Best Discover credit cards of July 2024
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BLUEPRINT
Updated 5:09 a.m. UTC July 1, 2024
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Discover is an online bank that offers a variety of credit cards with no annual or foreign transaction fees to qualifying consumers. The best Discover credit cards offer cash back on your spending and an unlimited cash-back match at the end of your first year.
Unlike some other credit card companies, Discover offers some cards designed specifically for students or individuals with bad or no credit. Hockey fans may also appreciate the chance to design their cash back card with their favorite NHL team’s logo.
We took a deep dive into all the credit cards Discover offers to help you determine which card, if any, is right for you. Read on for a closer look at rewards, annual percentage rates (APR), and more.
Best Discover credit cards
- Discover it® Cash Back: Best for earning cash back.
- Discover it® Student Cash Back: Best for students to earn cash back in alternating categories.
- Discover it® Student Chrome: Best for students to earn cash back at a flat rate.
- Discover it® Secured Credit Card: Best for bad credit.
- Discover it® Miles: Best for travel rewards.
- Discover it® Chrome: Best for cash back at gas stations and restaurants.
Why trust our credit card experts
Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of credit cards and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best card for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.
- 7 cards analyzed.
- 5+ data points analyzed.
- 5-step fact-checking process.
Best for earning cash back
Discover it® Cash Back
Best for students to earn cash back in alternating categories
Discover it® Student Cash Back
Best for students to earn cash back at a flat rate
Discover it® Student Chrome
Best for bad credit
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Best for travel rewards
Discover it® Miles
Best for cash back at gas stations and restaurants
Discover it® Chrome
Compare the best Discover credit cards
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.
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! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200. There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
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! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200. There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match – 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.
UNLIMITED BONUS: 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. You could turn 35,000 Miles to 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match
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. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
Why this card made the list
This no-annual-fee card offers 5% cash back on purchases at different places each quarter up to $1,500 spent each quarter when activated and 1% cash back on all other purchases. At the end of your first year, Discover will automatically match your rewards.If you’re a hockey fan, you can also opt for NHL® Discover It® Credit Card * The information for the NHL® Discover It® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , which works the same as the Discover it® Cash Back, but lets you choose among 32 NHL teams for your card design.
- Annual fee: $0.
- Rewards: 5% cash back on purchases at different places each quarter up to $1,500 spent each quarter when activated and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Welcome bonus: Discover will automatically match all the cash back earned at the end of the first cardmember year.
- Foreign transaction fees: None.
- Other benefits and drawbacks: The Discover it® Cash Back offers decent rewards on your everyday purchases, but you’ll need to put in a little legwork to maximize your points. The card earns 5% cash back on purchases at different places each quarter up to $1,500 spent each quarter when activated and 1% cash back on all other purchases. As with other Discover credit cards, you don’t have to worry about any annual fees or foreign transaction fees.
Why this card made the list
Students, who typically have limited credit histories, may find it challenging to qualify for a rewards card. But the Discover it® Student Cash Back is tailor-made for this purpose. It’s possible to get approved without a credit score and you’ll earn rewards too.
- Annual fee: $0.
- Rewards: 5% cash back at different places each quarter up to the quarterly maximum once activated and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Welcome bonus: Discover will automatically match all the cash back earned at the end of the first cardmember year.
- Foreign transaction fees: None.
- Other benefits and drawbacks: The Discover it® Student Cash Back offers the opportunity for students to access credit without having a credit score. As with the Discover it® Student Cash Back, this student card earns 5% cash back at different places each quarter up to the quarterly maximum once activated and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Busy students, however, might not appreciate having to activate the bonus categories each quarter.
Why this card made the list
For students who find remembering to activate categories each quarter too cumbersome, the Discover it® Student Chrome has a simpler proposition. It earns elevated cash back at gas stations and restaurants up to the $1,000 quarterly maximum and all other spending earns 1%.
- Annual fee: $0.
- Rewards: 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Welcome bonus: Discover will automatically match all the cash back earned at the end of the first cardmember year.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
- Other benefits and drawbacks: The Discover it® Student Chrome might be a better option for students who want to earn rewards without having to activate bonus categories each quarter. This card automatically earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter and 1% cash back on all other purchases. As with Discover’s other credit card offerings, this card comes with an unlimited cash-back match at the end of your first year. For example, if you earned $50 in rewards during your first year, that would become $100 with Discover’s match.
Why this card made the list
The Discover it® Secured Credit Card ticks all the boxes for what you should look for in a secured card: No annual or account opening fees and the potential to “graduate” to an unsecured version with consistent on-time payment behavior. The rewards are just the cherry on top.
- Annual fee: $0.
