credit limit: S$500
- Annual Fees: No annual fees for life!
Cons:
- Flat 1% cashback with a $500 credit limit means you only get $5 cashback at most
- No cash back on groceries, petrol, utilities, and offline retail spending
Best for Overall Cashback: Maybank eVibes Card
Maybank eVibes Card
Often touted as the best student credit card, the Maybank eVibes Card gives you 1% cash rebate on anything you buy with no minimum spending requirements. There’s also no cap on the cashback on top of the myriad of deals and discounts for travel, dining, entertainment and online shopping.
In addition, there are tons of fringe benefits with this card — like 7% off Agoda bookings and compatibility with Samsung Pay.
Eligibility & Fees:
- Age: 18-30 years old
- Income: No minimum required for students
- Eligibility:
- Be a Singaporean citizen/PR
- Must be existing tertiary students or National Service Full-time (NSF) men accepted to these institutions: Lasalle, NAFA, NIE, NP, NTU, NUS, NYP, RP, SIT, SMU, SP, SUSS, SUTD & TP
- Applicants must not be an existing Maybank cardholder or CreditAble customer
- Applicants must not be earning S$30,000 or above per year
- Credit limit: S$500
- Annual Fees: S$20, waived for the first 2 years. Subsequent fees will be waived when you charge to your card at least once every 3 months.
Cons:
- Takes a few days to pay off your credit card bill if you don’t have an existing account with Maybank
Best for Dining Out: Citi Clear Card
Citi Clear Card
If you’re constantly dreaming about exploring new food places and cuisines, this is the card for you! The main perk of this card is that you get access to Citibank’s discounts and promotions globally — including exclusive dining offers at selected restaurants and seasonal promotions on online shopping, e-commerce, and food delivery services.
You also get 1 reward point for every dollar spent, but it takes quite a bit for the reward points to amount to anything.
Eligibility & Fees:
- Age: 18 & above
- Income: No minimum required for students
- Eligibility:
- Be a Singaporean citizen/PR
- Applicants below the age of 21 must get their parent’s/guardian’s consent and guarantee for the payment of outstanding balances
- You must be a student from any local polytechnic, university, or any of the following institutions: University of Chicago Booth School of Business, DigiPen, ESSEC, GIST-TUM Asia, INSEAD, S P Jain, Tisch, UNLV, LASALLE-SIA, NAFA, EDHEC-Risk Institute, and Sorbonne-Assas International Law School
- You must not be an existing Citi primary cardholder (supplementary card members are eligible)
- Credit limit: S$500
- Annual Fees: S$30.24, waived for the first year
Cons:
- Key spending categories such as bills, school fees, and transport are not eligible to earn points
- Given that it’s an entry-level card, the reward points you accumulate aren’t enough to do anything
Best for Groceries: Diners Club/Sheng Siong Cobrand S$500 Limit Credit Card
Sheng Siong Diners Club Card
Looking forward to stocking up on snacks for your next study session? This card has got you covered with a 2% rebate at all Sheng Siong outlets.
Outside of Sheng Siong, you can earn Club Rewards Points when you spend. These points can get you free gifts along with shopping & dining vouchers (S$1=1point). If that’s not enough, you can also earn air miles for your future travels with this card under their KrisFlyer and SkyMiles Frequent Flyer programme.
Eligibility & Fees:
- Age: 18-65 years old
- Income: No minimum required for students
- Eligibility:
- Be a Singaporean citizen/PR
- Applicants must be full-time students in an educational institution within Singapore
- Applicants under 21 require parental/guardian consent
- You must not be an existing Diners Club Basic Cardholder
- Credit limit: S$500
- Annual Fees: S$28, waived for the first year
Cons:
- Diners Club cards are not as widely accepted
Best for Online Shopping: OCBC Frank Debit Card
OCBC Frank Debit Card
While not a credit card, it makes the list because of the convenience it offers. The OCBC Frank Debit Card is an all-in-one card to be used as your ATM, transport, and debit card to earn an unlimited 1% cashback with select merchants, such as:
- Fast food (online or in-store orders)
- ASOS
- Lazada
- Fairprice Online
- ZALORA
- Grab
The Frank Debit Card is popular amongst students today because it shows you personalised money insights via the OCBC Mobile Banking app. This 24/7 mobile accountant shows you where your money goes each month and is especially convenient to track your financial goals.
Eligibility & Fees:
- Age: 16 & above
- Income: No initial deposit required
- Eligibility:
- Be a Singaporean citizen/PR or foreigner with 6 months’ validity on your passport and an Employment Pass, Special Pass or Student Pass
- Annual fees: S$0
Cons:
- Requires a minimum spending of S$400 a month to enjoy the cashback
- Spending on prepaid or stored value cards (e.g. Ezlink) doesn’t count towards the S$400 minimum
Best for the Avid Don Don Donki Fan: Diners Club/Don Don Donki Cobrand S$500 Limit Credit Card
Diners Club/Don Don Donki Cobrand S$500 Limit Credit Card
Loitered in Don Don Donki so long that you find yourself able to recite their theme song by heart? You might want to consider this card. It entitles you to a 2% rebate on your Don Don Donki purchases at any outlet, capped at S$500 each month.
Other Diners Club privileges that come with this card includes earning air miles, club rewards points for vouchers, and access to airport lounges in major cities worldwide, among many others.
Eligibility & Fees:
- Age: 18-65 years old
- Income: No minimum required for students
- Eligibility:
- Be a Singaporean citizen/PR
- Applicants must be full-time students in an educational institution within Singapore
- Applicants under 21 require parental/guardian consent
- You must not be an existing Diners Club Basic Cardholder
- Credit limit: S$500
- Annual Fees: S$180, waived for the first year
Cons:
- Diners Club cards are not as widely accepted
Best for Qoo10 Shopping: BOC Qoo10 Platinum Mastercard
BOC Qoo10 Platinum Mastercard
This co-branded card is the first online shopping card in Singapore specially designed for students. If you’re an avid Qoo10 shopper, you may have come across this card that provides shoppers with rebates in the form of Qmoney (Qoo10 credit).
This comes with a minimum spending requirement of S$200 to be eligible for the attractive cash back – 10% Qmoney rebate on public transport, 3% on Qoo10 spend, 3% on select categories like transport and fast food, and 0.3% on all other spending.
Eligibility & Fees:
- Age: 18 & above
- Income: No minimum required for students
- Eligibility: Anyone who meets the age requirements can apply
- Credit limit: S$500
- Annual Fees: S$32.40, waived for the first year
Cons:
- Cashback comes in the form of Qoo10 credits, not actual cash
- Maximum cash back of S$30 per month
- Need to spend at least S$200 a month to qualify for the rebates
The idea of maximising every dollar you spend with rebates, cashback, and miles is very attractive. However, it’s important to remember to manage your budget well and spend within your means while saving for your financial goals.
Not every credit card gives you the cashback instantly, and each usually has its own spending requirements to trigger the rewards. Given that payment methods are now so seamless and convenient, there’s a higher tendency to overspend. That’s why keeping track of your expenses becomes even more important when you get a credit card.