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Discover it® Student Cash Back Review: In a Class of Its Own

Review Updated
Lyle Daly
Author: Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
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Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. His work with Motley Fool Money and The Motley Fool has appeared in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.

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Eric McWhinnie
Fact Checked: Eric McWhinnie
Eric McWhinnie
Eric McWhinnie

Eric McWhinnie has been writing and editing digital content since 2010. He specializes in personal finance and investing. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance.

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Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

Many student credit cards are light on perks, but that's not the case with the Discover it® Student Cash Back. It offers big bonus opportunities and useful tools that can help you build your credit. Learn more about what it has to offer in our detailed Discover it® Student Cash Back review.

Ratings Methodology

Discover it® Student Cash Back

Apply Now for Discover it® Student Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Discover it® Student 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
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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.
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= 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: Fair/New to Credit Under(669)
Apply Now for Discover it® Student 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.

Fair/New to Credit Under(669)

Intro APR

Purchases: 0%, 6 months

Balance Transfers: 10.99%, 6 months

Regular APR

17.49% - 26.49% 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.

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.

  • Student credit cards are sometimes light on perks, but this Discover one might surprise you. You can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 of spending in rotating bonus categories -- just opt in every quarter. And earning 1% back on other purchases plus an innovative Unlimited Cashback Match welcome bonus makes this one worth considering for college students.

    • Rotating bonus categories
    • Valuable sign-up bonus offer
    • Good for avoiding fees
    • Credit score monitoring
    • Highly rated customer service
    • 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! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200. There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
    • 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.
    • No credit score required to apply.
    • 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.
    • No annual fee and build your credit with responsible use.
    • 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months, then the standard variable purchase APR of 17.49% - 26.49% applies.
    • Terms and conditions apply.

Full Discover it® Student Cash Back review

This credit card is a good fit for: Students who want to earn cash back and build credit, without paying any unnecessary fees.

Top perks

This is one of the most feature-packed student credit cards we've seen.

Up to 5% cash back

With the Discover it® Student Cash Back, you earn a 5% Cashback Bonus® on everyday purchases in rotating categories each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum of $1,500 on purchases and when you activate. Other eligible purchases earn 1% cash back.

This is a fantastic rate that's competitive with some of the top cash back cards. Just make sure to activate your bonus categories every quarter to earn the bonus rate of 5%.

Unlimited Cashback Match sign-up bonus

Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn $200 in cash back during the first year, Discover will reward you with another $200. There's no maximum amount, so you can earn quite a bit of cash back this way.

SEE MORE: Best Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses

Good for avoiding fees

Some credit cards charge lots of extra fees. Fortunately, Discover credit cards don't. Here's how you save on fees with the Discover it® Student Cash Back:

  • It doesn't charge an annual fee. This is especially important for your first credit card. It means you can keep the card open, which helps your credit score, without paying a yearly fee for it.
  • It doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee. Many credit cards charge a fee, often 3%, on foreign transactions. If you plan to study abroad or travel internationally at all, you can use this Discover card without paying extra.
  • Discover automatically waives your first late fee. Ideally, you'll never pay late -- I recommend setting up auto-pay or putting a monthly bill pay reminder on your phone. Still, it's nice that Discover cuts you some slack if you miss a credit card payment.

0% intro APR for purchases

Want to pay off something expensive -- like a semester's worth of books -- without costly interest charges? This Discover card has a 0% intro APR on purchases lasting 6 months. The go-to 17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR applies after the intro period. Here are a few things to keep in mind with this feature:

  • If you pay off your purchases within the first 6 months, you'll avoid interest.
  • Even when you're not getting charged interest, you still need to make minimum payments on your card every month.
  • You'll start getting charged interest on your balance once the intro period ends.
  • Only use this feature if you really need it. Don't get yourself in debt for no reason, just because your card has a 0% intro APR. 

RELATED: How Credit Card Interest Works

Free FICO® Score

As a Discover cardholder, you have access to its Credit Scorecard tool. This is available through the Discover mobile app and online. It gives you a detailed look at your FICO® Score, as well as the factors that are helping and hurting it.

This is a helpful feature for anyone, but especially those who are building credit for the first time. It's important to know your FICO® Score, because this is the type of credit score that's most widely used by lenders. Discover will also show you what you can do to improve it.

LEARN MORE: How to Establish Credit for the First Time

Identity alerts

Identity theft is a common financial crime. Discover offers tools that can help you catch it. When you open a Discover card, you can choose to activate the following alerts:

  • Social Security number alerts: Discover notifies you if your Social Security number is found on any of thousands of dark web sites.
  • New inquiry alerts: Discover monitors your Experian credit report every day. If anyone pulls your credit, Discover notifies you so you can spot potential fraud.
  • New account alerts: Discover notifies you if any credit card or loan accounts are opened on your Experian credit report. If anyone else opens an account in your name, this can help you spot it right away.

What could be improved

There aren't any major issues with the Discover it® Student Cash Back credit card, but there's one drawback worth mentioning.

No fixed bonus categories

The hard part with rotating bonus categories is that there aren't any areas where you can always earn more cash back throughout the year. For example, if you usually spend a lot on gas and groceries, you might rather have a card that earns more in those categories year-round.

With this card, one quarter you may luck out with bonus categories where you have high spending, earning you lots of rewards. The next quarter, you might end up with bonus categories in which you barely spend anything, and most of your purchases will earn you 1% back.

Suggested credit score

There's no minimum credit score needed to get the Discover it® Student Cash Back. Since it's a student credit card, you can qualify for it with no credit history.

MORE TOP PICKS: Best Student Credit Cards

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

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: 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% 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.

TIP

Motley Fool Money's student card essentials

When looking for the best student credit card, the most important features are no annual fee, free credit score tracking, and good customer service. That way, the cardholder has a secure way to pay and build their credit, without adding any unnecessary bills to their budget. Fortunately, you can find student cards with that and an array of other features, such as sign-up bonuses and cash back rewards.

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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The Discover it® Student Cash Back is right for you if:

You're looking for a credit card to use during college and beyond. To be honest, the Discover it® Student Cash Back is simply one of the best credit cards for students. It's one I've recommended to my own younger family members. In particular, you'll probably love it if:

  • You're looking for a first credit card that's easy to use and doesn't charge unnecessary fees.
  • You want to earn extra cash back in a variety of categories.
  • You need to pay off some big expenses over time.

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

  • The minimum starting credit limit for the Discover it® Student Cash Back is $500. Since this is a student credit card, many cardholders start out with lower credit limits of under $2,000. It is possible to get a higher limit, either starting out or after using the card, with some cardholders reporting limits of over $25,000. When your application is approved, Discover bases your credit limit on your income and creditworthiness.

  • No, the Discover it® Student Cash Back doesn't deposit cash back automatically. If you want to set up automatic cash back redemptions, you can, but only as a statement credit on your credit card bill every month. If you want to deposit it to a bank account, you need to do it manually. You can redeem your cash back any time and for any amount through your online account.

  • After you graduate from college, your Discover it® Student Cash Back becomes a standard credit card. You'll still keep the same cash back program and card design. Discover doesn't allow product changes from one card to another at this time, but you could apply for another Discover credit card if you want a new one.