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Discover it® Cash Back Review: A Lucrative Bonus Cash Back Card

Review Updated
Matt Frankel, CFP®
Ashley Maready
By: Matt Frankel, CFP®
Matt Frankel, CFP®
Matt Frankel, CFP®
Writer, Analyst

Matt is a Certified Financial Planner™ and investment advisor based in Columbia, South Carolina. He writes personal finance and investment advice for The Ascent and its parent company The Motley Fool, with more than 4,500 published articles and a 2017 SABEW Best in Business award. Matt writes a weekly investment column ("Ask a Fool") that is syndicated in USA Today, and his work has been regularly featured on CNBC, Fox Business, MSN Money, and many other major outlets. He’s a graduate of the University of South Carolina and Nova Southeastern University, and holds a graduate certificate in financial planning from Florida State University.

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 and  Ashley Maready
Ashley Maready
Ashley Maready
Writer and Editor

Ashley Maready is a former history museum professional who made the leap to digital content writing and editing in 2021. She has a BA in History and Philosophy from Hood College and an MA in Applied History from Shippensburg University. Ashley loves creating content for the public and learning new things so she can teach others, whether it's information about salt mining, canal mules, or personal finance.

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Our Credit Cards Experts

Nathan Alderman
Check IconFact Checked Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
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Nathan Alderman has worked with The Motley Fool since 2005, making errors his arch-enemies in a variety of roles including a six-year stint as the dedicated fact-checker for The Motley Fool's premium newsletter services. As The Ascent's Compliance Lead, he makes sure that all the site's information is accurate and up to date, which ensures we always steer readers right and keeps various financial partners happy. A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan spends his spare time volunteering for civic causes, writing and podcasting for fun, adoring his wife, and wrangling his two very large young children.

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The Discover it® Cash Back credit card is perfect for people who love cash back. (And honestly, who doesn't?) This card offers high cash back rates in several popular categories, and can be a great card for many spending habits.

However, this isn't just a great cash back card -- take a look at all its perks in our Discover it® Cash Back review.

Ratings Methodology
Award Icon 2024 Award Winner

Discover it® Cash Back

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Discover it® Cash Back
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular APR

18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.

1% - 5% Cashback

Annual Fee

$0

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. N/A

Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year.

  • We think this card has among the highest cash back potential for cards with no annual fee. The key is the Unlimited Cashback Match — Discover automatically matches all the cash back new cardholders have earned at the end of the first year. That cash back can seriously add up when you earn 5% cash back on rotating bonus categories (when you activate them, up to the quarterly maximum) and 1% on other purchases.

    • Rotating bonus categories
    • Sign-up bonus offer
    • Great intro APR offer
    • No annual fee
    • No foreign transaction fee
    • No fixed bonus categories
    • INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers–only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
    • Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.
    • Redeem your rewards for cash at any time.
    • Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It's free, activate with the mobile app.
    • Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 18.24% to 28.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
    • No annual fee.
    • Terms and conditions apply.

Credit card comparison

We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
20,000 ThankYou® Points Circle with letter I in it. Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. Up to 2% cash back Circle with letter I in it. 2% cash back: 1% when you buy plus 1% as you pay

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: 0%, 18 months

Regular: 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable)

Apply Now for Citi Double Cash® Card

On Citi's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories 		Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Circle with letter I in it. N/A 1% - 5% Cashback Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back 		Up to $300 cash back Circle with letter I in it. Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. 1.5% - 5% cash back Circle with letter I in it. Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months

Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months

Regular: 20.49% - 29.24% Variable

Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®

On Chase's Secure Website.

Discover it® Cash Back review

Is the Discover it® Cash Back worth it?

The Discover it® Cash Back is a solid cash back credit card, with 5% back in rotating categories and a welcome offer that can be rather lucrative for customers who use the card frequently. It has an excellent 0% intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. While it isn't perfect for every situation, this is one of the better no fee credit cards on the market.

Author's personal experience

I primarily applied for the Discover it® Cash Back credit card for its 0% intro APR offer, as I had planned to spread a large purchase over several months at the time. The application process was quick and easy, and the card itself has a nice look and feel to it -- as well as a ton of potential for customization (mine is a Philadelphia Flyers version!).

I'm highly satisfied with Discover's online platform, which is the primary way I interact with my account, and the mobile app is user-friendly as well. For me, the biggest drawback of the card is remembering to activate the 5% bonus category each quarter. To be fair, Discover does a good job of sending email reminders to do it, but if the categories were automatically activated, it would make things easier.

What everyone else is saying

While we aim to provide unbiased opinions on the credit cards we review, it's important to acknowledge and consider other viewpoints.

What our competitors think

Average competitor rating: 4.2 / 5.0 stars

We read the reviews from four of our top competitors, and most rated the Discover it® Cash Back card rather highly. Most of the negative factors are the same as what we've mentioned -- specifically the need to manually activate the 5% bonus categories. But for people who don't mind doing the extra work and spending strategically, it's a solid overall product.

Social media consensus

Most social media forums we've found have pretty nice things to say about the card. On a Reddit board asking users to rate the card, many called out the 5% cash back categories as a positive, especially during the holiday season. The welcome offer is also a strong positive among customers, with some social media users correctly pointing out that this makes the cash back rates effectively 2% (everyday purchases) and 10% (rotating categories), respectively.

Discover it® Cash Back features and benefits

Earn up to 5% cash back

This card's headline feature is that cardholders can earn a 5% Cashback Bonus®, up to a quarterly maximum spend of $1,500, on everyday purchases in rotating categories each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations. Categories must be activated quarterly. Other purchases earn 1% cash back. Cardholders maxing out the quarterly spending categories in one year ($6,000 of total spending) would net $300 in cash back rewards.

