Discover credit card offers
Discover is known for its 100% USA-based customer service, often receiving top marks on surveys by consumer groups. All cards in Discover’s portfolio offer rewards in the form of cash back or miles. Some cash-back cardholders have the potential to earn even more thanks to revolving quarterly categories that provide as high as 5% cash back on categories that range from gas to restaurants and much more. And, thanks to Discover’s Cashback Match™ program, eligible new cardholders could earn up to 10% cash back in those categories during the first year.
Although it’s known for credit cards, Discover is also a bank. Or if you prefer, an all-services financial company. If you go to Discover.com, you’ll quickly discover that you can get credit cards, do online banking, apply for student loans, personal loans and home loans.
In some ways, Discover is fairly new and doesn’t have a storied history, though if you want and look through at the bank through a narrow prism, you can go back a long way to its origins.
Sears actually created Discover in 1985, but Sears, of course, has been around for a long time. It was founded in 1893. Also in 1985, Discover purchased The Greenworld Trust Company, a financial institution that was founded in 1911.
Still, for all practical purposes, Discover has been on the map since 1985. Compared to other banks, Discover is a toddler.
Fun fact about Discover: Granted, this isn’t the trudge through the blizzard to get my money story, but it’s worth noting that if you like to find credit cards without an annual fee, you can sort of thank Discover for that, even if you don’t have a Discover credit card.
When it first came on the scene, Discover didn’t have annual fees – and it offered a larger credit limit than its competitors. So suddenly consumers were quite interested in Discover, and competing credit issuers started, on some and then many cards, scrapping their annual fee.
To this day, Discover credit cards don’t have annual fees.
Sometimes, annual fees are completely worth it. If the rewards are incredible, you can easily justify spending the annual fee. But thanks to Discover, these days, if you’re asking people to apply for a credit card that includes an annual fee, you need to demonstrate to a skeptical consumer that it’s worth paying for.
CardRatings has named several Discover credit cards to its best credit cards of 2021 lists, including:
- Discover it® Cash Back – Best Discover Card for Cash Back
- Discover it® chrome – Best Discover Card for Balance Transfers
- Discover it® Miles – Best Discover Card for Travel
- Discover it® Student chrome – Best Discover Card for Students
What are Discover Credit Card Benefits?
A lot of the perks, which are increasingly becoming common on other credit cards, such as extended warranties and travel accident insurance, are not to be found with Discover. But there are still some good reasons, beyond rewards and welcome offers, to get a Discover credit card. A few standouts include…
No annual fees. As you know, unless you skimmed the above and just landed here, not one Discover credit card has an annual fee. They do not exist at Discover. That’s a big reason to pay attention to the card.
No foreign transaction fees. No Discover card has these either. If you travel internationally, whether it’s Discover or another credit card, you should take a credit card that doesn’t have a foreign transaction fee. Your trip will be cheaper.
No over the limit fees. That’s another big reason to consider Discover.
Freeze It®. Discover makes a big deal about how it protects consumers from fraud, and that you’re never responsible for unauthorized purchases made on your Discover card. Which is great – but generally, that’s the case for all credit cards. They’re all pretty excellent about making sure people aren’t stuck with the bill if a criminal gets hold of a credit card. That said, Discover’s Freeze It® is a helpful feature that should make cardholders feel secure. You can freeze your account whenever you want, within seconds, on Discover’s mobile app or website, to prevent new purchases on your account.
Is It Hard to Qualify for a Discover Card?
You’re asking the question because you want to know if Discover is going to say yes – or no. Suddenly, you’re back in your eighth-grade gym, and the music of your youth is playing, and you’re looking at the special someone and wondering if you should ask, “May I have this dance?”
Unfortunately, there’s no way to say whether this Discover card that you’re interested in is going to be glad you came a-calling, or if you’re going to get a rejection letter that basically says, “Let’s remain friends – who never communicate with each other.”
It all comes down to your charm and personality – well, actually, okay, none of that. It all comes down to your credit score. If it’s an attractive credit score, Discover is going to happily go out on the floor with you, and if it’s not so hot, Discover may take a polite pass.
That said, if Discover takes a pass, you may want to apply for its Discover it® Secured Credit Card . You’ll have to put down a refundable security deposit, but at least you will be able to have that dance.
What Is the Best Discover Credit Card?
If you’ve been searching high and low for the best Discover credit cards, your days and nights of exploration is over. We’ll offer them up, right here.
Best Discover Credit Card for Cash Back
Discover it® Cash Back
The first thing you’ll notice is the generous unlimited cashback match offer for new cardholders. Whatever you earn the first year of your account, Discover will automatically match it back.
This means, if you earn $200 in cash back your first year, Discover will match another $200 at the end of the year.
So how do you get cash back in the first place? It plays out this way:
You’ll receive 5% cash back each quarter in rotating categories you sign up for (up to $1,500) on categories such as Amazon.com, the supermarket, gas stations, restaurants and so on.
On everything else, you’ll get an unlimited 1% cash back.
There is no annual fee, but as we’ve noted before, no Discover credit card has an annual fee.
Best Discover Card for Balance Transfers
Discover it® chrome
This card offers a bit of everything. There’s a 0% intro APR for 15 months on new purchases and balance transfers (then, 12.74% - 23.74% Variable APR).
There’s cash back galore – you’ll earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases every quarter. After that, it’s an unlimited 1% cash back on anything else you buy.
There’s that incredible welcome offer, where you get an unlimited cash back match. Whatever you earn in your first year, Discover will match it at the end of the year.
If you earn $11 (hmmm, you weren’t trying very hard), Discover will give you another $11. If you earn $200 cash back (ah, that’s better), Discover will give you another $200.
All in all, this is a very good credit card that almost defies description.
Best Discover Travel Credit Card
Discover it® Miles
Yes, it’s been harder than ever to travel lately during these pandemic-addled times, but Discover it® Miles, at least, makes it easier and certainly cheaper.
For starters, there’s the unlimited bonus. Where some other Discover credit cards will do cashback matches, this one matches the miles you earn your first year.
Plus, every dollar you spend, you’ll get 1.5x miles.
If you’re looking for a no-frills travel card, the flat rate of rewards makes this card one of the simplest to manage. if you’re planning to travel abroad, however, you might want to check beforehand whether Discover cards are frequently accepted in the area you’re traveling too. One other downfall is that this card doesn’t include a lot of the travel benefits you’ll get with other travel rewards cards.
So overall, yes, this is a great credit card for travel – international, too. There’s no foreign transaction fee. Or, as duly noted, no annual fee.
Best Discover Student Credit Card
Discover it® Student chrome
This is one of the best student credit cards out there (Discover it® Student Cash Back is also a winner). For starters, a lot of student credit cards don’t offer much in the way of rewards, but this one does. You’ll get an unlimited cashback match offer your first year. So let’s say at the end of your first year, you’ve earned $212 in cash back. Well, Discover will match it with another $212.
So how do you get that cash back in the first place? Whip out your card at gas stations and restaurants, and you’ll earn 2% cash back – up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. On anything else you use your card for, you’ll get 1% cash back.
Along with no annual fee, you’ll get a 0% intro APR on purchases for the first six months, then 13.74% - 22.74% Variable APR. So if you carry some debt from month to month – during those first six months – you won’t be charged interest. Still, get in the habit of paying off your debt in full every month. Carrying revolving debt is an expensive way to live.
