Best Discover Credit Cards

The best Discover travel card is the Discover it® Miles because it offers unlimited 1.5 miles per $1 spent on all purchases. Discover also matches all miles earned during the first year. Discover miles are worth 1 cent each (regardless of the redemption option), and cardholders can use their miles to pay for any travel purchase made with the card. Cardholders can also book travel accommodations on Discover's travel portal using miles, with no blackout dates or restrictions. Plus, Discover it Miles has a $0 annual fee and a 0% foreign transaction fee.

Discover it® chrome is another good Discover travel card, especially for road-trippers. It offers 2% cash back on $1,000 spent at gas stations and restaurants each quarter, plus 1% back on all other purchases and a first-year rewards match. Discover it chrome also has a $0 annual fee and a 0% foreign fee. 

All Discover cards can be useful for travel. That's because Discover is one of the few issuers to not charge foreign transaction fees on any credit cards. 

• Discover it® Miles – Best for travel overall
• Discover it® chrome – Best for gas and dining

The best Discover card for bad credit is definitely the Discover it® Secured Credit Card. In fact, it's really the only Discover card that you can count on getting despite a bad credit score. Here's how it works: When you apply, you place a security deposit of at least $200, which will become your credit line if you're approved. This refundable deposit acts as collateral for Discover, reducing their risk.

But that's not all you need to know about Discover it® Secured Credit Card. There's more to learn, both in terms of its benefits and some fine print details.

The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is the best Discover card for bad credit because:

• You won't pay an annual fee. This card is free to have. There's a 0% foreign transaction fee. But do keep in mind that you'll have to temporarily part with at least $200 to make the security deposit.
• There are rewards. It's unusual for a secured card to have rewards, but the Discover it® Secured Credit Card does. You get 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $1,000 spent each quarter combined), and 1% back on all other purchases.
• Credit-building potential is equal to unsecured. There's no difference in the way secured cards and unsecured cards report information to the credit bureaus.
• You can increase your credit limit. Any time after getting your first monthly statement, you can call Discover at 800-315-1776 to add to your security deposit. Your credit line will increase by the amount of this additional deposit.
• Graduation to unsecured is possible. After you've had Discover it® Secured Credit Card for at least 7 months, Discover will review your credit every so often. They might decide to refund your security deposit and transition you to an unsecured card.

So, the Discover it® Secured Credit Card is easy to get and has a lot of benefits. But if you want options with no security deposit and are open to cards from other companies, you can check out the Credit One Bank® NASCAR® Credit Card, the Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit and the Indigo® Mastercard® for Less than Perfect Credit. They're some of the best offers for bad credit.

The best Discover card for no credit history is the Discover it® Secured Credit Card because it gives 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $1,000 spent each quarter combined), and 1% back on all other purchases, and a cash back bonus matching the amount you earn during your first year.

It requires a $200 deposit to open an account, and your credit limit is equal to your deposit. But after seven months of on-time payments, your account will be considered for an upgrade to an unsecured Discover card. So, there's a chance you could get your deposit back if you're responsible.

There is no Discover card with no deposit for most people with no credit. Students are an exception. The best Discover card for students with no credit is the Discover it® Student chrome, because it gives 1 - 2% cash back, and has an intro APR of 0% for 6 months on purchases.

The other option is the Discover it® Student Cash Back, which 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. You also get an intro APR of 0% for 6 months on purchases. Both Discover it student cards have a $0 annual fee and are available to students with limited credit history.

Here are the best Discover cards for no credit history:

• Discover it® Secured Credit Card: $200 deposit required. 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $1,000 spent each quarter combined), and 1% back on all other purchases. First year's cash back matched. $0 annual fee.
• Discover it® Student chrome: 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $1,000 spent each quarter combined), and 1% back on all other purchases. First year's cash back matched. Intro APR on purchases of 0% for 6 months. Regular APR of 17.74% - 26.74% Variable. $0 annual fee.
• Discover it® Student Cash Back: 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. Intro APR of 0% for 6 months on purchases. Regular APR of 17.74% - 26.74% Variable. $0 annual fee.

A Discover card for no credit can be a valuable tool to help you establish credit history and, eventually, build a good credit score. Just always pay on time (and in full if you're able), and you'll be in good shape.

The best Discover starter credit cards are the Discover it® Student chrome and Discover it® Secured Credit Card because they are available to people with limited credit and report to the three major credit bureaus. Getting a student credit card is the way to go if you are in school because it does not require a security deposit.

