Credit Card Reviews
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.
Why I Chose the Discover It Card
Why I Chose the Discover It Card
As you probably know if you’ve ever set out to find a new credit card there are tons of options, each with its own set of pros and cons. Admittedly, my first line of thinking was to look at branded cards that would offer loyalty perks for various airlines or hotels. However, while I’d like to do more travel, at the time it wasn’t clear that I’d use any one of these brand-specific cards enough to get any real rewards. So what did I go for instead?
A Flat Cashback Rate with Rotating Bonus Categories
Before adding the It card to my wallet, my wife and I actually had been using a PNC card she’d been using for years. While it is a strong option overall, the credit card has one glaring downside: any category that wasn’t gas, entertainment, or dining earned only .25% cashback unless we spent more than $10,000. Because of this, finding a card that could fill that hole was a big priority. With that goal in mind, I was attracted to the Discover It card’s 1% back on everything. However, since 1% is pretty standard (and is half of what flat-rate cards such as the Citi Double Cash or Wells Fargo Active Cash earn), what really won me over were the bonus categories.
Each quarter the It card offers a new spending category that nets you 5% on up to $1,500 in spending — amounting to as much as $75 in cashback. For example, one of my favorite recurring quarterly category picks allows cardholders to earn 5% on purchases made at restaurants. Meanwhile, Amazon has been a staple of the It card’s Q4 bonus for years now (and for good reason).
Starting in 2023, Discover no longer shares its full yearly calendar of categories ahead of time, instead waiting until one month before the start of each quarter to reveal its picks. But, to give you an idea of what Discover’s 5% are like, here’s what 2025’s line-up has included so far:
- January-March 2025: Restaurants, Home Improvement Stores, and Select Streaming Services
- April-June 2025: Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs
- July-September 2025: Gas Stations & EV Charging, Public Transit, and Utilities
Plus, here’s what the full list looked like in 2024:
- January-March 2024: Restaurants and Drugstores
- April-June 2024: Gas Stations & Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, Public Transit, and Home Improvement Stores
- July-September 2024: Grocery Stores and Walmart
- October-December 2024: Amazon and Target
In the years that I’ve held my It card, the lineup has never stayed exactly the same — although some of the best categories have made reappearances. As you can see, the likes of Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, and Restaurants tend to come up during one of the quarters of each year. One category Discover previously featured that I wish would come back is Mobile Wallets, as this allowed me to earn the 5% back on a wider variety of purchases.
I’ll also note that Discover has been trying out some new categories as well. That’s the case in the third quarter of 2025 as, for the first time, customers will be able to earn up to 5% back on Utilities.
Basically, as you’d expect, some of Discover’s quarterly bonus categories are more exciting than others. Still, I’ve been happy overall and appreciate that the card continues to experiment with its picks.
No Annual Fee
For a short time during my search, I actually considered a card with an annual fee. In many cases, such as with the Disney Premier Visa (which I was drawn to given my affinity for that particular company), it seemed that paying these fees might be a good bet in the long run. But who wants to shell out upwards of $100 to perhaps only barely earn it back?
$100 Bonus
Looking to get started with Discover? For a limited time you can get a $100 bonus when you open a new account with this Fioney link.
Bonus OfferThat’s why I was delighted to discover (no pun intended) that the It card carried no annual fee. Additionally, unlike many other rewards cards, there wasn’t even a higher-tier card to tempt you. Ultimately, this gives me greater flexibility as I don’t feel obligated to use the card or risk wasting my fee.
I will say that my feelings on annual fee cards and that Disney Visa card have both evolved — in opposite directions — but I still think that the no annual fee aspect of the It card is a selling point.
Foreign Transactions + Acceptance Issues?
Before applying for my Discover card my biggest concern was about how many retailers would accept the card outside of the U.S. This was especially important because, while the card boasted no foreign transaction fees, I questioned whether that selling point would ever even come into play if I couldn’t find anyone to take my card while on vacation.
