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Discover it Student Cash Back vs Chase Freedom Rise

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 18.1 pts. Scores: Discover it Student Cash Back 75.7%, Chase Freedom Rise 57.6%.

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, Chase Freedom Rise nets $346/yr after annual fees. Use your own numbers →

Criterion scores (0–10)

Annual feeBack: 10.0 · Rise: 10.0
Rewards rateBack: 6.0 · Rise: 6.0
Sign-up bonusBack: n/a · Rise: n/a
Intro 0% APRBack: 2.9 · Rise: 0.0
Regular APRBack: 9.1 · Rise: 6.3
Foreign transaction feeBack: 10.0 · Rise: 3.0
Regulatory record (CFPB)Back: 10.0 · Rise: 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

Chase Freedom Rise

IssuerChase
Typestudent
Annual fee$0 creditcards.chase.com, 2026-10-12
Regular purchase APR25.24% variable files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Rewards1.5% base creditcards.chase.com, 2026-10-12
Sign-up bonus (≈$)not found creditcards.chase.com, 2026-10-12
Intro APRnone No intro APR shown creditcards.chase.com, 2026-10-12
Foreign transaction fee3% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Penalty APRup to 29.99% Chase's CFPB-filed agreements list a penalty APR of 'up to 29.99%'; agreements are not labeled by product, so this is issuer-level consumerfinance.gov, 2026-06-30
Late feeup to $40 up to (first and repeat late fee) files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Balance transfer fee5% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Cash advance fee5% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Credit neededno credit score (CFPB TCCP targeted tiers) files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Grace period21 days files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31
Cash advance APR28.49% files.consumerfinance.gov, 2025-12-31

Downsides

Discover it Student Cash Back75.7%
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).
Chase Freedom Rise57.6%
Chase · student
Annual fee $0APR 25.24% variableRewards 1.5% baseCredit no credit score (CFPB TCCP targeted tiers)
⚠ 3% foreign transaction fee · Penalty APR up to 29.99% · Late fee up to $40

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 Chase Freedom Rise?

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.