Best Cash Back Credit Cards for International Students in Austria
The best cash back credit cards for international students in Austria include cards offering fixed cashback on everyday purchases and bank cards providing refunds at selected merchants.
Austria has relatively few student cards that pay unrestricted cashback on every purchase. International students should therefore compare the cashback limit, annual fee, interest rate and approval conditions before applying. A card offering 1% cashback can still become expensive if the balance is repaid in installments.
Can International Students Get Cashback Credit Cards in Austria?
Yes, international students may apply when they meet the issuer’s eligibility and creditworthiness requirements.
Banks and card providers may request:
- A minimum age of 18.
- A registered Austrian address.
- A valid passport or identity document.
- An Austrian residence permit when applicable.
- A local bank account or European IBAN.
- Proof of university enrollment for student offers.
- Regular salary, scholarship payments or financial support.
- A satisfactory credit assessment.
Approval is not guaranteed simply because the applicant studies at an Austrian university. Students without regular income may receive a lower credit limit or be declined.
Best Cashback Credit Cards for International Students
1. Santander Card – Best Fixed Cashback Card
The Santander Card offers one of the simplest cashback programs currently available in Austria.
Its principal features include:
- 1% cashback on purchases.
- Maximum cashback of €50 per calendar year.
- No monthly or annual card fee.
- A reusable purchasing limit of €2,000.
- Worldwide and online Mastercard payments.
- Installment repayment through an existing bank account.
The €50 annual cashback limit is reached after €5,000 of qualifying yearly spending. That equals approximately €417 per month, which may be a realistic spending level for students using the card for groceries, transport and other everyday expenses.
Santander requires applicants to meet its usual creditworthiness standards. The card is also designed around installment repayment, with a minimum monthly payment of 5% of the outstanding balance or €20 when the balance is higher. Students should check the applicable borrowing rate before using the installment feature.
Best for: Students wanting predictable cashback on general purchases.
Main drawback: Cashback is limited to €50 per year, and installment interest can exceed the rewards.
2. Bank Austria Mastercard Gold Student – Best Student Cashback Option
The Bank Austria Mastercard Gold Student is one of the strongest student-specific choices in Austria.
Eligible new customers applying by December 31, 2026 can receive:
- No annual card fee during the first five contract years.
- Mastercard acceptance worldwide.
- Travel and insurance benefits.
- Apple Pay and Google Pay support.
- Access to Bank Austria CashBack Mobile.
Issuance remains subject to the bank’s creditworthiness assessment.
CashBack Mobile does not provide a fixed percentage on every purchase. Instead, students activate individual merchant offers inside the Bank Austria MobileBanking app and then pay with an eligible Bank Austria debit or credit card.
Depending on the offer, the customer receives:
- Cashback credited to the linked account during the following month.
- A discount code.
- A voucher.
- An immediate merchant discount.
The program is available to Bank Austria account customers aged 14 or older, although applicants must generally be adults to receive their own credit facility.
Bank Austria also operates CashBack Online, which provides refunds at more than 500 participating online shops and travel portals when the purchase starts through the designated portal. The current service is listed as available until December 31, 2026.
Best for: Students who want a dedicated student card and regularly shop with participating merchants.
Main drawback: Cashback rates and eligible merchants change, and offers usually require activation.
3. TF Mastercard Gold – Best No-Annual-Fee Cashback Offers
The TF Mastercard Gold combines no annual fee with merchant-specific cashback promotions.
Its main advantages include:
- No opening fee.
- No annual fee.
- No separate foreign transaction fee for card purchases.
- Up to 51 interest-free days.
- Individual credit limits.
- Travel insurance.
- Multiple cashback offers.
- Apple Pay support.
Unlike the Santander Card, TF Bank does not advertise one permanent cashback rate on every transaction. The savings depend on the participating merchant and current offer.
The card can be expensive when the balance is carried. TF Bank currently publishes a nominal borrowing rate of 22.60% and a representative effective annual rate of 25.09%. At those rates, even a valuable cashback promotion can be eliminated quickly by interest.
