Q: Is there an American Express student credit card?

A: First of all, thanks for your message and compliments about the site Molly. Whether someone is a college student, a retiree, or at any stage in-between… an American Express credit card is always considered to be the cream of the crop. In fact, this isn’t the first message I’ve received asking about American Express for students.

Unfortunately, the company has very strict lending practices, so not everyone qualifies. This is especially true if you’re younger and have limited or no credit history. An American Express student credit card is hard, but not impossible to get. I’ll share with you the secrets of how I pulled it off when I was only eighteen and the best way to go about it in today’s tightened lending environment.

Why an American Express?
While it’s true American Express is a very prestigious card to carry, there are actual real reasons why they’re the best. First of all, saying they have outstanding benefits would be an understatement. There’s so many perks that come with their cards, many of their cardholders don’t even know about all of them!

For example, did you know that with AmEx charge cards, your purchases are protected for 90 days against theft or accidental damage? That’s right- if you buy something and it gets damaged a month later, or stolen, you’re covered for up to $1,000 per incident for free? There are many more benefits like free extended warranties and more… so many useful benefits you won’t get with any other credit card.

How I got an American Express credit card at the age of eighteen?
As soon as I turned eighteen I applied for a crappy credit card from my bank – it was some entry level Visa card with a $400 limit. The only reason I opened it up was because I knew I had to start somewhere. I would use it for a few months to establish a credit record and then apply for something better as soon as I got the chance. So I would put a couple purchases on it each month (always paying off the balance in full) and did that for about seven months. Then it was time to start applying for something better…

At the time, there wasn’t an American Express student credit card specifically, but their Blue card had just came out. It was an entry level credit card. I though it was still a bit too early to get approved for that, but I decided to apply and give it a shot… much to my surprise not only was I approved, but I was also given a $2,000 credit limit! That’s not too shabby for an eighteen year old that wasn’t even a college student yet.

After the credit crisis, is this still possible to do?
The Blue Card still exists, but my experience would never happen today. Back then the economy was flying high and practically a pulse was all that was needed to get credit. Today, getting an American Express student credit card is no longer easy to accomplish. However, I do have good news…

I applied right around the time the Blue card came onto the market. Although I have no proof of this, I suspect they were probably being more lenient on credit requirements since it was a new card (companies always try extra hard to make their new products a hit). So although that was years ago, coincidently there’s a similar scenario unfolding right now…

They just launched the Zync charge card a few weeks ago. Although it’s not specifically an American Express student card, it is a card that is geared towards younger individuals – their target demographic is for people in their 20’s. I also called up customer service to see if there is an income requirement (like other AmEx cards have) and there isn’t any official requirement on this one. Their age requirement is only eighteen. If there’s any AmEx you can get approved for, I would say this is definitely the best American Express for students such as yourself. Find out the details in my American Express Zync card review.