Discover Credit Cards

Discover cards are accepted by more than 10.4 million U.S. merchants. Outside the United States, you can use Discover cards in 185 countries and territories. But there are some noticeable gaps, including Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Taiwan. You can check Discover’s international-use map to see where, exactly, your Discover credit card will work.

Even in the countries where Discover Card is accepted, you’ll still find many merchants that only accept Mastercard and Visa. That’s a big reason why Discover ranks 7th out of the 10 largest credit card companies in WalletHub’s International Travel Credit Card Report.

Here are the regions where Discover is not accepted:

• Caribbean: Cuba, Haiti
• South America: Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Bolivia, Chile
• Europe: Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Belarus, Moldova
• Asia: Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Taiwan, North Korea
• Oceania: New Caledonia, Vanatu, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Brunei
• Africa: All but 7 countries
• Middle East: Almost all countries

The truth is, Discover cards really can’t compare to Visa and Mastercard credit cards in terms of international acceptance. You can use a Visa or Mastercard virtually anywhere on Earth that accepts credit cards. But there are plenty of countries where Discover cards won’t work, which means you’d either need to bring a lot of cash or a different credit 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.

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, balance transfers, bad credit, students and more. One of the best options is Discover it Cash Back. It offers 5% cash back on the first $1,500 spent per quarter in rotating spending categories. It also gives 1% back on everything else.

The Discover it Student Cash Back card and Student chrome card are attractive choices, too. Both cards offer students $20 cash back for a 3.0 GPA or higher every year for up to five years, in addition to better ongoing cash back rates than the average credit card offers. And applicants with bad/limited credit can get up to 2% cash back with the Discover it Secured 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 around 190 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.

The Discover card benefits include no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees on any card, along with security features such as SSN alerts and the ability to freeze your account on demand. Discover will also match all the rewards you earn in your first year. Plus, there’s a “Cash at Checkout” feature that allows cardholders to withdraw cash when making a purchase with a Discover card at specific retailers. Withdrawals are limited to $120 every 24 hours. They are charged at the card’s regular purchase APR, rather than the higher cash advance APR. All of these perks come standard on all Discover cards. It’s important to note that Discover discontinued several key benefits in 2018. Travel insurance and auto rental coverage are no longer available as of February 28, 2018. Purchase protection, extended warranties, and return guarantee protection were also dropped at that time. The price protection benefit was cut on October 31, 2018. Purchases and claims posted before the expiration dates still received coverage. Discover will continue to provide free security benefits on all cards. They include 24/7 account monitoring, alerts that notify cardholders if their personal information has been compromised, and a “Freeze it” account feature. “Freeze it” allows cardholders to temporarily prevent any new purchases, cash advances or balance transfers if their card is lost or stolen.

To make a Discover card payment, log in to your online account or call 1 (800) 347-2683. You can also mail payments to Discover Financial Services, P.O. Box 6103, Carol Stream, Illinois 60197. For fastest service, you should submit your payment online or by phone. Discover does not charge a fee for any of its payment methods.

Discover will credit payments to your account the same day if they’re received by midnight Eastern Time, 6 days a week. Discover does not process payments on Saturday. If Discover receives a payment after midnight on a Friday, or on a bank holiday, it will credit to your account the next business day. Phone and online payments submitted before 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the payment due date will credit to your account the same day and will be considered on time. If the payment due date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, payments will process on the next business day.

When a payment is credited as received, it is initially reported as pending while it’s being processed. During this time, a hold is placed on the payment, so you won’t see an immediate increase in your available credit. The hold is lifted when Discover posts the payment to your account, usually 1-3 days after it is submitted. At this stage, the payment has been confirmed and the transaction is considered complete.