Best for: Students wanting a no-fee card with rotating merchant offers and travel benefits.
Main drawback: Cashback is not universal, and partial repayment is expensive.
4. Erste Bank and Sparkasse Premiumcard – Best for Online Shopping
The Premiumcard Mastercard provides cashback through its Umsatzbonus program.
Cardholders who save their card information at participating online shops can receive:
- Up to 0.6% cashback.
- A maximum annual credit of €30.
- The cashback credited through the following January statement.
- Travel insurance and additional premium services.
- Refunds of selected foreign-currency transaction charges.
Only purchases at participating online merchants qualify for the Umsatzbonus.
Eligible students can receive the Premiumcard without a card fee during the first year. A current student-account promotion also provides a €20 credit-card bonus to qualifying new customers who open an account and order their first Smartcard or Premiumcard by August 16, 2026. The student account itself is generally free until age 27 for qualifying students enrolled at an Austrian higher-education institution.
After the promotional period, the regular card fee applies. Students must therefore compare that fee with the maximum €30 annual online-shopping cashback.
Best for: Students shopping frequently at participating online stores.
Main drawback: The cashback ceiling is low, and the card may not remain economical after the free first year.
Quick Comparison
- Best fixed cashback: Santander Card.
- Best student-focused option: Bank Austria Mastercard Gold Student.
- Best no-fee rotating offers: TF Mastercard Gold.
- Best for eligible online shopping: Erste Bank and Sparkasse Premiumcard.
- Best for students without stable income: A debit card with Bank Austria CashBack may be more realistic than borrowed credit.
How Much Cashback Can a Student Earn?
Consider a student spending €400 per month, or €4,800 annually:
- A 1% fixed cashback card could return approximately €48.
- A 0.6% program could return €28.80 if every purchase qualified.
- Merchant-specific programs may return more or less depending on available offers.
- A card with a €50 annual fee could erase the full reward.
The advertised cashback percentage is therefore only one part of the calculation.
Compare:
- Annual and monthly card fees.
- Maximum cashback limits.
- Eligible merchants and transactions.
- Foreign-currency charges.
- Cash-withdrawal fees.
- Interest on installment payments.
- Costs of the connected current account.
How to Improve Approval Chances
International students can strengthen an application by:
- Registering their Austrian address.
- Opening and regularly using a local bank account.
- Having salary or scholarship payments deposited into that account.
- Preparing a passport, residence permit and enrollment confirmation.
- Keeping recent payslips or scholarship documents.
- Applying for a modest credit limit.
- Avoiding several applications within a short period.
- Maintaining sufficient funds for full monthly repayment.
Applying through the bank where you already receive your salary or scholarship may give the issuer a clearer view of your finances.
Cashback Card or Debit Card?
A credit card is useful for hotel reservations, travel bookings, purchase protection and delayed billing. However, a student who cannot comfortably repay the balance should use a debit card instead.
Bank Austria CashBack Mobile works with eligible Bank Austria debit cards as well as credit cards. A student can therefore receive selected merchant cashback without borrowing money or paying credit interest.
Final Verdict
The Santander Card is the strongest option for straightforward cashback because it offers 1% on purchases without an annual fee, although cashback is capped at €50 per year.
The Bank Austria Mastercard Gold Student is the better student-specific package, particularly because eligible applicants can avoid the annual card fee for five years and use both CashBack Mobile and CashBack Online.
The TF Mastercard Gold is useful for rotating offers, while the Erste Bank and Sparkasse Premiumcard may suit students who shop regularly at participating online stores.
Whichever card you select, repay the full balance whenever possible. Paying interest of more than 20% to earn cashback of 1% is a clear financial loss.
Official Sources
- Santander Bank Austria: Santander Card cashback, fees and credit limit
- Bank Austria: Mastercard Gold Student promotion and credit assessment
- Bank Austria: CashBack Mobile and CashBack Online
- TF Bank Austria: Mastercard Gold cashback offers, fees and interest
- Erste Bank and Sparkasse: Premiumcard Umsatzbonus
- Erste Bank and Sparkasse: Student account and credit-card promotion
