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In a welcome surprise, Discover has expanded its 5% cash back categories for the rest of the year.

Discover credit cards with rotating bonus categories will earn 5% back at Best Buy, on both in-store and online purchases, from Nov. 25 through Dec. 31, 2020. The other retailers where you can earn 5% back this quarter are Amazon.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com. This bonus cash back rate applies to up to $1,500 in combined purchases.

To earn the 5% back, you need to activate the bonus categories. If you've already activated them, you'll start earning the bonus rate at Best Buy automatically. You don't need to reactivate your Q4 rewards to get Best Buy added. 

Here are all the details on which Discover cards have this special offer and how to activate your rotating bonus categories.

Discover credit cards with rotating bonus categories

The following Discover cards offer rotating bonus categories:

These are all no-annual-fee credit cards, and they have the same cash back rate. You get 5% on up to $1,500 in combined purchases per quarter across rotating bonus categories you activate. On all your other purchases, you get 1% back.

If you're interested in getting a Discover card, now may be a great time to sign up. Bear in mind that both the Discover it® Cash Back and the NHL® Discover it® Credit Card are aimed at consumers with good credit. You'll have a strong chance of approval with a credit score of 670 or higher. Since the Discover it® Student Cash Back is a student credit card, it's available to students with limited to no credit history.

New cardholders can also benefit from one of the best sign-up bonuses on the market. After your first year using any Discover card, the card issuer matches the rewards you earned. With that bonus, you essentially earn 10% back in bonus categories and 2% back on everything else in the first year you use your Discover card.

How to activate rotating bonus categories with Discover

There are two ways you can activate rotating bonus categories with Discover:

  • Go to the cash back bonus option in your online account and click "Activate."
  • Call Discover on the number on the back of your credit card.

Remember that you need to activate your rotating credit card rewards every quarter. If you miss a quarter, you'll only earn the standard 1% back in bonus categories instead of 5%.

Discover does offer email reminders to help with this. You can turn them on in your online account or over the phone.

More cash back at Best Buy

Discover's addition of Best Buy to its cash back calendar is a big plus for cardholders. It's just in time for Black Friday sales, and it lasts all the way through the holiday season.

This offer is especially helpful if you don't always spend the full $1,500 per quarter to max out your bonus categories. With Best Buy on the list, you'll have one more major retailer where your purchases will earn 5% back. And since purchases on the Best Buy website also qualify, it's a perfect way to earn rewards while shopping online.