How to make a Discover card payment:

• Online: Log in to your Discover online account. Click the “Make a Payment” button and enter the payment amount as well as info about the account from which the payment will be withdrawn. You can schedule your payment for any day up to the due date.
• Phone: Call customer service 24/7 at 1 (800) 347-2683. Enter the last 4 digits of your card number. Follow the voice prompts until you reach the payment option or press zero to speak to a customer service representative.
• Mail: Send a check or money order to Discover Financial Services, P.O. Box 6103, Carol Stream, Illinois 60197. Discover does not accept cash payments. Be sure to write your account number on the “memo” line.

Discover does not charge a late fee the first time you don’t pay on time. After that, you will be charged a fee for every late payment. So to avoid any late fees, it’s best if you submit your Discover card payment at least 5-7 business days before the due date. Another option is the DirectPay feature in which Discover automatically debits your payment from your bank account every month by the due date so you don’t have to. You can set up DirectPay online or by phone.

If you make your Discover card payment on time and in full each month, you’ll avoid costly interest charges. Discover gives you a 25-day grace period (23 in February) from the end of the billing period until the payment due date.

There are several ways to reach Discover it card customer service, including by phone, live chat, and mail. But there aren’t unique options for each of the various Discover it credit cards. All questions go through Discover’s general customer service department. But you’ll be able to talk to an actual U.S.-based representative whenever you call. And there’s a wide range of contact methods aside from the telephone.

Here’s how to reach Discover it card customer service:

• Phone: 1-800-347-2683. You can call this line 24 hours a day with any questions you have about your card or account in general. If you’re located outside of the U.S., you should instead call 1-801-902-3100. The Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) number is 1-800-347-7449.
• Live chat: If you’d prefer to type out your questions (and get a written record), you can use Discover’s live chat instead. All you have to do is log into your account for this to work.
• Twitter: You can send questions to @Discover.
• Facebook: Discover’s Facebook Page lets you securely (and privately) message Discover it customer service.
• Mail: This will obviously be the slowest method of contact, but you can send any general correspondence to Discover’s mailing address: Discover Financial Services, P.O. Box 30943, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0943.                                    

Discover’s customer service is also 100% U.S.-based, so you won’t be transferred to any overseas call centers. If you’re looking for good customer service, Discover is among the best of the best. It’s been the number one credit card company for customer satisfaction three years running, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Discover’s WalletHub Satisfaction Score of 93.32 also ranks 5th among major credit card issuers.

Yes, you can have two Discover cards. But Discover does not allow you to have more than two of its cards open at the same time. You’re also limited to one new Discover card per year, so make sure you have the first Discover card for at least that long before you apply for a second.

If you do have two Discover cards, only one of them can be a student card. Other than that, there are no restrictions on the types of Discover cards you can have. This enables you to apply for whichever two Discover cards best fit your financial situation. For example, you may want to have the Discover it Cash Back card on hand for everyday purchases and then apply for the Discover it Miles card to cover your travel expenses.

You need a 700+ credit score to get most Discover credit cards, but there’s no minimum credit score needed for three Discover cards. You can get the Discover it® Secured Credit Card with a bad credit score (below 670). And college students don’t need a credit score, or any credit experience, to get one of Discover’s two student credit cards. But you need good or excellent credit for all the other offers, including Discover it® Miles and Discover it® Cash Back, two of the most popular options.

If you’re not sure how your credit is doing, you can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub, the only site where credit scores and reports update daily.

Whether your finances aren’t so great or they’re right on track, you should be able to find a Discover card that works for you. Let’s take a look at Discover’s offers and what score you need to get approved.

Minimum Credit Score Needed for Discover Cards:

• Discover it® Secured Credit Card: No minimum score, will approve bad credit applicants
• Discover it® Student Cash Back: Available to applicants with limited or no credit
• Discover it® Student chrome: Available to applicants with limited or no credit
• Discover it® Cash Back: Good credit (700+) required
• NHL® Discover it®: Good credit (700+) required
• Discover it® chrome: Good credit (700+) required
• Discover it® Miles: Good credit (700+) required

There aren’t any Discover cards that flat-out require excellent credit, currently. But we recommend a score of at least 700, which is toward the top of the good range, for the cards that require good credit for approval. So most Discover cards may be a tough get for the average person, who has a credit score of 669.