Unlimited Cashback Match sign-up bonus

This is a credit card with a spectacular sign-up bonus. For new Discover it® Cash Back cardholders, Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. And yes, this cashback match is unlimited. Note this sign-up bonus is only available during the first year and for new cardholders.

So, if you max out your earnings in the bonus categories ($300 of rewards) and have another $5,000 of spending outside bonus categories ($50 of rewards), you'd earn $700 of total cash back with the match.

0% intro APR for purchases and balance transfers

This card blends the features of a rewards card and a 0% intro APR card, offering 15 months of 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers. The go-to 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR applies after the 0% intro APR expires.

One nice feature is that the 0% intro APR kicks in on your first transfer before the deadline, not from the account opening, which gives you flexibility to use it on your own timeline.

No annual fee

The Discover it® Cash Back is a no annual fee credit card. You'd expect a credit card with such a deep bench of perks to charge an annual fee, but that's not the case here.

The Discover it® Cash Back also has no foreign transaction fee. Many cards charge a 3% fee when making purchases internationally, which can add up to $60 of savings on $2,000 of foreign spend when traveling or purchasing products from vendors who operate abroad.

A growing list of places that accept the card

Discover is a newer credit card issuer, and if you've been alive since before Discover cards were created, you might wonder about Discover's acceptance both in the U.S. and abroad. Worry not -- Discover says that its cards are accepted by 99% of places that take credit cards. And if you're hoping to travel internationally with this card, you can check out Discover's international credit card acceptance page to verify that its cards can be used at your destination.

international map where Discover credit cards are accepted

Image source: Discover, as of 7/2024. For an updated list of international acceptance, visit Discover.com.

What could be improved

No permanent bonus categories

The 5% cash back in rotating categories is a nice benefit of the card. But the standard cash back rate of 1% on purchases is significantly lower than many competitors offer, and there are no permanent spending categories that earn more than 1%. Plus, cardholders must manually activate the cash back bonus category every quarter to take advantage of the 5% rate.

Find the best credit card for your needs

Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.

Compare cards

What to know before applying

Discover it® Cash Back credit score

Discover it® Cash Back is intended for people with a good credit score, which is generally considered to be a 670 FICO® Score or higher. As with any credit card, banks assess more than just your credit score during the approval process. Accordingly, having at least this score isn't a slam dunk for approval nor is it impossible to get approved with a lower credit score.

Pre-approval process

You can apply for the Discover it® Cash Back on Discover's website, and the process is quick and easy. The application takes just a few minutes, and you can see if you're pre-approved with no impact to your credit score.

Intro APR

The Discover it® Cash Back has a 0% intro APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers. The card's go-to 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR applies at the end of the intro period. It's important to note that although there is a 0% intro APR on balance transfers, there is still a balance transfer fee that applies, even during the introductory period.

Fees

  • Annual fee: $0
  • Foreign transaction fees: None
  • Balance transfer fees: 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*

Credit limit

To be clear, there is no set credit limit that you'll get with the Discover it® Cash Back, as it depends on a variety of factors such as your income and creditworthiness. According to one poll, cardholders report that more than half had initial credit limits of less than $2,000, however reviews also indicate that Discover gives frequent and generous credit line increases to reward responsible use.

Alternatives to consider

If you want a high cash back rate for everyday purchases, consider the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (see rates and fees), which offers unlimited 2% cash back rewards on purchases. Like the Discover it® Cash Back, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card has no annual fee and a 0% intro APR period for both purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from account opening.

If you don't want to be restricted to Discover's bonus categories, the Citi Custom Cash® Card earns 5% cash back on the eligible category where you spend the most. It also has no annual fee, as well as a 0% intro APR period on both purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.

Should you apply for the Discover it® Cash Back?

It's hard to beat this offer as a category bonus card, given it packs in one of the highest bonus cash back rewards rates you'll find with the best credit cards. If the following statements apply to you, you're likely a good candidate to apply for it.

  • You spend a lot in its bonus categories: The Discover it® Cash Back's bonus categories often include everyday essentials. If you're looking for a card for everyday expenses, or are willing and able to shift some of your regular spending to the card to coincide with these bonus categories, you could earn a lot of cash back.
  • You want a 0% intro APR offer: The intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers is a rare combination in any cash back card with a high rewards rate.
  • You want to avoid certain fees: There's no annual fee or foreign transaction fee.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.

FAQs

  • There are two types of cash back worth discussing, both Discover's Cashback Match bonus that matches all cash back earned by new cardholders in the first year and Discover's Cashback Bonus® rewards program.

    Discover's Cashback Match is the issuer's unique take on a sign-up bonus. All cash back earned during the first year is then paid as a bonus to new cardholders just after their first year.

    Discover it® Cash Back's ongoing rewards program offers 1% to 5% cash back and there is no minimum redemption amount. The 5% Cashback Bonus® categories rotate quarterly, must be activated, and are capped at $1,500 of bonus spending each quarter. Other purchases earn 1% back.

  • Discover it® Cash Back is intended for people with at least good credit and a FICO® Score of at least 670.

  • If you are approved for the Discover it® Cash Back card, your credit limit will be at least $500. Your specific credit limit will depend on income, credit score, and other details gathered by Discover.

  • Yes, the Discover it® Cash Back card can be used internationally wherever Discover is accepted (see the issuer's website for a map showing which countries have merchants that take Discover). Better yet, the card has no foreign transaction fee.