Discover Reveals 5% Bonus Categories for Third Quarter 2025
collage of Discover Q3 2025 bonus categories

Discover Reveals 5% Bonus Categories for Third Quarter 2025

July will usher in the third quarter of 2025, meaning that it’s time for another update to the Discover It card’s 5% bonus categories.

About Discover’s Q3 2025 Bonus Category Selections:

Discover has announced the bonus categories that cardholders can earn up to 5% back in from July through September of 2025. Q3’s picks include Gas Stations & EV Charging, Public Transit, and Utilities.

First, the Gas Stations & EV Charging category includes gasoline purchased at the pump or inside a station as well as public EV charging station purchases. However, Discover warns that gas stations and EV chargers affiliated with supermarkets, supercenters, or warehouse clubs may not qualify. Similarly, parking garages that offer public EV charging might also not properly trigger this bonus.

Next, Public Transit specifically includes local commuter passenger buses, rail, and ferry services. Meanwhile, taxis, rideshare services, city bike and scooter rentals, long-range passenger rail, and long-range water transportation services are not included.

Lastly, the Utilities category features a variety of eligible services. Residential electricity, natural gas, and water service are also included, as are internet, cable, satellite TV, mobile phone service, or landline phone services purchased either online or over the phone. In terms of exceptions, purchases made through third parties (including landlords, property management companies, or homeowners associations) may not qualify. Other ineligible purchases include streaming services, some satellite phone or internet services, vehicle connectivity, accessories, and equipment.

As always, in order to earn 5% back in these categories, cardholders must activate this quarter’s offer on the Discover site or app. Also, the 5% back is capped at a total of $1,500 in combined bonus category spending. In other words, when maxed out, cardholders can earn $75 back from Q3’s bonus offer.

What They’re Saying:

Commenting on this quarter’s picks, Discover Vice President Shannon Kors said, “With summer travel and activities just around the corner, these categories are designed to help cardmembers earn more, enjoy more and make the most of every meaningful moment – while also maximizing the value of their benefits.”

My Thoughts:

From what I can tell, this is the first time Discover has offered “utilities” as a bonus category pick. Personally, I think it’s a great, practical choice — and one that covers a lot of ground. Plus, while it’s a good category for a homeowner like me, even those who rent or don’t pay for electricity et. al. may still benefit from the mobile phone plan and Internet side of things. I’ll definitely be trying to make the most of this category in the next three months (before moving utilities payments back to my Mesa Homeowners Card, which earns 3x points on many utilities and home-related purchases).

Meanwhile, the Gas Stations & EV Charging category is a staple for a reason. Even if it’s not new or exciting, it is still perfect for the summer road trip season. Throwing in Public Transportation is also great for those without their own vehicles.

Overall, I think this is a good bonus category line-up from Discover.

Author

Kyle Burbank

Head Writer ~ Fioney
Kyle is the head writer for Fioney. He is a personal finance nerd, constantly looking for new apps and services to test and incorporate into his own financial game plan. In addition to his role at Fioney, he's written for other publications including Born2Invest, Lifehack, and Laughing Place, as well as his own site Money@30. He also creates personal finance and travel-related videos for Fioney's YouTube channel, which has garnered more than 2 million views. Currently, Kyle resides in Springfield, Missouri with his wife of 10 years. Together, they enjoy traveling (including visiting Disney Parks around the world), dining, and playing with their dog Rigby.

Other Articles by Kyle Burbank

Discover It Cards

2025 Discover It Card Review: Still Feeling “It” After All These Years

Many years ago now, following what I called my financial awakening, I found that I was suddenly in the market for a new rewards credit card. This led me to start researching various cards before ultimately landing on my final choice: the Discover It card. Before we get into my hands-on review, let me explain what I liked about this card on paper and why I ultimately applied for it....
Coinbase logo and credit card

Coinbase, Cardless Teaming Up for Bitcoin Rewards Credit Card

Coinbase has announced plans to launch a new Bitcoin-earning credit card later this year: About the Coinbase One Card: This fall, Coinbase will roll out the Coinbase One Card. For this offering, the platform is partnering with the FinTech Cardless. The cards will be issued by First Electronic Bank and will utilize the American Express network. With the Coinbase One Card, customers will be able to earn up to 4%...
4 Citizen credit cards

Citizens Bank Premieres Four New Credit Card Options

Citizens Bank is rolling out a new suite of credit cards, meeting the needs of multiple customers. About Citizens' New Card Line-Up: Today, Citizens introduced four new cards: Citizens Amp Mastercard Citizens Spring World Mastercard Citizens Summit World Mastercard Citizens Summit Reserve World Elite Mastercard Starting with the Citizens Amp Mastercard, this no-annual-fee card is designed for those looking to establish and build credit. Specifically, the card is available to...
The "Email" field is empty, you must enter some text to proceed.The text you entered in the "Email" field appears to be invalid, please edit it and try again
Get the Latest News Delivered to Your Inbox
Travelers with two Best Western Credit Cards

Best Western Debuts Two New Rewards Credit Cards

After pausing applications for their previous rewards card, the hotel chain Best Western has unveiled a new pair of rewards credit cards with a new issuer. About the Best Western cards: Best Western is partnering with First Bank & Trust and Mercury Financial to introduce two new co-branded credit cards. First up is the no-annual-fee Best Western Rewards Visa Signature Card. With this card, customers can 4x points on Best...

2025 SoFi Checking and Savings Review

 Ever since I started taking an interest in the FinTech sector, one company whose name I’ve seen pop up over and over again is SoFi. That was later sent into overdrive as the company has not only become a household name thanks to its stadium naming rights deal but also because of the company’s continued product expansions. The most interesting development in my mind is SoFi’s acquisition of Golden Pacific...
Marriott Bonvoy card and a woman on vacation

Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card Launches Travel Contest

Chase and Marriott Bonoy have unveiled a special contest while continuing to offer its best-ever welcome bonus. About the welcome bonus and Bold Chat Court Contest: Marriott Bonvoy and Chase have launched a special opportunity called the Bold Chat Court contest. As part of this contest, 10 lucky travelers will be awarded 500,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (for a total of 5 million) as well as $5,000. For this contest, the...
Bilt and All Reward logos

Bilt Adds 2 New Transfer Partners Including First 3:2 Transfer Rate

Bilt is once again expanding its travel transfer rewards program — and is even breaking the mold with one new partner. About the new additions to Bilt: This week, Bilt launched partnerships with two more travel brands: TAP Air Portugal and Accor. As a result, Bilt members will now be able to transfer their points to Miles&Go and ALL Reward, respectively. In total, Bilt now has 18 transfer partners including 13...
Fioney Top 10 Must-Read Personal Finance Articles Septemeber 2024

Top 10 Personal Finance Articles of the Month — September 2024

Welcome to Fioney's look at the top 10 personal finance articles of the month. On the first Friday of each new month, we look back at some of our favorite posts published in the weeks prior and highlight them right here. This includes a mix of sites that have become staples of our lists as well as many first-timers. To start things off this month, we'll look at some articles...