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The Discover it® Cash Back card is our pick for best Discover credit card. It’s a solid card for everyday purchases due to its $0 annual fee and high rewards earnings on popular rotating categories that can net you a generous stack of cash back in the first year.
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Discover it® Cash Back
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Winner
|
Unlimited Cashback Match
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.
| 1% - 5% cash back
| Good / Excellent |
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Discover it® Student Cash Back
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Best Discover student credit card
|
Unlimited Cashback Match
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. So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
| 1% - 5% cash back
| Limited / Fair |
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Discover card to build credit
|
Match all cash back
Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.
| 1% - 2% cash back
| Limited / Poor |
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Discover it® Miles
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Discover travel card
|
Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match
Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers—only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match. You could turn 35,000 Miles to 70,000 Miles.
| 1.5X Miles
1.5 Miles per dollar on all purchases.
| Good / Excellent |
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Discover it® Chrome
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Discover credit card for gas and dining
|
Unlimited Cashback Match
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.
| 1% - 2% cash back
| Good / Excellent |
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Discover it® Student Chrome
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
Gas and dining rewards for students
|
Unlimited Cashback Match
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. So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
| 1% - 2% cash back
| Limited / Fair |
Apply Now
on Discover's secure site Rates & Fees |
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Double your cash back in the first year
With the Discover it® Cash Back card, you’ll 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.
If you don’t mind dealing with rotating bonus categories, the Discover it® Cash Back offers the opportunity to earn a generous amount of cash back. If you max out the $1,500 spending cap each quarter, you’ll earn $300 back in a year. Once you factor in the Cashback Match sign-up bonus, that amount jumps to $600 after the first year of card membership.
This card also offers intro APRs on purchases and balance transfers for more than a year, which is good if you need time to pay off a big purchase or do a balance transfer from another card.
“The Discover it® Cash Back is one of the credit cards that I use to strategically maximize the cash back I get on my spending since it offers 5% cash back in quarterly rotating categories. I use this card for specific purchases that match the current bonus categories (like groceries, gas or Amazon) and then a 2% flat-rate cash back card for everything else. I usually redeem the cash back as statement credits, which allows a little more money to stay in my bank account.”
– Charlotte Zhang, credit cards writer at LendingTree
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Get 5% cash back on rotating categories
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.
The Discover it® Student Cash Back is our top student credit card pick, thanks to its high rewards earning rate in popular categories, low fees and the fact that no credit score is required to apply. As such, this is one of the best credit cards for beginners. Students who are starting out on their credit journey can build credit while getting rewarded for their spending and enjoying perks.
Several card features — including the intro APR on purchases and cash back match at the end of the first year — can help offset the cost of buying books or furnishing a dorm room or apartment.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
No credit score required to apply
Discover accepts applicants with limited / poor credit.
If you’re new to credit or you’ve made some mistakes in the past and need to rebuild your credit profile, the Discover it® Secured Credit Card is our pick for the best Discover card to build credit. This secured card can help you build or establish your credit with responsible card usage. It’s also the best Discover card for bad credit, since the security deposit makes it much easier to get approved.
There’s a $0 annual fee, but you will be required to submit a security deposit (ranging from $200 to $2,500) that will serve as your line of credit. After seven months, Discover will begin conducting monthly account reviews to see if you’re eligible to graduate to an unsecured card and get your deposit refunded.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
A simple travel rewards card that earns miles with every purchase
Earn 1.5 Miles per dollar on all purchases.
The Discover it® Miles lets you earn a flat cash back rate on every purchase, which can be used to help offset the cost of future travel. You’ll get 1.5 Miles per dollar on all purchases. And new cardholders receive an unlimited mile-for-mile match bonus at the end of their first year. While this card doesn’t allow you to transfer miles to travel partners, you can redeem your miles as cash back via an electronic deposit or for travel.
This is a solid starter travel credit card since it comes with a simple rewards structure, a $0 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees and an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for more than a year.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Up to 2% cash back on gas and dining
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.
The Discover it® Chrome is our pick for the best Discover card for gas and dining due to its simplicity, low fees and elevated rewards earning rate on both of those popular categories up to a quarterly cap of $1,000, plus the cash back match bonus after the first year for new cardholders.
The downside is that the quarterly cap is pretty low, maxing out your annual category rewards at $160 even with the year-end match. That means you might be able to earn more on other gas and dining credit cards with higher earning rates and less restrictive terms. Or, you could use one card for gas and one for dining to maximize earnings.
How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here. Apply Now
Elevated rewards at gas stations and restaurants
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.
If you’re a college student, this card provides a great opportunity to earn elevated rewards on gas and at restaurants, and it’s one of the best Discover credit cards for beginners. The Discover it® Student Chrome lets you 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.