Lenders view students as good future customers because of their increased earning potential when they graduate. As a result, students are more likely to receive offers with more favorable terms, fewer fees, and better rewards than non-students with limited credit.

Best Discover Starter Credit Cards

• Discover it® Student chrome
• Discover it® Student Cash Back
• Discover it® Secured Credit Card

A Discover starter credit card is a great credit-building opportunity for students and others with limited credit, or even damaged credit in some cases. If you pay your bill on time and avoid overspending, you should steadily improve your credit score.

Every Discover card has no interest at the start, with the sole exception of Discover it® Secured Credit Card. The 0% intro rate that all other Discover credit cards offer lasts for 6-15 months, depending on which card you get, and may apply to both purchases and balance transfers. After the intro rate concludes, the standard regular APR will apply. The best Discover card with no interest on new purchases is whichever of these four suit you best: Discover it® Cash Back, Discover it® chrome, Discover it® Miles or NHL® Discover it®. They all give you 15 months without interest to start, have no annual fee and require good credit or better. And the best Discover card with no interest at the start on balance transfers is the Discover it® Balance Transfer, for obvious reasons.

But a lot depends on your credit standing and educational status. You can't get a 0% Discover card with bad credit. But you can with no credit if you're a student. Whether you need to avoid interest on upcoming purchases or balance transfers matters too. Some Discover cards give you 0% for the same length of time on both. Others not so much. So let's take a look at the available offers to help you find the right fit.

Here are the Discover card no interest offers:

• Discover it® Cash Back: Introductory period of 15 months with no interest on purchases & balance transfers. Regular APR of 16.74% - 27.74% Variable applies after that. There is also a balance transfer fee of 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. Requires good credit.
• Discover it® chrome: Introductory period of 15 months with no interest on purchases & balance transfers. Regular APR of 16.74% - 27.74% Variable applies after that. There is also a balance transfer fee of 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. Requires good credit.
• Discover it® Miles: Introductory periods of 15 months with no interest on purchases, and 15 months with 0% interest on balance transfers. Regular APR of 16.74% - 27.74% Variable applies after that. There is also a balance transfer fee of 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. Requires good credit.
• Discover it® Balance Transfer: Introductory periods of 6 months with no interest on purchases and 18 months with no interest on balance transfers. Regular APR of 16.74% - 27.74% Variable applies after that. There is also a balance transfer fee of 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. Requires good credit.
• Discover it® Student Cash Back: Introductory periods of 6 months with no interest on purchases, and 6 months with 10.99% interest on balance transfers. Regular APR of 17.74% - 26.74% Variable applies after that. There is also a balance transfer fee of 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. Students with limited credit can apply for this card.
• Discover it® Student chrome: Introductory periods of 6 months with no interest on purchases, and 6 months with 10.99% interest on balance transfers. Regular APR of 17.74% - 26.74% Variable applies after that. There is also a balance transfer fee of 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. Students with limited credit can apply for this card.
• NHL® Discover it®: Introductory period of 15 months with no interest on purchases & balance transfers. Regular APR of 16.74% - 27.74% (V) applies after that. There is also a balance transfer fee of 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. Requires good credit.

So there are lots of Discover Card no interest options, especially if you have good credit.

The best Discover card for fair credit is Discover it® Student chrome because it has a $0 annual fee and gives 1 - 2% cash back in rewards, depending on the purchase category. Discover it Student chrome, which is available to students with limited or fair credit, also doubles the rewards cardholders earn the first year.

Similarly, Discover it® Student Cash Back is another good choice for students with fair credit. It has a lot of the same features, but gives up to 5% cash back on purchases in bonus categories that change each quarter and require quarterly activation. There's a quarterly limit applied to those bonus rewards, too.

Finally, as a fallback option, there's the Discover it® Secured Credit Card. It's intended for people with limited or bad credit, but it still offers good rewards and low fees. Discover does not offer any general-purpose credit cards for people with fair credit specifically.

The best Discover unsecured credit card is the Discover it® Cash Back card because it has a $0 annual fee and offers solid rewards. The card gives 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.

In addition, it will match all the cash back you earn the first year, as an account anniversary bonus. There are also intro APRs of 0% for 15 months on purchases and 0% for 15 months on balance transfers, followed by a regular APR of 16.74% - 27.74% Variable.

Unfortunately, there are no unsecured Discover credit cards for bad credit. The unsecured Discover cards with the lowest credit score requirements are their student cards. They accept students with limited credit.

Non-students with limited or bad credit should consider putting a deposit down for the Discover it® Secured Credit Card. It will help you build credit just as well as any unsecured card.