6 best student travel credit cards in the UK

Have an overseas trip planned? Perhaps you’re going backpacking or interrailing over the summer, or are heading off on a global gap year adventure.

As a student, your travel budget is likely to be tight. A credit card could potentially lighten the load, letting you pay off your holiday spending over time rather than all at once. But are there any good student travel credit cards in the UK?

Find out here in our essential guide, where we’ll walk you through some of the best credit cards for travel spending that may accept applications from students.

And if you’re looking to save money when spending abroad, check out the Wise card. It’s not a travel credit card but an international debit card linked to your Wise account. You can use it for spending in 150+ countries, automatically converting your pounds to the local currency at the great mid-market exchange rate, only adding a tiny, transparent conversion fee*.

Learn more about the Wise card 💳

Table of contents
Can students get travel credit cards? 6 of the best student travel credit cards in the UK HSBC Student Credit Card TSB Student Credit Card NatWest Credit Card Virgin Money Everyday Cashback Credit Card Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card Zopa Credit Card Get the Wise card for international spending and cash withdrawals

Can students get travel credit cards?

You may find it tricky to get a credit card as a student, as you aren’t in full-time employment so may not pass provider’s affordability checks.

You’ll have a much better chance of acceptance if you already have a student current account with the bank, and you have regular income in the form of a part-time job (student loans aren’t usually counted as income).

Many of the best travel-friendly credit cards either have high monthly/annual fees, or require applicants to have a certain level of income - that students are unlikely to have. Some state outright that they don’t accept applications from students.

All of that being said, there are some travel credit cards that do fit the bill - we’ll explore all of your options below.

6 of the best student travel credit cards in the UK

Here’s a quick at-a-glance comparison of the best student credit cards available right now, we’ll dive into more detail on each below.

Credit card	Fee	Interest rate (APR)	Use abroad?	Eligibility
HSBC Student Credit Card¹	£0	18.9%	Yes - fees apply	HSBC student account holders
TSB Student Credit Card²	£0	21.9%	Yes - fees apply	- TSB student account holders - Regular income
NatWest Credit Card³	£0	12.9%	Yes - fees apply to cash withdrawals	Income of at least £10,000 a year
Virgin Money Everyday Cashback Credit Card⁴	£0	24.9%	Yes - fees apply to cash withdrawals	Income of at least £7,000 a year⁵
Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card⁵⁶	£0	26.9%	Yes - fees apply to cash withdrawals and non-EUR spending	Income of at least £7,000 a year
Zopa Credit Card⁷	£0	34.9%	Yes - fees apply to cash withdrawals	Income of at least £10,000 a year⁸

HSBC Student Credit Card¹

As its name would suggest, the HSBC Student Credit Card is especially for students - which could improve your chances of a successful application if you don’t have much regular income.

You can only get it if you’re a UK resident over the age of 18 who also has an HSBC Student Bank Account.

The card can be used abroad, wherever Visa and Mastercard are accepted. But there are fees attached:⁹

• 2.99% for purchases in a foreign currency
• 2.99% (min. £3) + another 2.99% for cash withdrawals overseas.

The good news though is that there’s no annual fees to worry about, and the representative APR is reasonable at 18.9% (variable). You could get a credit limit of £500, depending on your situation.

You can manage the card online or in the HSBC mobile banking app, and it works with digital wallets too.

TSB Student Credit Card²

The TSB Student Credit Card is another dedicated card for students. To apply, you’ll need to be a UK resident aged 18+ who has had a TSB Student Current Account for at least three months. You’ll also need some form of regular income.

If you’re successful in your application, you’ll be able to use the card overseas anywhere that Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Fees apply though:¹⁰

• 2.95% for spending in a foreign currency
• 3% (min. £3) + an extra 2.95% for overseas cash withdrawals.

The card can be used with mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, has no annual fee and a representative interest rate of 21.9% APR (variable). You could get a credit limit of between £500 and £1,000 depending on your situation.

NatWest Credit Card³

Now we move onto credit cards that aren’t specifically for students. Just bear in mind that you may find these hard to get without a regular income - always use the provider’s eligibility checker before applying.

The NatWest Credit Card is great for travel, as it charges no foreign transaction fees on spending. However, you will pay a fee of 3% (minimum £3) if you use the card for ATM withdrawals outside the UK.¹¹ You can use the card anywhere that Mastercard and Visa are accepted.

There are no annual fees, and a low representative APR of just 12.9%.

