When it comes to building credit, students are people that are sometimes left out of the discussion. This should never happen, though. Students are people who desperately need a way to earn credit in order to succeed after they get out of college. One great way for students to build credit is through a student credit card. There is one card in particular that is allowing students to build credit in a stress-free way.

More and more college students are picking up on the credit card trend, as a recent study showed that more than 75% of all students have their own card. The media has made a big deal about how credit card providers are gearing their services towards students. The study seems to support this idea. Credit card companies want to believe that all students are grownups, and their credit cards certainly lend credence to that. What is the best credit card out on the market today for students? The Citi mtvU Platinum Select Visa Card seems to provide the best aspects for students.

Why is this credit card the best one for students during their college years? On one hand, it gives students everything that all people look for in their credit card. Low fees and low APR aren’t things that are aimed only for students. Everybody is looking for these things! Not many student credit cards offer that combination, though. The real reason why students need to check out this new card is because of all the cool stuff that you can get your hands on.

Every rewards card seeks to give their customers lots of good stuff, but the mtvU card takes that to another level. The majority of students will tell you that they have two huge costs when attending college. They eat out a lot, and they spend a small fortune on books every semester. Like a smart company, Citi is giving students a break on those specific things. This card rewards students with five ThankYou Points for each dollar they spend at restaurants or bookstores. In addition to that, students can even earn points on those little things they might need on a random Friday night. You know - the trips to the movies or the record store. How are students supposed to redeem these rewards? They can be converted into gift cards or even cash to be put towards student loans. It is a novel idea, as Citi has become the first student credit card to give students what they actually want.

Citi has also left a huge opportunity open for students that don’t include the bare necessities of college. With this card, students can get 5% cash back on things purchased at Amazon.com. Though Amazon.com is, in effect, a bookstore, students can purchase a number of different things there. If students feel like buying a new iPod, the credit card won’t discriminate against that purchase.

Citi seems to be intent on only offering this credit card to students. While other “student” credit cards can be attained by non-students, this one requires a lot of verification. Some people have claimed that the company is requesting a transcript along with your application in many cases. This is good for students, but leaves everybody else out in the cold, if they were planning on using the card for their own purposes. It does bear mentioning that students are also rewarded for good performance. Much like in middle school, college students can earn rewards points by maintaining a good GPA and having a solid record of payment. These things combine to make this a can’t miss card for students.

Numbers might not lie, but there is a tendency to view them in the surrounding light. What does that mean? It means that your view and my view of the numbers are dependent upon the world that we view them from. An example, totally unrelated: I remember early in the 2nd US invasion of Iraq. While US tanks were driving through parts of Baghdad, the Iraqi Minister of Information was holding press conferences claiming that the Iraqi Army was turning back the US attack. In one outdoor interview, a US tank is seen driving in the distant background. Regardless as to whether the “minister” was just knowlingly lying or really believed his side was winning, his perspective wasn’t shared by most of the world. These events became so comical, that even 2 years after his last moments on the air, he lives on in cyberspace: CNN article on Iraqi Minister

This issue of perspective, is the whole point of this article. The price of oil is up to records high, gold is gaing fast, etc. Depending on where you live and what year it is you’ll hear about how fast a price is rising or falling on some commodity. In 2005, the US and the world were obsessed with the rapidily rising price of crude oil. Early in 2006, that role seems to be gold, with the price recently exceeding $550. Most of us see the world and the world economy in terms of our local media, that is americans see the price of gold, oil and currency exchange rates in terms of US dollars and US cost of living. This perspective leaves us all thinking that others in the western industrial countries, say UK, Japan and Germany are living thru the same pricing trends, but because commodity prices are tide to local currency, that sometime isn’t the case.

I’ve researched the price of gold and currency exchange rate ( a once yearly sample in late january) since 2001 and it illustrates my point. Since 2001 Euro based investors have seen a 157% gain in gold, the UK based pound investor only gained 75% for the same period of time. Interestingly, 2/3 of all Gold gains in the UK occured since janaury 2005! What a difference between investors in England vs those in Germany. US Dollar and Yen investors gained 104% during that time, over 35% more than Pound investors but more than 30% less of gain than Euro investors. We’ve used this Gold Price Chart from kitco.com and Currencies from Yahoo Currency