Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

This device is too small

If you're on a Galaxy Fold, consider unfolding your phone or viewing it in full screen to best optimize your experience.

Skip to main content

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

Review Updated
Matt Frankel, CFP®
By: Matt Frankel, CFP®

Our Credit Cards Expert

Nathan Alderman
Check IconFact Checked Nathan Alderman
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 our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

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. But it's not just a great cash back card -- take a look at all its perks in our Discover it® Cash Back review.

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner
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)
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

17.24% - 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 17.24% to 28.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
    • No annual fee.
    • Terms and conditions apply.

Full Discover it® Cash Back review

This card is a fit for: Cardholders who are fee-adverse and want the best of both worlds, including high rewards rates for an array of purchases and a long intro APR offer.

Top perks

Earn up to 5% cash back

This card's killer feature is that cardholders can earn a 5% Cashback Bonus®, up to a quarterly maximum 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 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 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.

Learn more: How to Redeem Rewards on Discover Credit Cards

0% intro APR for purchases

This card blends the features of a rewards card and a 0% intro APR card, offering 15 months of 0% intro APR on purchases. The go-to 17.24% - 28.24% Variable APR applies after the 0% intro APR expires.

0% intro APR for balance transfers

The card also offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months. The go-to 17.24% - 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.

No foreign transaction fees

The Discover it® Cash Back 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.

Learn more: Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

Other benefits

Discover credit cards all pack in a lineup of secondary perks that are worth reviewing, including the following:

  • Flexible cash back redemptions: Discover it® Cash Back offers redemption methods where you can redeem your rewards in amounts as little as $0.01. This makes it ideal for even smaller spenders, who might otherwise have to wait months to accrue enough rewards to top the $25 or $50 minimum redemption requirement of other rewards cards. Cash back can be redeemed many ways, including for statement credits, bank transfer, and gift cards.
  • FICO® Score for free: Cardholders get access to a real FICO® Score for free to monitor their credit history.
  • No penalty APR: If you happen to miss a payment, Discover won't increase your APR as a penalty.
  • First late payment fee waiver: While it's not good to miss payments, particularly to maintain a good credit score, Discover will waive your first late payment fee.

Read more: A Complete Guide to Discover Credit Card Benefits

Compared to other top credit cards

  • This card: Discover it® Cash Back
  • Longer balance transfer period: Discover it® Balance Transfer
  • Easier to qualify for: Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
As of Nov. 27, 2023
Image for
Image for
Image for
Discover it® Cash Back Discover it® Balance Transfer Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
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
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

Credit Rating Requirement: 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)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: 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)

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Credit Rating Requirement: 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 (300-669)

Fair (300-669)

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.

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.

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Cash Back

Cash Back

Rewards Program: 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

Rewards Program: 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% cash back

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply.

1.5%-5% cash back

Intro APR:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Intro APR:

Purchases: 0%, 6 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 18 months

Intro APR:

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR:

17.24% - 28.24% Variable APR

Regular APR:

17.24% - 28.24% Variable APR

Regular APR:

30.74% (Variable)

Annual Fee:

$0

Annual Fee:

$0

Annual Fee:

$39

Highlights:

  • 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 17.24% to 28.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
  • No annual fee.
  • Terms and conditions apply.

Highlights:

  • 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.
  • Your account may not always be eligible for balance transfers. Balance transfer eligibility is determined at Discover’s discretion.
  • 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.
  • Terms and conditions apply.

Highlights:

  • Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
  • No rotating categories or limits to how much you can earn, and cash back doesn't expire for the life of the account. It's that simple
  • Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months
  • Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
  • Help strengthen your credit for the future with responsible card use
  • Enjoy up to 6 months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
  • Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
  • Monitor your credit score with CreditWise from Capital One. It's free for everyone
  • Check out quickly and securely with a contactless card, without touching a terminal or handing your card to a cashier. Just hover your card over a contactless reader, wait for the confirmation, and you're all set
Show More Arrow graphic to expand and collapse content Show Less Arrow graphic to expand and collapse content

What could be improved

Balance transfer fee

The Discover it® Cash Back charges a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. While most balance transfer credit cards charge a similar fee, it's a fee nonetheless.

Cash back bonus isn't automatic

While the 5% Cashback Bonus® on rotating spending categories each quarter is a nice perk, it's important to realize it doesn't happen automatically. Cardmembers must manually activate their cash back bonus categories each quarter before those rewards start to accumulate. It's also important to keep in mind the quarterly spending cap.

Find the best credit card for your needs

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

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 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.

Want more information? Read our complete guide to the credit score you need for a Discover credit card.

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

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: Given that Discover it® Cash Back's bonus categories have included everyday essentials, spending heavily in them will be very easy for some to accomplish.
  • 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 issuers 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. 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. Better yet, the card has no foreign transaction fee.

Our Credit Cards Experts