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I Use the Discover it® Cash Back Card: Review From a Long-Time User

Review Updated
Matt Frankel, CFP®
Author: 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 Motley Fool Money 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 for the Motley Fool ("Ask a Fool") that is syndicated in USA Today, and his work with Motley Fool Money has also been syndicated to MSN and Yahoo! Finance. He has been regularly featured on Fox Business 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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Ashley Maready
Reviewer: 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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Nathan Alderman
Fact Checked: Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
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The Discover it® Cash Back credit card is good 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 -- keep reading for a look at all its perks in our Discover it® Cash Back review.

Ratings Methodology

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

18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024.

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.

1% - 5% Cashback

Annual Fee

$0

Welcome Offer

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.
    • Redeem your rewards for cash at any time.
    • Apply and you could get a decision in as little as 60 seconds. No annual fee.
    • Start shopping and earning rewards in minutes with our digital card, before your physical card arrives in the mail, if eligible.
    • 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 18.49% to 27.49% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness. Rates as of December 12, 2024.
    • 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, 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. 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.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024.

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 rewards on everyday spending 		$200 cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. 2% cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 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 unlimited rewards on purchases 		25,000 points Circle with letter I in it. 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases 1.5 points per dollar Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.49% - 28.49% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers.

Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days

Regular: 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

On Bank of America'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. It offers 5% back (up to the quarterly spending limit) in rotating quarterly categories that must be activated, plus it features a welcome offer that can be quite lucrative for customers who use the card frequently.

It has an excellent 0% intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. (After that intro period ends, the go-to rate of 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024. applies.) 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
Image of reviewer

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 (mine is a custom 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 other review sites think

Average review site 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.

Online 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% (on everyday purchases) and 10% (in 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 who max 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 cash back 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 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024. 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.

As for that balance transfer offer, you'll pay a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*.

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.

Apply now for the Discover it® Cash Back credit card

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

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.

Spending caps on bonus categories

Cardholders are limited to earning 5% cash back on up to just $1,500 of spend per quarter for those bonus categories. Since they do change every quarter, this may not be such a big deal for many cardholders. But if you're hoping to earn a higher cash back rate on more than $6,000 of spending in a year, there are other cards out there without spending caps.

Find the best credit card for your needs
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Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.

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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 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024. applies at the end of the intro period. It's important to note that although there is a 0% intro APR on balance transfers, a balance transfer fee still 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.

Our credit card methodology

At Motley Fool Money, 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 Motley Fool Money 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 good credit or better, 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.