- Rewards: 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Welcome bonus: Discover will automatically match all the cash back earned at the end of the first cardmember year.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
- Other benefits and drawbacks: The Discover it® Secured Credit Card reports to all three major credit bureaus, so you can use it to rebuild credit or establish it from scratch with on-time payments. As with other secured cards, you’ll need to provide a security deposit upfront. After that, you can use this card like a traditional credit card and earn rewards along the way, as well as Discover’s cash-back match at the end of your first year.
Why this card made the list
Discover’s travel card might be a good fit for consumers who want a no-annual-fee travel card with flexible redemption options. There’s no limit to the number of miles you can earn and you can redeem your miles for cash back or a statement credit toward travel purchases.
- Annual fee: $0.
- Rewards: 1.5 miles per $1 on purchases.
- Welcome bonus: Discover will automatically match all miles earned at the end of the first cardmember year.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
- Other benefits and drawbacks: The simple value proposition is likely to appeal to occasional travelers who don’t want to track rewards categories and want easy-to-earn easy-to-use rewards towards travel. But there are cash-back cards that earn a flat 2% back on all spending, which can be used on travel or any way you’d like.
Why this card made the list
Aimed at those who want simple and elevated rewards on gas and dining, and don’t want to shell out for an annual fee, the Discover it® Chrome earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Annual fee: $0.
- Rewards: 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Welcome bonus: Discover will automatically match all the cash back earned at the end of the first cardmember year.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
- Other benefits and drawbacks: Although there are other cards on the market that offer cash back on all spending, not just gas and restaurants, one major benefit of this card is that you can redeem your rewards in any amount, at any time, without having to wait to accrue a certain amount.
Methodology
Our credit cards team has spent hours analyzing hundreds of credit cards. We took a deep dive into the details of each Discover card currently available and that analysis, combined with our years of experience covering credit cards, informed us as we developed these credit card rankings.
Should you get a Discover credit card?
Discover credit cards share a number of features that might appeal to you, including no annual fees, foreign transaction fees, or penalty fees on your first late payment. Plus, Discover cards come with other benefits, including a $0 fraud liability guarantee, online privacy protection, and a free FICO score.
You may also appreciate that Discover’s credit cards come with 24/7 access to its U.S.-based customer service team. Discover consistently ranks high for customer service, coming in at #2 on J.D. Power’s 2022 credit card customer satisfaction survey.
Students and poor- or no-credit borrowers might also like Discover’s student and secured credit card options, which offer generous perks and the ability to apply without a credit score. Opening one of these cards can help you build credit, as long as you make on-time payments.
If you have good or excellent credit, it might be worth shopping around with other credit card issuers to see if you can find higher rewards rates or bonus perks. If you’re looking for luxury travel benefits, such as lounge access or priority boarding, you’d be better off with Chase, American Express, or another credit card company.
Guide to Discover credit cards
About Discover’s reward program
Discover’s credit cards earn cash back or miles with flexible redemption options. You can typically redeem your rewards as a direct deposit into your bank account, a statement credit, or toward Pay by Points on Amazon or Paypal. Discover’s travel card lets you redeem your miles for cash back or as statement credits toward travel purchases. Whether you opt for a cash back or travel card, the points you earn will never expire.
Which Discover card is right for you?
Discover offers a variety of credit cards to suit consumers with different needs. Here are some tips for choosing the right card.
- If you’re a student: Look into Discover it® Student Cash Back or Discover it® Student Chrome.
- If you have poor or no credit: Explore the Discover it® Secured Credit Card.
- If you want to maximize your cash back: Consider the Discover it® Cash Back.
- If you don’t want to worry about rotating rewards categories: Check out the Discover it® Chrome.
If you’re a frequent traveler: Look into Discover it® Miles.
Ultimately, the right card is the one that will earn you the most rewards based on your spending habits.
How to compare Discover Cards
Discover credit cards share a lot of the same feature. None of them charge annual fees or foreign transaction fees and they all come with Discover’s cash-back match welcome bonus. When comparing cards, however, look for some of the main differences, including the following:
- Annual percentage rate.
- Whether the card has a 0% APR introductory period.
- Rewards and whether you need to activate spending categories .
- Spending caps on bonus rewards rate categories.
- Credit requirements to qualify for the card .
Comparing these features can help you find the card that’s the best fit for you.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Discover is a credible credit card company. It has been issuing credit cards since 1985 and consistently ranks highly on J.D. Power’s credit card customer satisfaction survey.
You likely need a good credit history to qualify for one of Discover’s non-student unsecured credit cards, such as its Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Miles. However, Discover it® Student Cash Back, Discover it® Student Chrome and Discover it® Secured Credit Card don’t require any credit to apply. These cards are available to borrowers with bad or no credit and can help you build credit or establish it from scratch with on-time payments.
Discover may automatically consider your account for a credit limit increase periodically. You can also call Discover’s customer service and request an evaluation of your account if you need a credit limit increase.
*The information for the NHL® Discover It® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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