Mark Towers, Retired CFP
@MarkTowers
The Discover it® Cash Back categories for rewards include a broad range of everyday spending, such as grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants and online retailers like Amazon and Target.
Cash back categories are the types of purchases that cardholders can earn 5% cash back on, up to $1,500 spent per quarter. The categories rotate every quarter, and any purchases in these categories over the $1,500 quarterly limit earn 1% cash back until the next quarter. Purchases that don’t qualify for the Discover it® Cash Back card’s bonus categories also get you 1% back.
Some past examples of the Discover it® Cash Back categories are gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, specific retailers like Amazon and Target, and rideshare services. But it’s important to remember that cardholders don’t automatically get the 5% rate on bonus category spending. You’ll need to remember to “activate” the categories each quarter on Discover’s website. Fortunately, it’s a simple process – you’ll just have to log in to your online account and confirm the activation. You’ll also be able to see the entire cash back calendar for the year, which is summarized below for your convenience.
These are the Discover it® Cash Back Categories for 2021:
January-March: Grocery Stores, Walgreens and CVS
April-June: Gas Stations, Wholesale Clubs and Select Streaming Services
July-September: Restaurants and PayPal
October-December: Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com
You can see the fine print for any exceptions to the categories on Discover’s website. For example, Walmart and Target don’t count as grocery stores. It’s also good to note that several other Discover credit cards have the same categories as the Discover it® Cash Back card each quarter. They are the Discover it® Student Cash Back and the NHL® Discover it® credit cards.
Thomas Friedman, Member
@ultralight11
Which card? You get cash back for all of them, which is great, but other than that, your best bet is to stalk their rewards calendar.
Ronan Agan, Member
@ronan_agan
The Discover it rewards categories change quarterly.
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