Discover® Credit Cards

This page includes information about the Discover it® Balance Transfer and Discover it® Business Card which are no longer available. The information for Discover it® Business Card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer..

Comparing Discover Card Offers

When you discover Discover, you find some hidden surprises, such as their dollar-for-dollar matching of all the cash back earned at the end of your first year, no annual fee and so much more. Here, we’ll take a deep dive into what each Discover card offers, then look at their common, most excellent features, such as free FICO score, U.S.-based 24/7 customer service, and more. Here, we look at:

• Best Discover cards
• Discover Card Highlights
• What is Discover?
• Discover rewards program and best redemption options
• Which Discover card should you get?
• Quick recap

Discover Credit Card Highlights

Discover it® Cash Back: Best for 5% cash back on rotating categories

Why we picked it: You’ll rack up rewards on everyday spending with this card’s varied and practical rotating cashback categories, earning 5% back at places like grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases per quarter after activation, then 1% back).

Pros: Discover’s first-year Cashback Match™could easily beat the sign-up bonuses offered by many other rewards cards, and the card’s lengthy 0% introductory purchase APR (0% for 14 months, then 11.99% – 22.99% variable) allows you to earn cash back on larger purchases and pay them off over time.

Cons: It’s not ideal if you’re after a low-maintenance card: You must enroll in a rotating bonus category every quarter to maximize your cash back, and quarterly categories may not always line up with your spending habits.

Who should apply? If you’re on the hunt for a generous welcome bonus and don’t mind keeping up with rotating categories, this user-friendly card stands out from the pack.

Read our Discover it® Cash Back review.

Discover it® Miles: Best for travelers

Why we picked it: The card charges no annual fee and gives you a ton of freedom in how you redeem your miles: You won’t have to book through a travel portal or with specific airlines or hotels.

Pros: Thanks to the card’s first-year mile match offer, you’ll effectively earn 3X miles on every purchase for the first 12 months (1.5X miles on purchases, matched at the end of your first year), which rivals the rate offered by many of the top luxury travel cards.

Cons: The card lacks a traditional sign-up bonus, so you’ll have to spend a decent amount to get much value out of the first-year match. Also, since you can’t transfer your miles to frequent-flier programs, the card isn’t ideal if you’re loyal to specific airlines.

Who should apply? This unfussy high-value rewards card is an excellent choice for travelers looking to stockpile miles to use post-pandemic.

Read our Discover it® Miles review.

Discover it® chrome: Best for gas and dining rewards

Why we picked it: It offers 2% cash back on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter (then 1%) on spending at gas stations and restaurants, which, when matched at the end of the first year, is a remarkable rate for a no-annual-fee card.

Pros: In addition to its great cashback rewards program, you can take advantage of the card’s 0% introductory APR on balance transfers and new purchases for 14 months (11.99% – 22.99% variable thereafter) to pay down debt or finance a larger purchase.

Cons: While the card’s low-end APR of 11.99% (variable) is significantly lower than the average cash back card APR, your APR could run as high as 22.99% (variable) if you have some blemishes on your credit history. The card also doesn’t offer much in the way of perks like car rental insurance or extended warranty.

Who should apply? Take-out addicts and road warriors can earn big bonuses in addition to an already generous welcome offer.

Read our Discover it® chrome review.

Discover it® Student Cash Back: Best for students earning cash back

Why we picked it: You won’t have to sacrifice top-notch cashback rewards just because you’re a student. You’ll earn 5% cash back in rotating categories like gas, groceries and Amazon.com (with enrollment, on up to $1,500 per quarter, then 1% back). Plus, Discover will match all the cash back you earn at the end of your first year.

Pros: The card offers a number of unique bonuses and perks for students, including a $20 statement credit for student cardholders who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher during a school year for up to 5 years. It also charges no foreign transaction fee, making it a solid choice if you plan to travel or study abroad.

Cons: You must enroll in a rotating bonus category every quarter to maximize your cash back, and the card’s variable APR, though reasonable, is a bit higher than that of many student cards, so you’ll have to be diligent about paying off your balance in full each month.

Who should apply? This cash back card is ideal for responsible students who won’t carry a balance and feel capable of keeping track of rotating categories.

Read our Discover it® Student Cash Back review.

Discover it® Student chrome: Best for students

Why we picked it: The card’s consumer-friendly terms are great for someone new to credit: You won’t be charged a late fee the first time you miss a payment and you won’t get hit with a penalty APR if you end up falling behind more frequently. You should note that there is a late payment fee of up to $40 after the first time you pay late.

