The Discover it® Cash Back card offers a higher cash back rate in a broader range of popular spending categories that rotate quarterly — giving it the edge over the Discover it® Chrome card.
| Discover it® Cash Back | Discover it® Chrome | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up bonus | 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. | 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. Just a dollar-for-dollar match. |
| Rewards | Earn 5% cash back at different places each quarter up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases - automatically. | Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases - automatically. |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
| Intro purchase APR | 0% Intro APR for 15 months | 0% Intro APR for 6 months |
| Intro balance transfer APR | 0% Intro APR for 15 months | 0% Intro APR for 18 months |
| Regular APR | 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR | 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR |
| Credit needed | Good / Excellent | Good / Excellent |
Neither the Discover it® Cash Back card nor the Discover it® Chrome card offer a traditional sign-up bonus, which typically involves earning a lump sum of rewards after spending a specified amount during the first three months of card membership. Instead, both cards offer an unlimited cash back match at the end of your first year for new cardholders. For example, you could turn $150 cash back into $300.
Once you factor in the sign-up bonus, Discover it® Cash Back cardholders who maximize the bonus categories have the potential to earn $600 back at the end of the first year. On the other hand, Discover it® Chrome cardholders who reach the bonus spend cap each quarter can earn $160 back from those purchases at the end of the first year.
The key difference between these cards is the amount of cash back that they offer. The Discover it® Cash Back offers a bonus on rotating categories, while the Discover it® Chrome offers an ongoing bonus on gas and restaurant purchases. If you can take advantage of the earning categories each quarter, the Discover it® Cash Back card offers a far better annual return on spend than the Discover it® Chrome.
If you max out the Discover it® Cash Back card’s $1,500 spend cap each quarter, you stand to earn $300 back in a year from those purchases alone. By contrast, if you max out the $1,000 spend cap on gas station and restaurant purchases with the Discover it® Chrome card each quarter, you’ll earn only $80 in annual cash back.
Discover cash back calendar for 2025
| Quarter | Discover bonus categories |
|---|---|
| Q1: January through March | Restaurants, home improvement stores and select streaming services |
| Q2: April through June | TBA March 1 |
| Q3: July through September | TBA June 1 |
| Q4: October through December | TBA Sept. 1 |
Unlike many other credit card issuers, Discover doesn’t charge an annual fee on any of its credit cards. As a result, both the Discover it® Cash Back and the Discover it® Chrome come with $0 annual fees — making them cost-effective options to own.
Winner for intro APR on purchases: Discover it® Cash Back
When it comes to financing a large purchase, the Discover it® Cash Back is the clear winner. Its intro APR period on purchases is more than half a year longer than the Discover it® Chrome‘s offer. But when it comes to balance transfers, the Discover it® Chrome has the slight edge — offering an interest-free period that’s a few months longer than that of the Discover it® Cash Back.
| Intro APR on purchases | Intro APR on balance transfers | |
|---|---|---|
| Discover it® Cash Back | 0% Intro APR for 15 months, then 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR | 0% Intro APR for 15 months, then 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR |
| Discover it® Chrome | 0% Intro APR for 6 months, then 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR | 0% Intro APR for 18 months, then 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR |
See our top picks for 0% APR credit cards.
See our top picks for balance transfer credit cards.
If you want to earn a high cash back rate in popular categories that rotate each quarter, the Discover it® Cash Back card may be ideal. That is, as long as you don’t mind keeping track of spending caps or activating new bonus categories each quarter. Additionally, this card is the preferred choice for financing a large purchase because it offers a 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases, then 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR.
The Discover it® Chrome card is a better fit if you spend a large amount on gas station and restaurant purchases each quarter. That said, earning 2% cash back with a $1,000 quarterly cap isn’t all that enticing when there are other credit cards that offer unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase.
There are cards that offer a higher rate of cash back on gas and restaurant purchases. For example, the Citi Custom Cash® Card (which also has a $0 annual fee) offers 5% cash back on your highest eligible spending category each billing cycle up to $500, including gas.
It’s also worth noting that the Discover it® Cash Back is offering 5% cash back at restaurants (on up to $1,500) during the first quarter of 2025 (activation required). And there’s a good chance that they may offer the bonus rate at gas stations sometime during 2025 (they offered it during the second quarter of 2024).
“As someone who owns both the Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Chrome cards, I like that I can always get 2% cash back on gas and restaurant purchases (on up to $1,000 each quarter) with the Discover it® Chrome, which I use weekly. I use the Discover it® Cash Back strategically to maximize the quarterly bonus categories. For example, when warehouse clubs were included, I stocked up on our usual non-perishables from Sam’s Club.”
– Charlotte Zhang, credit cards writer at LendingTree
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Recommended Credit Credit scores ranges may vary. Your individual chance at approval may vary due to factors such as creditors using a particular variation at their discretion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card*
|
$200 Cash Back after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | 3% Cash Back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply), 8% Cash Back on Capital One Entertainment purchases, 1% Cash Back on all other purchases | Good / Excellent | ||
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card*
|
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months | Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases | Good / Excellent | ||
Chase Freedom Flex℠*
|
Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter. Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. | Good / Excellent | ||
Citi Custom Cash® Card*
|
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. | Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026. | Good / Excellent | ||
Chase Freedom Unlimited®*
|
Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. | Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases | Good / Excellent |
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply
The information related to the Discover it® Cash Back, Discover it® Chrome, Citi Custom Cash® Card, Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Prime Visa has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
