College will be the first time that a lot of students find themselves on their own, and the prospect can be more than a little worrisome to teens and parents alike. College student credit cards provide a way for new college students and their parents to ensure that a student's living and academic expenses, as well as any cash emergencies, will be covered. In addition to the security offered by student cards, customers will also find that the cards are a great resource for establishing credit.

Many teenagers have little experience with credit cards, but might find themselves in need of a card as they depart for college. Student cards are available in both unsecured and secured varieties. Unsecured student cards are issued in the student's name to an account registered to the parents. Parents can use an online interface to monitor the account activity, making sure that the card is used for its intended purposes.

Parents can also set spending limits on the card, and even restrict the card to certain types of use, such as food, gas, or books. Many student credit cards offer an alert feature that can send an email to the parents when the card has been used for a questionable purchase. Secured student cards offer the same type of online maintenance, but are also linked to a virtual account equal to the cash deposit required to activate the card.

Prepaid College Student Credit Cards

Prepaid student cards can be particularly advantageous to teenagers. Although the credit line of prepaid cards is limited by the amount of cash prepaid to activate the card, payments are still recorded to the holder's credit report. This allows students to have the convenience of a card, specially for use in emergency situations, without placing them in danger of the massive debt incurred by many college students who use unsecured cards. In addition to avoiding debt, prepaid cards can help the holder establish a favorable credit rating, as all payments are automatically paid on time.