Earnest Credit Card
Get more bang for your buck with up to 3% cash back
Cash back
Get paid every time you shop
3%
cash back
On what you spend the most money on
Learn moreGet maximum cash back on what you spend the most on every billing cycle, whether it’s dining, travel, or anything else.
2%
cash back
On your next top spend category
Learn moreKeep the cash back coming and earn 2% on the next category down your spend list. Check what it is in the app.
1%
cash back
On everything else
Learn moreUnlimit your cash back on all other purchases. Earn 1% unlimited cash back on everything after the 3%, and 2% spend categories.
Premium perks
Enjoy the VIP treatment
No hidden fees
No annual fee. No foreign transaction fees.
When you spend $1000 in the first 3 billing cycles.
World Mastercard®
Exclusive offers on Lyft, HelloFresh, DoorDash and travel.
Instant. Secure. Touchless.
Apply in minutes. Use instantly with Apple Pay®. Stay safe with encryption.
Student loans
Shrink any
student loan
Simplify your student debt payoff. Put your cash back towards any student loan or redeem for a statement credit.
What our customers are saying about us
Earnest has made an incredibly positive impact...
Earnest has made an incredibly positive impact on my financial wellness, and I am forever grateful, I even recomend Earnest to my friends and family. Thank you!
More TrustPilot ReviewsGet the FAQs on the Earnest Card
The student loan cash back reward allows borrowers to put the cash back they earn with the Earnest Card towards any federal or private student loan balance. For example, say you use the Earnest Card for three months and you spend $1000. You earn 1.25% cash back, but if you put that cash back towards a student loan, the value will increase to 1.50%. This means you can redeem $12.50 as a statement credit towards your credit card balance or $15 towards your student loan repayment.
Your cash back credit card rewards are worth more (1.5%) when used towards student loans than when used towards your credit card balance (1.25%). Once you select to put your cash back towards a student loan, you’ll be asked to enter your student loan information, so that we can send a check to your student loan provider.
No, you must choose from either the student loan cash back or the credit card balance cash back in a given month. However, you can always make a different choice the following month (provided you have cash back points available).
No problem. You will earn 1.25% cash back on every purchase, no matter what. Those points are yours to keep, and they do not expire while your Earnest Credit Card account stays open.
Yes. You can use the cash back benefit towards any student loan, including federal student loans that you received through your FAFSA, and private student loans from private lenders.
It doesn’t matter if your loan is with Earnest or one of our competitors – our mission is to help you pay down your loans faster.
While you can link multiple student loans inside the Earnest Card App, you must use your cash back to pay down one student loan at a time. You can choose to focus on another loan in the following month.
Absolutely. You should keep making your regular student loan payments for the remainder of the loan term. Consider any money you put towards your student loan debt from the Earnest cash back program as a bonus.
Most student loan borrowers who have student loan debt are unlikely to earn enough cash back to cover their minimum student loan payments or even their student loan interest rate in a given month. We strongly recommend that you stay up to date with your payments and any interest charges, stick to your repayment plan, and check your account regularly to avoid any late fees for any non-Earnest loans.
The same applies to your credit card debt. Keep making your monthly credit card payments as planned.
Using the Earnest Card cash back program to make additional payments shouldn’t have any impact on your participation in financial aid programs, such as student loan forgiveness. However, you may want to check with your student loan servicer if your loans are in forbearance or deferment.
If you refinance a student loan, you will need to re-enter your loan information in the Earnest Card App. Refinancing is considered a new student loan and we need to know the information of your new student loan servicer.
Refinancing is a great way to get a lower interest rate if you believe you currently have a higher interest rate. You can learn more about refinancing your student loans with Earnest here if you have high interest rates on your student loan>>>.
If you consolidate your student debt with a new lender, you will also need to update that information in the Earnest App. A consolidated loan is considered a new loan. If you’d like to learn more about debt consolidation, you can read this NerdWallet guide to consolidation loans. You can also check the Earnest Student Loan Consolidation Calculator to see what you might pay after consolidation.
When applying for a new credit card, it is common to see a minimal decrease in your credit score. If you make on-time payments and have responsible credit utilization, your credit report will reflect that, and your score may increase with time.
You can learn more in this Credit Karma article >>>.
If you’d like to read the fine print, you can find the Terms and Conditions of the Earnest Credit Card by following this link >>>.
Here, you will find information about our credit card servicer, the credit card interest rate offered to cardholders, information about the balance transfer fee, and more.
If you would like to learn more about other credit card companies before applying for the Earnest Card, this Credit Karma article could be helpful. If you would like to learn more about personal finance, NerdWallet, CreditKarma, and the Earnest Money blog are good places to start.
Most people who have an average credit score starting at 680 have a chance at approval. However, we cannot guarantee approval based on credit score alone. If your accounts are in good standing with no late payments, that may also help you get approved.
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Apply for the Earnest Card as soon as it’s ready
Apply for the Earnest Card as soon as it’s ready
Thank you for registering. We’ll let you know as soon as Earnest Card applications open up.
Restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for more detail. Earnest reserves the right to modify or discontinue its products or offerings at any time and without notice. Cards powered and serviced through Deserve, Inc. and issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah-Chartered Industrial Bank, Member FDIC.