To be eligible for the NatWest Credit Card, you’ll need to be a UK resident aged 18+ and have an annual income of at least £10,000 a year. This may be a stretch for many students, but some with regular part-time jobs may just be able to reach this threshold. But even so, this is no guarantee of acceptance.

You can manage the card on the move using the NatWest mobile app.

Virgin Money Everyday Cashback Credit Card⁴

If you’re looking for a credit card that is good for travel and gives you a little something back on your spending, the Virgin Money Everyday Cashback Credit Card could be worth a look.

It is available to UK residents aged 18+ who have a regular income of at least £7,000⁵ - a lower threshold than the NatWest card, so some students may be able to meet this requirement.

You can use the card all over the world, wherever Visa and Mastercard are accepted. There are no fees for spending in foreign currencies, but you may pay a fee for overseas ATM withdrawals - check the fees list when you get your card for more information.

There’s no annual fee and a representative APR of 24.9% (variable).

As an extra perk, you’ll also get 0.25% cashback on every £1 you spend, up to a maximum of £15 a month. This includes purchases overseas too, and there are boosted cashback rates when you spend with selected retailers - you can see these in the Virgin Money Credit Card app.

Your cashback will be automatically deducted from your credit card balance each month.

Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card⁶

Another credit card from Virgin Money, the Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card is a good choice for regular travellers and frequent flyers.

It lets you earn Virgin Points when you spend, which you can use for shopping, experiences and other Virgin Red rewards. Plus, you can use them at Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays.

You’ll earn 0.75 Virgin Points for every £1 spent on everyday purchases, and double the points when you spend with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays. You’ll also get a welcome bonus of 3,000 points when you make your first purchase within 90 days.

And when you reach a certain spending level, you’ll benefit from flight upgrades with Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club.

The representative APR for the card is 26.9% (variable) and there’s no annual fee.

You can use it overseas wherever Visa and Mastercard are accepted, but there may be some fees for spending in foreign currencies.

Spend in euros, Swedish krona or Romanian lei and there are no fees, otherwise you’ll pay 2.99% per payment. Overseas cash withdrawals are charged at 5% regardless of currency or destination.¹²

To be eligible to apply, you’ll need to be a UK resident aged 18+ with a good credit history, a UK bank account and an income of at least £7,000 a year.

Zopa Credit Card⁷

Lastly, we have the Zopa Credit Card. It’s a decent pick for travel, as it works worldwide wherever Visa and Mastercard are accepted and there are no fees for spending in foreign currencies. You will pay a fee of £3 for cash withdrawals though.¹³

There’s no annual fee, and the representative APR is 34.9% (variable) - so you’ll need to make sure you can make the required minimum repayments each month to avoid paying this.

The Zopa Credit Card also has a handy feature which could be useful for students. It’s called Credit Cushion, a tool which lets you set aside some of your available credit balance for emergencies or something specific. You can manage this and other card features in the Zopa app.

To be eligible for the credit card, you’ll need to be a UK resident aged 18+ with an annual income of at least £10,000.⁸

Get the Wise card for international spending and cash withdrawals

Looking for an alternative for student travel spending? Check out the Wise card. It isn’t a credit card, but is a fantastic option for low-cost spending and cash withdrawals worldwide.

Open a Wise account online and you can order the Wise card for a one-time fee of £7 or get the virtual Wise card for £0. You can use this clever card in 150+ countries. It automatically converts your pounds to local currency whenever you spend using the mid-market exchange rate, only adding a tiny, transparent conversion fee* – or it’s free if you already have the local currency in your Wise account.

Best of all, there are no monthly or annual fees to put your student loan under strain. And if you need to send money overseas, such as to book a hotel or split the bill with a friend after your travels, you can use your Wise account to do it in just a few clicks.

Need cash? You also get two free ATM withdrawals for up to 200 GBP (or currency equivalent) each month. Wise will not charge you for these withdrawals, but additional charges may occur from independent ATM networks.

Sign up with Wise for free 🚀

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Sources used:

1. HSBC - Student Credit Card
2. TSB - Student Credit Card
3. NatWest - The NatWest Credit Card
4. Virgin Money - Everyday Cashback Cards
5. Virgin Money - Card Checker
6. Virgin Money - Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card
7. Zopa - Credit Card
8. Zopa - Who can get a Zopa credit card?
9. HSBC - Using your card
10. TSB - Student Credit Card Summary Box
11. NatWest - The NatWest Credit Card Summary Box
12. Virgin Money - VAA Credit Card Summary Box
13. Zopa - Credit Card Summary Box

Sources last checked on date: 11-Mar-2025