With that being said, it’s not just your credit score you should worry about. For example, Discover will consider how your income compares to your debt, along with your employment status, whether you own or rent your home, how many loans and lines of credit you already have open, and more.

Discover is neither a Visa nor a Mastercard. It’s more like an American Express card, but they’re not exactly the same, either. Discover is similar to Visa, Mastercard and American Express in the sense that all four are card networks. Each helps process payments for the cards on its network, determines where those cards can be used, and provides extra benefits such as rental car insurance. However, Discover is different from Visa and Mastercard in that most credit cards on the Discover network are issued by Discover. Visa and Mastercard aren’t issuers, so cards on their networks come from lots of different banks and credit unions. Amex, like Discover, is both a card issuer and a card network.

Here’s how Discover differs from Visa or Mastercard:

• Discover is both a credit card issuer and a card network. Visa and Mastercard are networks only. 
• Visa and Mastercard are accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, compared to 185 for Discover. 
• Visa and Mastercard are accepted at 10.7 million U.S. merchant locations, versus 10.4 million for Discover.
• Discover credit cards don’t have foreign transaction fees. Visa and Mastercard credit cards charge 0% to 3% of purchases processed internationally.  

If you look at the front of your Discover card, you should see “Discover” with an orange dot for the “o.” Each network has a logo, so it’s easy to tell them apart. And while Discover cards are generally fine to use anywhere in the U.S., you might have trouble in certain countries abroad. So it’s probably best to have a backup Visa or Mastercard. 

Discover and Capital One credit cards have a few differences between them. Discover cards are not as widely accepted as Capital One, particularly outside of the U.S. Capital One cards are backed by either the Visa or Mastercard networks which are accepted worldwide.

You should also know that Discover, which touts itself as an online financial services company, does not have branches. Capital One is one of the 10 largest banks the U.S. and has branches in Texas, Louisiana, Washington D.C. several East Coast states.

Both Capital One and Discover offer credit cards with benefits for a wide range of customers. They cover needs from cash back rewards to 0% intro APRs to cards for students. While there are some similarities between the two, there are also some key differences you should keep in mind if choosing which of the two companies offers a better card for your needs.

Here are a few things you should know about Discover vs Capital One credit cards:

• Cash Back: Discover It Cashback Match vs. Capital One Quicksilver – Discover Wins

Capital One Quicksilver offers a consistent 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Discover it Cashback March gets you 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent on quarterly rotating bonus categories (e.g. gas stations, grocery stores, Amazon). It gives 1% cash back on all other purchases. Both cards require a good credit score and neither charges an annual fee. Discover and Capital One each have additional credit cards with cash back options.

• 0% APR offers: Discover It 18-month Balance Transfer Offer vs. Capital One Quicksilver –Discover Wins

The Discover it 18-Month Balance Transfer Offer card gets you 0% for 18 months on purchases and balance transfers (3% transfer fee). Capital One’s Quicksilver card offers 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (3% transfer fee). Both cards have no annual fee and require a good credit score. Discover and Capital One also have additional 0% intro APR offers, but with shorter introductory periods.

• Travel rewards: Discover It Miles vs. Capital One Venture Rewards – Capital One Wins

If you don’t mind paying the $95 annual fee after your first year, Capital One’s Venture Rewards card offers 2 miles per $1 spent on every purchase. The Discover it Miles card gets you 1.5 miles per $1 on all purchases and has no annual fee. The big difference is in the initial bonus. Discover matches all cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year, and Capital One nets you a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles when you spend $1,000 in your first three months. That’s worth $500 in travel rewards. Both cards’ miles are worth 1 cent each. A good credit score is required for both cards.