This card also offers a 0% Intro APR for 6 months on purchases (followed by a 17.24% - 26.24% Variable APR. Plus, like other Discover cards, it comes with a generous sign-up bonus as a match of first-year earnings.
This card is good for financing college necessities such as a new computer or apartment furnishings. However, other cards do offer longer intro periods, so keep that in mind if this feature appeals to you.
Discover credit cards are good as they have relatively low fees and come with the ability to earn rewards on purchases, plus other perks. Each Discover card has a $0 annual fee and a popular sign-up bonus that matches all of the rewards you earn in your first year of card membership.
Discover is one of the top U.S. card issuers and offers top-notch customer service. In fact, it was ranked #2 among national credit card issuers in a recent credit card satisfaction survey by J.D. Power. Discover has 24/7 U.S.-based customer service, and if you lose your card, you can get a new card for free within six business days.
Discover credit cards can help you build credit from scratch as the card issuer reports to the three major credit bureaus. Discover also offers a free Credit Scorecard with a free FICO Score for all cardholders to allow you to monitor your credit easily.
If you travel frequently, Discover is a mixed bag. While Discover credit cards don’t charge foreign transaction fees, they aren’t accepted in every country. To see if Discover is accepted where you’re traveling, check out the Discover international credit card acceptance page.
Discover credit cards are accepted at 99% of U.S. establishments that accept credit cards.
Some Discover credit cards — including the Discover it® Cash Back and the Discover it® Student Cash Back — allow you to enroll in quarterly categories to earn bonus cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases per quarter. The Discover cash back calendar usually is published before the start of each quarter.
| January-March | April-June | July-September | October-December |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants, home improvement stores and select streaming services | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Discover offers a variety of rewards credit cards, so choose the best fit for you based on your ability to qualify, the rewards and perks offered, fees charged and any financial goals you have, such as credit building or rewards earning.
Which card can I qualify for?
There are many types of credit cards, and your credit score and history will be a big factor in determining which Discover card is right for you. Many Discover rewards cards require good to excellent credit, but those with bad or limited credit may qualify for the Discover it® Secured Credit Card. You don’t need a credit score to qualify for a Discover student credit card, but you must be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a college student.
How much are the fees?
Discover charges no annual fees or foreign transaction fees, but consider the potential cost of:
To avoid unnecessary fees, set up automatic bill payments and an alert to make sure you have funds for scheduled payments.
What rewards are offered?
If you spend a significant amount each month on groceries and gas, you should look at a card that offers an elevated rewards rate on those purchases, such as the Discover it® Chrome. On the other hand, if your spending tends to fluctuate, you might want to consider the Discover it® Cash Back card, which offers elevated rewards in rotating quarterly categories. Keep in mind that you have to activate the quarterly categories for the higher rewards rate.
If you travel frequently or don’t want to keep track of rotating categories or spending caps, the Discover it® Miles travel credit card, which offers flat-rate rewards on every purchase, may be a better choice.
Is there an intro APR on purchases or balance transfers?
If you need to make a large purchase and pay it off over time, a credit card that offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for at least a year is ideal. Or, if you need to transfer high-interest debt from an existing credit card, you’ll want to consider a card that offers a long interest-free period on balance transfers. The Discover it® Cash Back, Discover it® Chrome and Discover it® Miles all have a promotional APR on purchases and balance transfers, while the Discover it® Student Cash Back offers one on purchases.
No, Discover credit cards don’t charge foreign transaction fees.
You can close your Discover credit card account by calling the number on the back of your card and informing the customer service department that you want to cancel the account. Note that you’ll still be responsible for paying any outstanding balance, and any unused rewards may be voided when you close the account.
That said, you should avoid closing credit card accounts whenever possible, since the length of your credit history is the third most important factor impacting your credit score.
Discover offers a variety of credit cards for people with all levels of credit — ranging from credit cards for bad credit or no credit history to rewards cards for applicants with excellent credit scores.
You can get a Discover credit card by successfully applying online or calling 800-DISCOVER.
To do a Discover balance transfer, you must contact the card issuer. For new Discover cards, this can be requested during the application process. If you have an existing Discover card, you can request a transfer by logging in to your online account or calling the number on the back of your card.
To select the best Discover credit cards, we use an objective rating and ranking system that compares features across a large set of credit cards (over 200 of them from over 50 issuers). We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Depending on the category, we also look at the flexibility of rewards, features for building credit and how the card’s overall list of benefits compares to other cards.
Note that our ratings are a starting point for comparing and choosing the best credit card. However, your needs may be different from the average cardholder’s. You should consider the amount you’re likely to spend in a card’s rewards categories and which benefits you value to choose the best card for you.
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.