Pros: Along with its great cash back rate on combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants, the card comes with a number of financial management tools that can help you monitor your spending and ensure your credit stays on track.

Cons: While the card’s 0% introductory APR on new purchases for the first 6 months (12.99%-21.99% variable APR thereafter) can help students finance a large purchase like a laptop or moving expenses, it could spell trouble for inexperienced cardholders prone to overspending.

Who should apply?Discover’s easy-to-use account management tools are great for first-time student cardholders looking to establish healthy credit habits.

Read our Discover it® Student chrome review.

Discover it® Secured Credit Card: Best for cash back and credit building

Why we picked it: You can build credit without putting down a ton of money upfront as a deposit. Even better, Discover promises to review your account on a monthly basis starting at 8 months to see if you qualify for an upgrade to an unsecured card.

Pros: Your approval odds are high whether you have a poor credit history or none at all. Plus, the card’s generous cashback program and Cashback Match mean you could actually earn money in the first year by using the card.

Cons: If you opt for a low security deposit (and, accordingly, a low credit limit), it may be difficult to keep your credit utilization in check. Additionally, the card’s APR is extremely high, regardless of your credit history: All cardholders are assigned the same variable APR of 22.99%.

Who should apply? This no-annual-fee cash back card with the potential for a higher credit line after 8 months is a terrific choice for anyone building credit.

Read our Discover it® Secured Cash Back review.

Discover it® Business Card: Best for business owners

Why we picked it: If you spend heavily, Discover’s Cashback Match could easily beat out other business cards’ intro bonuses.

Pros: It’s a great low-maintenance option for business owners who don’t want to deal with special bonus categories and complicated redemption: You get unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases and can redeem rewards in any amount, at any time.

Cons: The card’s Cashback Match can be very lucrative, but you’ll have to wait a full year after opening your account to get it. Depending on your business needs, it may make more sense to go with a card that offers a bonus upfront, even if it’s smaller.

Who should apply?:With its flexible rewards program, no expiration and unlimited Cashback Match, the Discover it® Business Card offers a lot of potential value to small business owners.

What is Discover?

Discover is best known for its stellar lineup of cashback cards, but it is more than just a card issuer. Discover is also a network, along with Visa, Mastercard and American Express. This means it partners with merchants nationally and worldwide, which accept Discover cards for payment. Although more common in the United States, Discover is accepted in 190 countries and territories.

Discover card U.S. acceptance

Although it’s the smallest among the major networks in the U.S., it is widely accepted here. In fact, among merchants who accept cards, 99% of them accept Discover. Among the 4 major U.S. networks, there was $6.698 trillion in purchase volume for credit cards, says Nilson Report. Here are how the networks break down according to purchase volume:

2020 purchase volume of U.S. general-purpose credit card networks:

• Visa
• $2.089 trillion
• Mastercard
• $910 billion
• American Express
• $821 billion
• Discover
• $146B

Source: Nilson Report Feb. 2020 chart, U.S. general purpose brands

Discover rewards program and best redemption options

There are a few key rewards programs attached to Discover credit cards, with some cards offering bonuses in an array of rotating spending categories and others offering bonus cash back in just a couple of spending categories.
The following cards offer 5% cash back in rotating categories each quarter upon enrollment (up to the quarterly max, then 1%):

• Discover it Cash Back
• Discover it Balance Transfer
• Discover it Student Cash Back

The following cards offer 2% back at gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,000 combined purchases quarterly, then 1%):

• Discover it chrome
• Discover it Student chrome
• Discover it Secured

While quarterly activation is required for the Discover cards with rotating categories, cash back for the chrome cards is automatic.

Discover 5% cashback calendar 2020

Discover’s 2020 cashback calendar is now live, so you can get a sense of how your spending habits line up and start planning your purchases accordingly.

To ensure you earn the full 5% cashback bonus, keep the following in mind:

• You must activate the bonus each quarter to receive 5% back.
• Your bonus is active from the first day of the first month of each quarter – or the date on which you activate it, whichever is later – through the last day of the last month of each quarter.
• You earn bonus cash back up to the quarterly maximum.
• All spending over the quarterly maximum and all purchases outside a quarter’s bonus category earn 1% cash back.