• Cards for rebuilding credit: Discover It Secured Card vs. Capital One Secured Mastercard – Discover Wins

The Capital One Secured Mastercard can get you a security deposit as low as $49 if you qualify. Discover it Secured Card, however, requires a minimum $200 deposit. But it does earn you 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, and you’ll also be considered for an unsecured card after eight months. Capital One, on the other hand, may grant you a higher credit limit without an additional deposit if you make your first five monthly payments on time. Neither card has an annual fee.

• Cards for students: Discover It For Students vs. Capital One Journey Student Rewards – Capital One Wins

Capital One Journey Student Rewards offers 1% Cash Back on all purchases, or 1.25% if you pay on time. Discover it for Students offers 5% cash back on your first $1,500 per quarter on rotating categories like gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, Amazon.com or wholesale clubs. Students with at least a 3.0 GPA will also earn a $20 statement credit each year. And Discover matches all cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. Neither card charges an annual fee.

• Cards for small businesses: Capital One Spark Cash for Business Card vs. N/A – Capital One wins

Discover is at a clear disadvantage here because it does not offer any small business credit cards. Of Capital One’s five business card offerings, the Spark Cash for Business card is best. It yields 2% cash back on all purchases. There is no annual fee for the first year, and $95 after that. Good credit score is required. Other Capital One business card options include ones with travel rewards, new-member bonuses and a card for business owners with average credit.

• Secondary Benefits: Discover credit cards vs. Capital One credit cards – Capital One wins

Discover and Capital One both offer car rental insurance, extended warranties and purchase protections among other benefits. Capital One’s package provide more favorable terms, particularly with car rental insurance coverage (up to $50,000 vs. Discover’s $25,000) and purchase protection (up to $10,000 per item vs. up to $500).

Discover’s benefits are available on all of its cards; Capital One’s are not. But its benefits are actually through Visa or Mastercard, which means wider acceptance than Discover, particularly outside of the U.S.

Discover and Capital One do not charge foreign transaction fees on any of its cards.

• Customer Service / Satisfaction: Discover credit cards vs. Capital One credit cards – Discover wins

Discover’s customer service is 100 percent U.S.-based and its customer service representatives are available 24/7. You can contact them by phone or online chat. A new messaging feature will soon replace the online chat, giving customer easier access to customer service reps. Capital One also offers 24/7 customer service. Contact them by phone or e-mail, with a one to two days response time. But there’s no chat or online messaging features, which limits customers’ access.

Something else to consider: Both Capital One and Discover allow pre-approval for their credit cards. You can go online and check see pre-approval for multiple cards at one time. Both perform a soft inquiry on your credit that does not impact your score. This is an ideal way to see if you qualify for a credit card without the hard credit inquiry and damage to your score. You should take advantage of this feature to research these two brands further and shop around for the best deals.

When you look at American Express vs. Discover, you can find a lot of similarities. Both companies are credit card networks and credit card issuers. So they not only determine where cards can be used, but they also handle credit card offers, applications and accounts. This sets them apart from the two other major card networks, Mastercard and Visa, which don’t issue cards. But Discover and American Express also have lower acceptance rates than the other networks, although Discover holds the edge over Amex in that regard. Discover is accepted at 10.4 million U.S. merchant locations and in 185 countries. American Express lags behind at 8.5 million and 160+, respectively. Some Amex cards also charge up to 3% in foreign transaction fees, while Discover has eliminated such fees altogether. 

Those aren’t the only differences that distinguish these two dual-threat credit card companies, either. You can check out the scoreboard below.

American Express vs. Discover by Category

One other big difference between American Express and Discover is that American Express offers some charge cards but Discover does not. Charge cards are credit cards that require you to pay your bill in full each month to continue making purchases. 

But whether you get an Amex or Discover card really depends on what you’re looking for as far as rewards, rates and fees are concerned. Below, you can see how some of the most popular options from each compare.

American Express vs. Discover Credit Cards:

Discover wins out in a lot of areas, but not in terms of secondary benefits. American Express offers perks like purchase protection, while Discover recently discontinued all of theirs.