Discover’s latest reward categories are now live. Through June, Discover it® Cash Back* cardholders can earn bonus rewards for EV charging or gas, home improvement and local transit. Home improvement in particular is a rare category to find on a card, let alone one with as high a rewards rate.
If you have plans to do a spring refresh for your yard or to add some more plants to your apartment’s growing indoor jungle, this card could be the perfect choice for helping you save.
The Discover it Cash Back is one of the best cash-back credit cards. It flexes its versatility every quarter when the issuer introduces new reward categories. That means every few months, you’ll have a new selection of purchase types that you can earn rewards for.
- Intro Offer
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Cashback 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. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 17.24% – 28.24% Variable APR
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
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670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
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1% – 5% Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.; Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
Spring-time rewards
Through June, Discover it Cash Back and Discover it® Student Cash Back* cardholders will earn 5% cash back (on the first $1,500 spent in combined purchases each quarter, then 1%, when activated) for gas or EV charging, home improvement and public transit.
How the Discover card earns rewards
You’ll earn rewards for specific purchases you make with your card, and those rewards can then be redeemed in a variety of ways. A few redemption options include statement credits, direct deposits into your bank account, or gift cards.
Whenever your rewards change -- every three months -- you’ll need to manually activate the new rewards via your Discover account page. If you don’t, you’ll only earn 1% cash back for your card purchases.
You can set up alerts for when it’s time to activate, and you have until the last day of the final month to do so. In this case, you can activate your rewards until June 30, 2024. Note that your rewards rate isn’t retroactive, so you’ll only earn rewards on purchases after you activate.
And, if you’re a new cardholder, Discover offers one of the best welcome offers of any card. Your rewards will essentially be doubled at the end of your first year with the card.
Home improvement
Home improvement is a rare category to find on a rewards card. If you’ve been thinking about building a new deck or buying a grill, consider bringing this card with you to the hardware or home improvement store.
Public transportation
Public transportation covers local commuter passenger bus, rail and ferry services. So, unfortunately, that does not include rideshares such as Uber and Lyft. However, if you live in a city with good public transport, you could earn a return on your travel. And, just in time for Earth Day, public transportation is a great way to help reduce CO2 emissions.
Gas stations
This quarter’s categories also cover gas purchases. If you have a road trip planned this spring or summer, this card could help you cut back on some of the costs.
EV charging stations
Electric car owners, fear not. Your EV charging costs will also earn you rewards through June. With Earth Day coming up, this card could also help you save when taking a greener way out.
The bottom line
Whether you’re working around the house or hitting the road this spring, the Discover it Cash Back helps you earn rewards with its rotating bonus categories from April to June. It’ll also help you stay green this month in preparation for Earth Day. Just remember to activate your new rewards to take advantage of them.
*All information about the Discover it Cash Back and the Discover it Student Cash Back has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
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