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New year, new semester. School children often need plenty of supplies throughout the year, from backpacks and clothing to notebooks and project materials. College students face even heftier charges, with books, furnishings and other living expenses adding up on top of tuition. If you’re on the hook for purchases like these, can earn points, miles or cash back on every purchase. Making use of isn’t just about racking up free travel; you can earn rewards for less glamorous expenses, including shopping for school needs.
As always, shopping with a must be done strategically and with some degree of discipline. If you’re not paying off your balance monthly, what you pay in interest may exceed any rewards (or ) you might earn.
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Sander Tamm, CEO of the learning platform , also recommends looking for a card without an annual fee — unless you know you’ll be able to offset that cost with rewards. “Find a credit card with no annual fee. It’s hard to justify the extra cost, and you likely won’t get your money’s worth,” he says. After all, an annual fee of $95 or more could be a sizable chunk of your school supplies.
The following credit cards for school shopping were selected after a deep dive look into nearly two dozen rewards cards, including . The finalists were chosen based on their reward rates, fees and redemption requirements.
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Best credit card for earning rewards on school purchases
Our Take
The Citi Double Cash Card offers one of the simplest ways to earn cash back quickly. You’ll earn a flat rate of 2% without having to worry about making purchases from only qualifying retailers or having to think about spending categories. The catch: 1% is awarded at the time of purchase and the other 1% when you pay off the balance. The good news is, this method is like earning an award for paying off your credit card.
Best credit card for shopping for school supplies on Amazon
Our Take
The pandemic further strengthened Amazon’s stranglehold on e-commerce. Let’s face it: Ordering from Amazon is fast, cheap and easy. There’s no need to drive around looking for specific items from the school supply list any longer — if you need it, it’s probably on Amazon and can be at your doorstep the same or next day. And, if you’re trying to support more local businesses, you can buy school supplies from — you can even narrow in by region.
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card* benefits are enhanced when combined with a (which costs $119 per year). You can quickly redeem your rewards at checkout or request cash or gift cards to use elsewhere. In addition, or parents who are building credit may be able to get approved with a less-than-perfect credit score. Amazon’s card preapproval tool can tell you if you’re prequalified in just a few seconds with no effect on your credit report, so you can get an idea of your chances of approval before you apply.
Best credit card for online shopping for school supplies at Target
Our Take
The REDcard credit card* can earn you 5% off your purchases online, in-store and at Starbucks located within Target stores. The card comes with plenty of perks that regular Target shoppers can make use of, long after the school season is over. Among them is free shipping for most Target.com purchases and an extra 30 days for returns. Stock up early on the school supplies before they’re gone. And if you purchase a school item your kids end up not needing, you have an extra month to return the unused items.
Best credit card with rotating categories for school shopping
Our Take
If you have some big school shopping lined up and need some breathing room, the Discover it Cash Back* card provides you with over a year (14 months 0% intro APR) to pay off your purchases interest-free (11.99% to 22.99% variable APR thereafter) — the only card on this list with a longer 0% intro APR period on purchases is the Chase Freedom Unlimited with a 15-month 0% intro APR period on purchases (14.99% to 24.74% variable APR thereafter). As long as you’re smart about paying off the balance before the 14 months are up, you effectively get a free small loan to cover your school-related expenses. Discover will also match your first year’s rewards — so if you accrue $300 in rewards within your first year, you could receive up to another $300 in rewards from Discover.
To get the most out of this card, you’ll want to shop strategically based on quarterly rotating categories that earn you 5% cash back upon activation (on up to $1,500 in quarterly purchases, then 1%) — you’ll get 1% back on all other purchases. For January through March 2022, you’ll get 5% back at grocery stores and fitness clubs, including gym memberships. From April through June, you’ll get 5% cash back at gas stations and Target. July through September nets you 5% on restaurants and PayPal, and October through the rest of the year will switch to Amazon.com and digital wallets. Remember, you must manually activate each category through your online account to get the bonus.
FAQs
How much do people typically spend shopping for school?
The average family with school-aged children in the US spends roughly $850 a year on school supplies in 2021, according to the . This figure is up 7% year over year from 2020.
According to , for the 2020 to 2021 school year, college students in four-year institutions averaged $1,240 just in books and other course materials. Other expenses, like room and board, transportation and tuition, add up to tens of thousands of spending in a year.
How can I save money while school shopping?
Avoid overspending with a budget based on the supplies you need and how much you’re willing to spend. Stick tight to your plan and avoid getting swayed by trendy school fashion or sought-after gear. A budget is the best way to avoid spending more than you can afford — when you stick to it.
It’s also smart to comparison shop. Look online, in-store and in ads to find the best prices on the items you or your kids need. You may need to group supplies by retailer to get the best deals — it might involve buying some items online and others at specific retailers, but the extra effort may be worth the savings.
Can I use credit cards combined with gift cards to save even more?
To maximize rewards hacking and minimize overspending, leverage the power of gift cards by buying one for the amount of your school supply budget. You won’t be able to go over the limit, helping you control your spending. And if you’re smart about where you buy the gift card, you can also earn more cash-back rewards.
Erik Budde is CEO of GigaPoints, a platform that provides personalized credit card recommendations based on your spending. He suggests buying a gift card for your school shopping at a high-rewards category store, such as a grocery store.
“Since Amazon [and other types of] gift cards are sold at so many different types of retailers, this tactic works in a variety of different places,” Budde says. “Many credit cards offer bonus points at office supply stores, drug stores and more.”
Essentially, you may be able to earn points when you at a high rewards category store, while limiting your spending to the gift card amount.
Our methodology
CNET reviews credit cards by exhaustively comparing them across set criteria developed for each major category, including cash-back, welcome bonus, travel rewards and balance transfer. We take into consideration the typical spending behavior of a range of consumer profiles — with the understanding that everyone’s financial situation is different — and the designated function of a card.
For cash-back credit cards, for example, key factors include the annual fee, the “welcome bonus” and the cash-back rate (or rates, if they differ by spending category). For rewards and miles cards, we calculate and weigh the net monetary value of a card’s respective perks. And with balance transfer credit cards, we analyze specs such as the duration of the introductory 0% APR period and the balance transfer fee, while acknowledging secondary factors such as the standard APR and the length of time you have to make a balance transfer after you open the account.
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*All information about the Target Redcard Credit Card, Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, and the Discover it Cash Back has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.