Discover it Cash Back vs. Discover it chrome – WalletHub

This content is not provided or commissioned by any issuer. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of an issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by an issuer. This page includes information about Discover products that are not currently available on WalletHub and may be out of date.

The Verdict: There isn’t a clear winner between Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® chrome. They’re both good in their own way. But they’re just different, having been designed with different types of users in mind. Discover it® Cash Back has a high (5%) bonus cash back rate that applies to the first $1,500 spent in designated categories that change every three months and require activation. Discover it chrome is more consistent but has a lower ceiling, giving you 2% bonus cash back on the first $1,000 spent per quarter in the same categories – gas and restaurants – all the time.

Discover it Cash Back and Discover it chrome are nearly identical in all other categories, though. Both offer 1% cash back on other purchases. Both double all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of the first year. Neither charges an annual fee or a foreign transaction fee. And you won’t get either without a good or excellent credit score.

You can learn more about how the two stack up against one another in various categories below.

SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON

	Discover it® chrome   (179)	Discover it® Cash Back   (1,282)
General
Network	Discover	Discover
Credit Card Company	Discover	Discover
Min Credit Required	Excellent or Good	Excellent or Good
Annual Fee	$0	$0
Purchases
Intro APR	0%	0%
Intro APR Period	14 months	14 months
Regular APR	11.99% - 22.99% (V)	11.99% - 22.99% (V)
Transfers
Intro APR	0%	0%
Intro APR Period	14 months	14 months
Regular APR	11.99% - 22.99% (V)	11.99% - 22.99% (V)
Transfer Fee	3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*	3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
Rewards
Reward Type	Cash Back	Cash Back
Reward Bonus	N/A	N/A
Reward Cap	No	No
Reward Details	INTRO OFFER: Discover will match ALL the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, automatically. There's no signing up. And no limit to how much is matched. Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically. Redeem your cash back for any amount, any time. Cash rewards never expire.	INTRO OFFER: Discover will match ALL the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, automatically. There's no signing up. And no limit to how much is matched. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, select rideshares and online shopping, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically. Redeem cash back any amount, any time. Rewards never expire. Use your rewards at Amazon.com checkout.
Penalties
Max Late Fee	$40	$40
Max Overlimit Fee	None	None
Max Default APR	None	None
Cash
Cash APR	24.99% (V)	24.99% (V)
Cash Advance Fee	5% (min $10)	5% (min $10)
Other
Additional Info	100% U.S. based customer service. Get your free Credit Scorecard with your FICO® Credit Score, number of recent inquiries and more. Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.* Activate for free. No annual fee.	Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.* Activate for free. No annual fee.
One-time Setup Fees	None	None
Foreign Transaction Fee	0%	0%
Grace Period	23 days	23 days

We work hard to present you with the most accurate credit card information, however, this information does not originate from us and thus, we do not guarantee the accuracy of the information.

Before you apply for a credit card we recommend that you review and verify the credit card terms and conditions on the credit card company's web site. Please let us know if you find any differences.

 

Ad Disclosure: Certain offers originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on a card's details page using the designation "Sponsored Card", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to list as many credit card offers as possible and currently have more than 1,200 offers, but we do not make any representation of listing all available offers.