BEST DISCOVER CREDIT CARDS OF JUNE 2024

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Best Student Card for Gas and Restaurants: Discover it® Student Chrome

Why we chose it: If you’re a full-time student, chances are you spend a fair amount of money on gas and restaurants. The Discover it® Student Chrome earns 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1%), which makes it a great fit for many students. Read our Discover it® Student Chrome review.

A Closer Look at the Best Discover Credit Cards

Best Rotating Category Card: Discover it® Cash Back

Why we love this card: With the Discover it® Cash Back, you can earn 5% cash back on activated bonus categories that rotate quarterly (up to $1,500 in quarterly spending, then 1%). The best part about Discover’s rotating categories is that they frequently include places you shop anyway, making the card a rewarding tool in your wallet.

Who should have this in their wallet: The value-seeking rewards optimizer should have this card in their wallet. You can use the Discover it® Cash Back to earn extra cash back in bonus categories, or you can use it strategically to augment the earnings on your other cards. For example, if you have another card that caps grocery rewards, you could shift your grocery store spending to the Discover it® Cash Back when grocery stores are offered as a bonus category.

Other cards to consider: If you like earning 5% cash back in rotating categories, the Chase Freedom Flex® is an essential card for its similar rotating category structure, and the Citi Custom Cash® Card is Citi’s take on the rotating category concept.

Best for Gas and Restaurant Spending: Discover it® Chrome

Why we love this card: If you spend a moderate amount on dining out and fueling your car each month, getting additional rewards on that spending can help you stretch your dollars. With the first-year Cashback Match welcome offer, you’re getting an effective 4% cash back in these categories.

Who should have this in their wallet: Anyone who dines out will enjoy the additional rewards offered by the Discover it® Chrome. If you visit restaurants a few times a month, using your Discover it® Chrome card can earn you more rewards than most other cash back cards—at least in your first year of card ownership.

Other cards to consider: After the first year, the Discover it® Chrome card isn’t a great option, and you might want to consider another card for dining or gas long-term. The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is the natural alternative thanks to its 3X rewards rate on restaurants and gas purchases.

Best for Spending Everywhere Else: Discover it® Miles

Why we love this card: Although it’s a travel card that earns miles, the Discover it® Miles is useful as a general-purpose card since miles can be redeemed for cash back. This makes the Discover it® Miles effectively a 1.5% cash back card (and a 3% cash back card in the first year, thanks to Discover’s Cashback Match).

Who should have this in their wallet: The busy professional seeking simplicity will enjoy the Discover it® Miles’s flat rewards rate. But rewards optimizers can also make use of the card to increase the rewards they earn on purchases outside the bonus categories offered by their other cards.

Other cards to consider: What’s better than 1.5% rewards everywhere? 2% rewards everywhere. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns 2% cash rewards on purchases, and the Citi Double Cash® Card earns up to 2% cash back—1% back when you make your purchase and 1% back when you pay your bill.

Best for NHL Fans: NHL® Discover it® Credit Card

Why we love this card: Many team-branded credit cards offer only mediocre rewards, but that’s not the case with the NHL® Discover it® Credit Card. In fact, you’ll earn the same rewards rate as the non-branded Discover it® Cash Back—5% cash back on activated, rotating bonus categories (up to $1,500 in quarterly spending, then 1% back).

Who should have this in their wallet: The NHL fan who doesn’t want to sacrifice rewards should opt for their team’s variant of the NHL® Discover it® Credit Card.

Other cards to consider: If you’re an NHL fan, you might be interested in cards that can give you additional rewards on entertainment purchases, like tickets to NHL games. If you’re a fan who goes to every game, you can earn 4% cash back on entertainment with the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card (which charges a $95 annual fee). If you want a card that offers rewards on entertainment spending with no annual fee, consider the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card.

The information about the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Newsweek Vault. The issuer did not provide the content, nor is it responsible for its accuracy.

Best Secured Card: Discover it® Secured Credit Card

Why we love this card: The unfortunate reality of secured credit cards is that many of them are high-fee products that offer limited consumer benefits—this is not so with the Discover it® Secured Credit Card. The Discover it® Secured Credit Card carries no annual fee, earns modest rewards on spending and offers a path to an unsecured card once you’ve established a good credit score.

Who should have this in their wallet: If you’re looking to build or rebuild your credit and can’t qualify for an unsecured credit card, the Discover it® Secured Credit Card is a genuinely good alternative. The Discover it® Secured Credit Card offers an option to build a positive credit history and transition to an unsecured credit card after establishing a history of responsible credit use.

Other cards to consider: Are you looking for another no-annual-fee secured card that offers a path to an unsecured card at a major bank? If so, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card and U.S. Bank Cash+® Secured Visa® Card are two other cards to consider.

Best Student Card With Rotating Categories: Discover it® Student Cash Back

Why we love this card: The downside to many student cards is that they offer fewer rewards and benefits than comparable non-student cards. We love seeing cards like the Discover it® Student Cash Back break this trend, which offers all of the rewards and benefits of the standard Discover it® Cash Back.

Who should have this in their wallet: The savvy student spender will enjoy earning high rewards in bonus categories that rotate each quarter. Some commonly offered bonus categories (like wholesale clubs) may be less relevant to students, but most students can get plenty of additional rewards from categories like grocery stores, restaurants, digital wallets, gas stations, public transit and Walmart—all of which were highlighted categories within the past year.

