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This page includes information about the Discover it® Cash Back that are not currently available on Million Mile Secrets and may be out of date.
The Discover it® Cash Back card is a good option for anyone who is looking for a card with an incredibly simple cash back structure. It earns an unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases. And you have the opportunity to earn even more with the card’s rotating quarterly bonus categories.
While it doesn’t offer a welcome bonus, Discover will match all the cash back you earn at the end of your first card year.
Here’s a full review of the Discover it® Cash Back card.
Current offer
The Discover it Cash Back card doesn’t offer a traditional welcome bonus, like you’ll find with other top cards for travel or cash back credit cards. But Discover will match the bonus cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year as a cardmember.
So for example, if you earn $200 cash back during your first year, Discover will give you an extra $200 at the end of your cardmember year (for a total of $400 cash back).
The card also offers 5% cash back in rotating categories (on up to $1,500 in spending) each quarter, once you activate the bonus. And 1% cash back on all other spending.
Benefits & perks
The Discover it card is a basic cash back card that doesn’t offer benefits like trip delay or cancellation insurance like you’ll get with many of the other top travel credit cards. So, if you’re looking for a card with extra, valuable perks, it’s best to consider another cash back card.
That said, the card doesn’t charge any annual fee, so you can keep it year after year…for free. Plus, you don’t have to worry about foreign transaction fees when you’re traveling abroad.
How to redeem rewards
You can redeem your cash back in any increment and you can choose to receive your cash as a statement credit, a bank account deposit, or a charitable donation.
Cards similar to the Discover it Cash Back
The Chase Freedom® and Discover it® Cash Back have similar earnings potential, but when you dive deep into the details, the Chase Freedom comes out ahead. So it’s worth a look if you’re seriously considering the Discover it® Cash Back card.
Both cards have bonus 5% rotating quarterly categories (on the first $1,500 in purchases each quarter you activate) and earn 1% cash back on all other purchases. But with the Chase Freedom, if you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, you’ll earn a $150 (15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) sign-up bonus.
Plus, you can redeem the Chase Ultimate Rewards points you earn with the Chase Freedom for cash back or travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal at a rate of 1 cent per point. And if you have an annual-fee Chase Ultimate Rewards card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, you can combine your points to one of these cards and use them to buy travel at a rate up to 1.5 cents per point (depending on the card) through the Chase travel portal.
For even more great cash back cards, check out our guide to the best cash back credit cards here.
The information for the Chase Freedom card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
The Discover it® Cash Back is a good choice for some. It doesn’t offer a welcome bonus, instead, Discover will match the bonus cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first cardmember year. And it offers 5% cash back in rotating categories (on up to $1,500 in spending) each quarter, once you activate the bonus. And 1% cash back on all other spending.
But if I was looking for a cash back card with rotating bonus categories, I’d opt for the Chase Freedom instead. That way I could earn valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points that I could use for travel while still having the option to redeem my rewards for cash back.
Featured image by Photo by EKramar/Shutterstock.