Finding the best cash back credit cards can be daunting. With so many rewards credit cards to choose from, and with multiple card issuers offering competitive rewards and benefits, finding the right one for you can be difficult.
Discover offers a variety of cash back credit cards, including the popular Discover it® Cash Back. If you want one card to last long, there are plenty of reasons to choose it over others. Here are three reasons why we love this card — and why you might, too.
1. Rotation rewards that can be maximized One of the great things about this card is the way it hands out rewards. When you sign up for Discover it Cash Back, you'll earn 5% back on up to $1,500 you spend in rotating categories (activation required) each quarter, and you'll earn 1% back thereafter.
Note: The issuer now announces its featured bonus categories quarterly in its cashback calendar, rather than all at once as in the past.
Discover customers must activate the 5% tier each quarter to begin earning rewards. If you want to maximize your card rotation, we recommend setting a calendar reminder to activate at the beginning of each quarter.
Once enabled, hitting the $1,500 spending cap should be fairly manageable, especially since Discover always includes categories that consumers can easily take advantage of, such as grocery, gas, Target, and digital wallet purchases.
2. Cashback match. Another reason to sign up for Discover it Cash Back is the Cashback Match program. The program basically doubles any rewards you earn after the first year, no matter how much you spend and how much cash back you earn.
Let's look at an example to see how much rewards you can earn with cash back matching. When you reach the bonus tier spend cap of $1,500 per quarter, you'll receive $75 cash back every three months.
You spend an extra $1,000 on the card every month, which brings in a total of $120 over 12 months. At the end of the first year, you'll get $420 in cash-back rewards, and Discover will double that to $840 without any extra work on your part.
3. Introducing APR Offers. While Discover it Cash Back is best known for its rewards program, the card also offers a nice introductory APR deal for over a year.
New customers who sign up for the card get 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, with subsequent variable APRs ranging from 16.49% to 27.49%.
This makes Discover it Cash Back a great option if you want to pay interest-free over time for a large purchase (like a new washing machine or living room couch) or if you want to consolidate and pay back accumulated from other high-value loans Debt - Interest on debt cards.
Why You Should Consider Another Cash Back Credit Card. Discover it Cash Back is great in every way, especially as a card with no annual fee, but there are some areas where it might fall behind other cards.
In fact, Discover it Cash Back is only worth it if you put in the time and effort to activate and maximize your rotating bonus categories. If you don't, you'll have a hard time experiencing the card's benefits.
Also note that Discover it Cash Back doesn't have a traditional sign-up bonus, which can be a bit of a hassle. You basically get double the rewards at the end of your first year, but that's unlike other credit cards that offer cash back on $200 or more if you meet the minimum spending requirements in the first few months.
Compared to these cards, which have an easier introductory bonus, the Discover it Cash Back requires more effort from cardholders to earn the $200 first-year bonus. If you don't want to bother, look for a card where the welcome offer is simpler and achievable with spending goals.
Another thing to consider is that the length of the introductory APR offer is not as attractive as some other rewards cards. In fact, there are many cash back credit cards that give you an introductory 0% APR on purchases or balance transfers for 18 months or more. For example, the Citi® Double Cash Card offers an 18-month introductory period of 0% APR on deposit transfers (variable APR from 18.49% to 28.49% thereafter).
So if you have significant credit card debt that could take longer than a few months to pay off (check out our balance transfer calculator to see exactly how long it will take), we recommend switching to a balance transfer credit card. Some of these cards even offer 0% APR over 18 months, giving you more time to pay off your debt.
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If you'd like to earn 5% cash back with no annual fee and don't mind organizing your purchases into rotating reward categories to receive them, then Discover it Cash Back might be the card of your dreams.
Regardless, there are many great cash back credit cards on the market today, but that doesn't mean there's a "best" card for everyone. Some cards are better suited to different needs than others, so do some research and compare credit cards before making a decision.