Is it better to get a Visa or Discover card?

Discover is a good credit card company because there are Discover cards for people of all credit levels, and all of them have $0 annual fees and $0 foreign transaction fees. Plus, Discover cards all reward cardholders with at least 1% back on purchases and will match new cardholders’ earnings from the first year as an anniversary present. Most Discover cards also offer 0% introductory APRs on purchases and balance transfers (with a standard variable rate applying after that).... read full answer

Discover cards are known for their 100 percent U.S-based customer service, and Discover has very few customer complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. There are also user-friendly features such as “Freeze it,” which allows cardholders to temporarily turn off their card to prevent any unauthorized transactions. And Discover provides free monitoring to make sure customers’ Social Security numbers don’t show up on risky websites.

Reasons Discover is a Good Credit Card Company:

1. Discover has cards for people of all credit levels, from bad to excellent.
2. Discover cards do not charge annual fees or foreign transaction fees.
3. All Discover cards match your first year’s rewards.
4. Discover has highly regarded customer service.

Different Discover cards are good for different people, though. Discover has offers for cash back, travel, bad credit, students and more. One of the best options is Discover it® Cash Back. It offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent per quarter in bonus categories (which change every quarter and require activation), and 1% back on all other purchases.

The Discover it® Student Cash Back and Discover it® Student chrome are attractive choices, too. Both cards offer students better ongoing cash back rates than the average credit card offers. And applicants with bad credit can get 1 - 2% cash back on purchases with the Discover it® Secured Credit Card.

While all Discover cards are pretty good, there are some downsides. In 2018, Discover cut several key benefits from all of its cards. Those include travel accident insurance, purchase protection, extended warranties and return protection. And as far as global acceptance goes, you can use Discover cards at merchants in 200+ countries and territories. That’s third behind Mastercard and Visa. Both are accepted in more than 200 countries and territories.

But overall, Discover credit cards combine some innovative perks and attractive rewards into a single package. And since they don’t charge annual fees or foreign transaction fees, the cards’ rewards go right to you. Those are just a few reasons why Discover cards are good credit cards in general.

Discover is accepted almost everywhere in the U.S., as the network has a 99% acceptance rate among all domestic businesses and e-commerce sites that take credit cards. Internationally, Discover’s Global Network offers acceptance in nearly 200 countries and territories. Unfortunately, that number is slightly behind both Visa and Mastercard, the world’s two largest credit card networks in terms of global acceptance. You can visit the Discover international credit card acceptance page to see which countries accept Discover cards.... read full answer

You should also be aware that while around 10.4 million merchants nationwide will accept your Discover card, there are still some retailers in the U.S. that will not. For example, Costco, one of the nation’s biggest retailers, does not accept Discover cards, as it has an exclusive partnership with Visa and will only take Visa cards at its wholesale warehouse clubs. Other merchants such as small family-run businesses or major chain-restaurant franchises, may or may not accept your Discover card, depending on the business owner.

To know for sure if a retailer accepts Discover cards, look for the Discover logo at the business or online checkout area. Or, you can always ask if the merchant takes Discover cards before you use the card to complete your purchase.