Best Discover reward redemption options

Since cash back reward values are pretty straightforward, the best cash back redemption options are often the most convenient for you at the moment without sacrificing reward value. For gift card lovers, however, Discover has a great deal: There is an added value on each gift card you redeem for (for example, certain merchants offer a $25 gift card for $20 of cash back rewards).
When you’re ready to collect your hard-earned Discover credit card rewards, here’s a quick rundown of your Discover redemption options.

• Cash, either as a direct deposit or a statement credit – 1 cent minimum redemption
• Amazon.com or PayPal purchases, using the “Cashback Bonus® option at checkout ($1 Cashback Bonus = $1) – no minimum redemption value
• Gift cards (with an added bonus value) – ranging from $5 – $200 in increments of $5 (minimum redemption)
• Charity donations – 1 cent minimum redemption

Discover it Miles can be redeemed as a credit toward eligible travel purchases on your credit card statement or as a bank account direct deposit, both at 1 cent per 1 mile. Plus, Discover cash back and miles don’t expire. Rather than erasing your rewards, Discover will credit your account with your cash back or miles balance if your account is closed or it hasn’t been used within 18 months.

No annual fees on Discover cards

You won’t pay an annual fee or foreign transaction fee on Discover cards. Annual fees can run in the hundreds of dollars, and foreign transaction fees — which are fees added on top of your purchase when you use your credit card at a non-U.S. retailer — are typically 3% of the charge. That’s a whole lot of money saved with those two fees waived. Discover cards carry a host of other features, as we’ll talk about next.

Which Discover card should you get?

Because Discover credit cards have such different structures from competitors, it’s a good idea to compare with any other cards you have your eye on. Discover offers the gamut – credit building, student, travel and cash back cards. Which is best for you?

Consumer with a big balance – If you have a balance on another card, the Discover it Balance Transfer is one of the most generous on the market, with 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers. However, the intro purchase offer is only 6 months, so even though this card offers 5% back on rotating categories after activation (up to the quarterly maximum, then 1%), don’t plan on carrying any of those purchases over past 6 months, because interest rates will kick in at a variable rate of (see terms).

Shopper with a plan – There are a couple of options here, including the Discover it Cash Back and the Discover it chrome. The Discover it Cash Back is a good card for someone who enjoys angling to maximize their cash back rewards, while the chrome is a good option for someone who frequents restaurants or is a road warrior.

Occasional traveler – If you are looking for one of the best travel credit cards and you want flexible features, the Discover it Miles is a good choice because it rewards 1.5X miles on all types of spending, with no blackout dates on redemption. When all is said and done, the Discover it Miles is best for the occasional traveler who needs room for flexibility.

Student consumer – Discover has two student cards, the Discover it Student Cash Back and the Discover it Student chrome. Both offer the rewards of their big brothers, but they only require no credit history. These are good cards for the youthful consumer who wants to experiment with rewards and build credit in the meantime. They also both feature a 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months, then the standard variable purchase APR of 12.99-21.99%.

Credit builder – The Discover it Secured is an excellent option for the consumer who wants help building credit while experiencing rewards. This card requires no credit history, but as a secured card, you have to put down a refundable deposit as collateral. However, it helps you build your credit with every on-time payment. This secured card is one of the better ones on the market because fees are minimal, including no annual fee.

Where is Discover card accepted internationally?

While Discover doesn’t have as wide a reach internationally as Mastercard or Visa, it’s accepted at more than 48 million merchants in 190 countries and territories, with international acceptance continuing to grow. You can check out Discover’s online map to see if your card is likely to be accepted where you’re traveling, but rest assured that many popular destinations in South and Central America, Europe and Asia have a moderate or high rate of Discover acceptance. Countries with a high Discover acceptance rate include:

• Argentina
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Belize
• Brazil
• Chile
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Ecuador
• Greece
• India
• Israel
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Morocco
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Poland
• Slovakia
• South Korea
• Switzerland

Discover also offers a variety of lending products, including checking accounts, personal and student loans, and more. Here’s what it offers:

• Credit cards. You already know that these products provide excellent value, but they also offer great service and security.
• Banking. Discover also offers savings, checking, IRAs and CDs with a competitive APY for 12 months and a minimum $2,500.
• Personal loans. Discover’s variety of loans can be used for major purchases, life events, remodeling or debt consolidation.
• Student loans. All manner of student loans are offered, with a fixed rate undergraduate loan’s starting fixed rates ranging from 4.24%-12.39%.
• Home equity. These loans range from 3.99%-11.99% fixed APR for $35,000-$200,000. That’s with no application fee, origination fee or appraisal fee.

Recap: The Best Discover Credit Cards of 2021