Other cards to consider: Other student cards that we like include the Capital One Quicksilver Student Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Freedom Rise℠. Both of these cards offer 1.5% cash back rewards with no annual fee, though the Capital One card offers a modest welcome bonus, while the Chase card gives you a small bonus for enrolling in automatic payments.

Best Student Card for Gas and Restaurants: Discover it® Student Chrome

Why we love this card: As a student, you’re unlikely to be spending large amounts of money on home improvement projects or luxury travel, and if you’re living in a dorm, your grocery purchases are probably limited. The Discover it® Student Chrome earns rewards you can use without adding complexity to your wallet.

Who should have this in their wallet: The commuting student or the student away at college should get the Discover it® Student Chrome, as they can earn 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter (then 1% back).

Other cards to consider: We like the Chase Freedom Rise thanks to its 1.5% cash back rate and lack of an annual fee. If you’re spending a lot at grocery stores, consider the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns 3% cash back at grocery stores and a handful of other categories.

What Are the Benefits of Discover Credit Cards?

Discover credit cards typically offer decent cash back compared to other credit cards. Within Discover’s portfolio of cards, you’ll find cards offering:

• 5% cash back on rotating categories
• A dollar-for-dollar Cashback Match in the first year
• Cash back cards for students with no credit score
• A secured credit line with rewards on purchases

One unique feature of Discover credit cards is that you can get cash at the register at many merchants with no fee. Discover considers getting cash at checkout a purchase, so you won’t be charged any cash advance fees on up to $120 in cash every 24 hours. Like other purchases, the cash you take out has a payment grace period. As long as you pay your card balance in full by your statement due date each month, you won’t pay interest.

Pros and Cons of Discover Credit Cards

What Credit Score Do You Need for a Discover Credit Card?

Discover doesn’t publish a required credit score, but it does advise you can get approved with a good credit score. According to FICO, 670 or higher is considered a good credit score. Other factors that Discover may consider in your credit application include:

• Income
• Housing information
• Student status

Some of Discover’s credit card products, like its student credit cards and secured credit card, are available to consumers who have no credit score.

What Are Discover Credit Card Interest Rates?

Discover credit cards currently offer variable interest rates on purchases ranging from 18.24% to 28.24%. These interest rates vary by card, with student credit cards having a slightly smaller interest rate range and the secured card having a single, higher interest rate.

Here are the standard variable purchase APRs for the Discover cards featured in this article:

How Do I Choose the Best Discover Credit Card for Me?

Discover offers seven different credit cards, all with rewards and no annual fee. Finding the right Discover card for you will be a question of which cards are available to you and how well the rewards match up with your spending patterns.

Spending Patterns

If your spending trends toward categories like grocery stores, restaurants, wholesale clubs, Target and Amazon.com—which have historically been featured as Discover it® Cash Back bonus categories—the Discover it® Cash Back might be your best option. If you spend more on dining and gas, you might prefer the Discover it® Chrome.

Credit Score

If you have an excellent credit score, you can probably get approved for most Discover credit cards. But if you have a limited credit history or are rebuilding your credit, you might be limited to the student or secured credit cards. Fortunately, Discover’s secured credit card is an excellent product, and Discover will begin automatically reviewing your account after seven months to see if you qualify to upgrade to an unsecured credit card.

Full-Time Student Status

If you’re a student with a limited credit history, you can apply for the Discover it® Student Cash Back or the Discover it® Student Chrome. Both of these cards are available exclusively to students and offer access to credit even if you have no credit score.

Alternatives from Other Credit Card Issuers

Flexible Points Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: This is an excellent choice for consumers who love to travel. It earns 3X on dining, online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs) and select streaming services. The card also earns 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ and 2X points on other travel purchases. Points are worth 25% more when booking travel through Chase Travel, or you can transfer them to 14 airline and hotel partners. The card also includes generous travel and purchase protections at no extra charge.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Earn an unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase and 5X miles on hotel stays and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Your miles can be redeemed for cash back, travel, gift cards and more, including the ability to cover past travel purchases. This is one of the few no-annual-fee cards that can transfer its rewards to airline and hotel partners.

Cash Back Credit Cards

Citi Double Cash® Card: The Citi Double Cash earns an unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase: 1% when you make a purchase and another 1% as you pay off your balance. New customers also receive a long intro APR offer on balance transfers, and there is no annual fee.

Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards: You’ll get an unlimited 1.5% cash back with the Unlimited Cash Rewards Card, but customers with large deposit and investment balances can earn even more. When you qualify for Preferred Rewards, you’ll get bonus rewards of up to 75%. This means your everyday purchases can earn up to a generous 2.62% on every dollar you spend. With no annual fee and a long intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, this card is a winner.

Secured Credit Cards

Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase with no annual fee. This card starts out with a minimum $200 refundable credit limit based on your security deposit, but you’re automatically considered for a credit limit increase without an additional security deposit in as little as six months.

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card: Maximize cash back while rebuilding your credit with this card. You’ll get 3% cash back on the category of your choice while also receiving 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. Bonus cash back is available on the first $2,500 in combined spending each quarter, and then you’ll get 1% cash back on everything else. Credit limits range from $200 to $5,000, depending on your security deposit, and there are no annual fees.

The post Best Discover Credit Cards of June 2024 first appeared on Newsweek Vault.

2024-05-02T19:41:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd