In the past, student credit cards have come under fire. Consider that many college kids are leaving home for the first time and suddenly find themselves living by themselves or with roommates, away from mom and dad’s watchful eyes, in a new city – quite often a new state – and with this newfound freedom their expression thereof sometimes seems to run away with them. A student credit card in the hands of such a young adult tasting freedom for the first time can quickly become a boat anchor of debt which threatens to choke the fun of the college experience. Sure, there are now even high school student credit cards which may shift this process even into the early teen years, but by and large the free student credit cards which are available with just a few strokes of the pen have gotten a bad reputation indeed.

Yet is a student visa credit card always such a bad idea? Interestingly, the experts disagree but the gist of the arguments that neither side can deny is the fact that college student credit cards – if used properly – are a great way of building credit, learning to use credit, and also a safe method of providing a little safety net if the part time job falls through and the refrigerator is empty. The best student credit cards will charge no fees, have low credit limits, and also offer low interest rates. Additionally, student credit cards should not raise the credit limit too often, but instead allow the account to grow commensurate with the student’s ability to show that she or he can handle credit responsibly.

Detractors of these student credit cards claim that it is not the issuer’s responsibility to safeguard the young consumers and thus student credit cards should be treated like any other credit card. While this most certainly would make doing business easier on those who issue these cards to the student, credit cards that are specifically marketed toward young adults and older teens should also take on some of the responsibility. Thus, a credit card for your college student may be a good if you have taught her or him frugality, the proper use of credit, and also the ability to come to you for help if things get out of hand with his or her college student credit card.

There are a host of different cards available: there are the Visa student credit cards, the Citi student credit card, and also the Discover student credit card. Yet with the large amount of student credit card debt that is on the rise, the best student credit card is probably only as good as the person in whose wallet it is kept. If you are ready to sign up for a college student credit card offer, read the fine print, understand the contract, and do not charge anything that you cannot afford!