Discover Credit Cards

There are several ways to reach Discover it Cash Back customer service, including by phone, live chat, and mail. But there aren’t unique options for each of the various Discover 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 Cash Back 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 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.

The easiest way to make a Discover card payment is to log in to your online account or call (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 (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.

Discover it Cash Back rewards include 5% cash back on select purchases and a first-year rewards match. The Cash Back card offers 5% back on the first $1,500 spent in pre-determined spending categories every quarter. All other purchases get 1% cash back. The card’s Cashback Match feature doubles all cash back a cardholder earns within the first 12 months. All Discover rewards cards currently offer this feature.

To earn 5% cash back with the Discover it Cash Back card, you’ll need to activate a new group of bonus categories every quarter. You can activate either online or by calling 1 (800) 347-2683.

You can redeem Discover it Cash Back rewards for a statement credit or a direct deposit to your bank. They’re also redeemable for gift cards, or you can use them for Amazon.com purchases or charitable donations. Rewards never expire. If your account is closed, Discover will credit the account for any remaining rewards balance.

There are a few options for Discover credit card designs when you first open an account. They include beach scene, cassette tape, daisy and skyline backgrounds, as well as solid colors. But you will have to request a replacement card if you want to pick from the full list of Discover credit card designs. They aren’t available for your original Discover card. The good news is that getting a new Discover card design is free and shouldn’t take more than a week.

Here’s how Discover Card designs work:

• Designs vary by card: The NHL® Discover it® card lets you add the logo of any of the National Hockey League’s 31 teams. Discover it® Miles gives you with a limited selection of solid colors. And Discover it® Cash Back, Discover it® chrome, Discover it® Student chrome, and Discover it® Student Cash Back add a few more options to the initial mix (e.g. skyline, cassette, island, daisy or solid color).
• Replacement cards come with more options: You can choose from more than 100 Discover Card designs for a replacement card.
• You can change your card design: To change your card design, log into your account and select “Choose a Card Design.” Your new card will arrive in 4-6 business days.
• You can’t submit your own photo: Some credit card companies will allow you to fully personalize a card by uploading a photo as your card background. Discover does not. You are limited to the designs offered on the Discover website.
• Your old card will still work: You’ll get a new card when you change your card design. But your account number will be the same. This means your old card will continue to work until its expiration date. You can deactivate it by calling (800) 347-2683.

Personalizing your credit card can be fun. But a card’s rewards, interest and fees are all more important than looks. Focus on those when searching for the best card for you. If you settle on Discover, you can rest assured there are plenty of Discover card designs to pick from.

You can apply for a Discover credit card online, by telephone at (800) 347-2683, or by mail. Once you submit your Discover card application, you may get approved instantly or you might have to wait 7-10 business days for a decision. For a speedy application process and a prompt response, applying online is the way to go.

When you apply online, you will see a list of all of Discover’s credit cards. You can compare rewards, rates and fees, and review the cards’ terms and conditions before you apply. You can even check for pre-approval to see which cards you have the best odds of getting. Once you decide on a card, you’ll need to have your personal and financial information at hand. That includes your Social Security number, mailing address, income, employment information and more.

How to apply for a Discover credit card:

1. Check your credit score and report: Your credit score will give you an idea of which cards you should consider applying for. Plus, a quick review of your credit history will give you a chance to correct any errors that would weigh against you when you apply.
2. Get pre-approved: While your credit score can give you a general idea of your odds, the Discover website has a page where you can check if you are pre-approved before you submit a Discover card application. It doesn’t hurt your credit score. And if you are pre-approved, you stand a very good chance of actually getting approved.
3. Find the best Discover credit card for your needs: Think about your own spending habits, overall financial standing and preferences. Once you’ve whittled down your options to one standout Discover card, compare it to the best cards from other issuers in the same credit range to make sure it’s the top overall card for you.
4. Complete and submit your application: You will need to list your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number on a Discover card application. You’ll also need to provide your income, monthly rent/mortgage payment and bank account information.
5. Wait a minute to two weeks for a decision: If your credit information and income exceed Discover’s requirements, it’s possible you might be approved instantly. If not, it could take up to two weeks to receive a final decision.

Be sure to accurately complete all the required fields on your Discover card application. Any intentionally misleading information could be considered fraud.

If you’re approved, you should receive your card in 7 to 10 business days. That’s the only shipping option Discover offers. If you’re not approved, though, you can always ask for reconsideration. But you’ll need to demonstrate that your credit or income situation is better than it appeared on your Discover card application in order to get a denial reversed.

Discover credit score requirements actually vary widely because there are a number of different Discover credit cards. The Discover it® Miles card requires good or excellent credit, for example, while even people with bad credit can get the Discover it® Secured Credit Card.

Here is the complete list of Discover credit score requirements:

• Good Credit: Discover it® Cash Back
• Good Credit: Discover it® Miles
• Good Credit: Discover it® chrome
• Good Credit: NHL® Discover it®
• Limited Credit: Discover it® Student Cash Back
• Limited Credit: Discover it® Student chrome
• Bad Credit: Discover it® Secured Credit Card

The Discover it Student Cash Back, Discover it Student chrome and Discover it Secured Credit Card are among the best offers available to people with limited and bad credit, respectively. In fact, Discover it® Secured Credit Card is one of the only secured cards offering rewards.

You can learn more about these offers from WalletHub’s review of the best Discover cards. And you can see which Discover credit score requirements you’re able to meet by checking your latest credit score for free on WalletHub. Only WalletHub has free credit scores and reports that are updated on a daily basis. And we’ll give you personalized advice for how to improve your standing.

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.

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.

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).

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 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.

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 or a secured 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 Discover it® Cash Back on hand for everyday purchases and then apply for the Discover it® Miles to cover your travel expenses.