Credit Cards That Can Help You Pay for College

“College is affordable,” said no one, ever. In 2021, the average cost of tuition and fees for one year at a public four-year institution was $9,400, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. For a private four-year institution, the average was a stomach-churning $37,600.

These numbers spur many of us into the college-saving equivalent of looking for spare change in our couch cushions, hoping to cobble together enough to cover the costs. One source that could help you cross the finish line: credit card rewards. 

In a nod to the ever-increasing cost of higher education, issuers have introduced several credit cards that help consumers defray the cost of college. Some of these cards funnel cash back into a 529 plan; others let you use rewards to pay down student loans.

We’ve rounded up some credit cards that can subsidize some college costs, but with one important caveat: Credit card rewards most likely won’t be enough alone. Rewards are a tool for padding a college savings account or supplementing a student loan payment, not a sustainable solution for funding several years’ worth of school. 

Barclays’ Upromise Mastercard incentivizes you to save for college by offering a higher rewards rate — a symbolic 1.529% — if you link your Upromise account to an eligible college savings plan. The cash-back rate drops to 1.25% if you haven’t done so. Fortunately, the list of qualifying college savings plans is pretty extensive. 

Once you accrue at least $50 in rewards, they will automatically be redeemed for cash back into your linked 529 plan during the first week of the month.

Like the Upromise Mastercard, the CollegeCounts 529 Rewards card offers a 1.529% rate on all purchases. Cash back is automatically deposited into your CollegeCounts 529 account once you’ve earned at least $50. Even though CollegeCounts 529 is Alabama’s state-sponsored plan, credit card applicants do not have to be Alabama residents to get the card and enroll in a CollegeCounts 529 plan.

All purchases made with the $0-annual fee Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card earn an excellent unlimited 2% back — but only if you redeem rewards into qualifying Fidelity accounts, including a Fidelity-managed 529 college savings plan account. (Other redemptions won’t get you as much value.) Rewards may be redeemed at any time, but you must have at least 2,500 points for a deposit into a 529 account.

The following Bank of America®-issued consumer credit cards allow cardholders to redeem rewards for credits to a qualifying 529 account, but it must be with Merrill, a Bank of America® company:

All of these Bank of America® credit cards have a $25 minimum for one-time redemptions to a 529 account. 

Points earned with the SoFi Credit Card can be redeemed, among other things, for cash that can be applied to the balance on a SoFi student loan refinance. That redemption option is one of the best, too. One SoFi Reward Point is worth 1 cent when redeemed for cash to pay down a SoFi loan balance but only 0.5 cent when redeemed for a statement credit. Reward Points may be redeemed at any time and for any amount. 

The SoFi Credit Card earns an unlimited 2% back with the potential to earn 3% throughout the first year of having the card. Cardholders can unlock the higher rate by setting up a direct deposit every month with a SoFi checking or savings account, neither of which charges a monthly fee. Cash back from the 3% promotion is capped at $360. 

Contrary to what the card’s name suggests, rewards earned with the Sallie Mae Accelerate credit card can be used to pay down any student loan, not just ones from Sallie Mae. 

The base rewards rate on the Sallie Mae Accelerate is 1.5%, but you’ll get a boost for redeeming rewards to pay a student loan. If you select that redemption option, Sallie Mae will increase the payment toward your student loan balance by 33⅓%. Say you redeem $50 in rewards to put toward your student loan balance. Sallie Mae will kick in an additional $16.67, bringing the total payment to $67.67. 

The minimum redemption amount is $25, and there is no cap on how much you can earn. 

The rewards structure of the Laurel Road Student Loan Cashback Credit Card mimics many of its peers: you’ll get 2% when you redeem rewards to pay a student loan and 1% for everything else. Public and private loans are eligible; check here for the list of student loan servicers that partner with the Laurel Road Cashback card. 

Where it stands out from the rest: its generous sign-up bonus. As of January 2023, cardholders can earn $300 to put toward a student loan after spending $3,000 within the first 90 days of account opening. (The amount drops to $150 if rewards are redeemed for a statement credit.) 

Flexible rewards redemption is another perk of the Laurel Road Student Loan Cashback Credit Card. Cash back can be redeemed at any time for as little as 1 cent.