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Discover it Student Cash Back vs Capital One Savor for Students

Not credit advice. Facts and math from issuer pages and the CFPB, each with its date. Offers change; approval depends on your credit. Verify on the issuer's site.

Rubric: Discover it Student Cash Back leads by 8.2 pts. Scores: Discover it Student Cash Back 69.6%, Capital One Savor for Students 61.4%.

At a sample $1,920/month (groceries $500, dining $300, gas $150, travel $150, online $200, other $400 …): Discover it Student Cash Back nets $230/yr, Capital One Savor for Students nets $430/yr after annual fees. Use your own numbers →

Criterion scores (0–10)

Annual feeBack: 10.0 · Students: 10.0
Rewards rateBack: 6.0 · Students: 5.0
Sign-up bonusBack: n/a · Students: 0.7
Intro 0% APRBack: 2.9 · Students: 0.0
Regular APRBack: 9.1 · Students: 7.3
Foreign transaction feeBack: 10.0 · Students: 10.0
Regulatory record (CFPB)Back: 10.0 · Students: 10.0

Discover it Student Cash Back

IssuerDiscover (Capital One)
Typestudent
Annual fee$0 discover.com, 2026-10-11
Regular purchase APR16.74%–25.74% variable discover.com, 2026-10-11
Rewards5% rotating quarterly categories (activation, quarterly max); 1% other; first-year Cashback Match discover.com, 2026-10-11
Sign-up bonus (≈$)not found discover.com, 2026-10-11
Intro APR6 months 0% intro APR 6 months on purchases discover.com, 2026-10-11
Foreign transaction feenone Pricing schedule (06/30/26) lists no foreign transaction fee discover.com, 2026-10-11
Penalty APRnone Discover agreement table: 'Penalty APR None' files.consumerfinance.gov, 2026-06-30
Late feeup to $41 up to; $0.00 for first occurrence; $30.00 if not charged a late fee within last six billing cycles; $41.00 otherwise files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Balance transfer fee3% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Cash advance fee5% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Credit neededNo credit score required to apply discover.com, 2026-10-11
Grace period25 days files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Cash advance APR29.24% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
CFPB survey APR (2025-12-31)16.49%–29.24% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31 older; issuer figure above is newer

Capital One Savor for Students

IssuerCapital One
Typestudent
Annual fee$0 capitalone.com, 2026-10-12
Regular purchase APR18.74%–28.74% variable capitalone.com, 2026-10-12
Rewards1% base; 3% dining; 3% groceries; 3% streaming capitalone.com, 2026-10-12
Sign-up bonus (≈$)$50 $50 after $100 in purchases within 3 months capitalone.com, 2026-10-12
Intro APRnone No intro APR shown capitalone.com, 2026-10-12
Foreign transaction feenone files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Penalty APRnone No penalty APR appears in the issuer's CFPB-filed agreement (only penalty fees are listed) consumerfinance.gov, 2026-06-30
Late feeup to $40 up to; Up to $29.00 for first late fee. files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Balance transfer feenot found files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Cash advance fee5% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Credit neededno credit score, ≤619, 620–719, 720+ (CFPB TCCP targeted tiers) files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Grace period25 days files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Cash advance APR29.24% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
CFPB survey APR (2025-12-31)18.74%–29.24% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31 older; issuer figure above is newer

Downsides

Discover it Student Cash Back69.6%
Discover (Capital One) · student
Annual fee $0APR 16.74%–25.74% variableRewards 5% rotating quarterly categories (activation, quarterly max); 1% other; first-year Cashback MatchCredit No credit score required to apply
⚠ Late fee up to $41 · Rotating 5% quarterly categories need activation and change each quarter; not modeled (we count the 1% base).
Capital One Savor for Students61.4%
Capital One · student
Annual fee $0APR 18.74%–28.74% variableRewards 1% base; 3% dining; 3% groceries; 3% streamingCredit no credit score, ≤619, 620–719, 720+ (CFPB TCCP targeted tiers)
⚠ APR up to 28.74% if you carry a balance · Late fee up to $40 · Grocery 3% excludes superstores like Walmart/Target per issuer terms.

No paid placement. No issuer pays VaultRubric for inclusion or rank; links go to the issuer's own page. Ranks come only from the published rubric below.

FAQ

Which is better, Discover it Student Cash Back or Capital One Savor for Students?

On VaultRubric's rubric: Discover it Student Cash Back scores higher. The better card for you depends on where you spend; the calculator shows net value for your spending.

Estimates, not financial advice. Taxes, insurance, PMI and fees vary by lender, county and city; confirm with your lender, dealer and state agency before acting.