What started as a major concern quickly turned around once I learned that Discover has partnerships with UnionPay in China and JCB in Japan to boost their acceptance in a huge way. As luck would have it, my latest travels haven’t taken me to that part of the globe (although I did spend time in Hong Kong, which is actually not included in the UnionPay partnership) and I learned from my visits to Paris that acceptance in Europe is pretty low. Therefore, unless you’re headed to China or Japan, it’s probably best to have cash or a Visa card on hand as a backup.
First Year = Double Cashback
Admittedly, the Discover It card doesn’t offer a huge signing bonus upfront. On the other hand that could be a good thing if you play your cards right. Currently, the company is offering a bonus to new cardholders where they will match the cashback you earn in the first year.
To be clear, this means that you won’t receive your bonus until after a full year of using the card but this presents you with an opportunity to earn a big payoff. There is no limit to the level of cashback they will match and you can even use your cashback in the meantime without it deducting from your matching bonus. With this offer on top of the 1% all the time and 5% quarterly categories, I was able to score a pretty sizable bonus at the end of my first year and still have a couple of hundred dollars sacked away, ready for me to redeem when the time is right.
Card Design is On Point
I’d be lying if I said that this wasn’t a factor. I opted for the plum-colored card, but was happy to see that I can order additional cards that look like old cassette tapes or ones with NHL hockey team logos on them (go Devils). Initially, you’ll have the choice between four basic card colors: plum, garnet, spruce, and the very rare and exotic… blue. For what it’s worth, I did end up ordering the cassette tape design for my wife and she gets compliments about it from just about every merchant that sees it.
When I first received the card years ago, I was a bit surprised to find that all of the info, including my name and the card number were printed on the back. This leaves the front with a clean look, nice finish, and just overall sexy appearance. I realize this is common practice now, but Discover was on this well before many other mainstream cards.
My Experiences with the Discover It
My Experiences with the Discover It
Having been a Discover cardholder for some time now, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to explore the card’s site, app, and more. Here’s what I think is worth knowing about the Discover Card user experience:
Apple Pay and iOS Integration
As I mentioned in the card design, my experience has been that Discover tends to be ahead of the curve when it comes to certain features and conveniences. On that note, one of the first things that impressed me with the Discover app was how I could create an iOS widget so that I could easily view my card balance from this dashboard. This capability got even better when Discover updated its app to allow members like me who have both a credit card and banking account to manage both in one place.
Most recently, Discover was among the first card issuers to support a new feature that enables cardholders to redeem their rewards in Apple Pay. Incidentally, Apple recently teased that this would extend to in-person purchases with the launch of iOS 26, so I’d expect that will mean Discover rewards can be used in this way.
Basically, I’ve found that Discover has done a great job at keeping its app up to date, creating a better customer experience in the process.
Cash Out for Gift Cards and Get More
Another aspect of the It card I was surprised to learn about was their selection of gift cards that could be redeemed with cashback earnings. What makes this an even better proposition is that all of these gift cards come with free money. For instance, $40 can buy you a $50 Bath & Body Works card while $27 will currently get you $30 to spend at Chili’s. What’s more, a while back, Amazon and Walmart joined the party, each offering 5% in added value.
As of now, there are more than 100 gift cards listed and Discover runs occasional bonus deals to boost your savings. To that point, there’s also a useful filter tool to arrange gift cards by “% Added Value” so that you can easily find the best deals.
Amazon Integration
Not only does Discover love to boost your Amazon cashback each holiday shopping season with their regular 5% bonus category but they also make it easy to redeem your cashback on the site. When you add your Discover It card to your Amazon account, you’ll be able to select your stored cashback as a payment option at checkout. While you don’t get any bonus cash as you would with any of the gift card deals mentioned above, this is a great option for those who want to score something “free” from Amazon’s massive selection of goods. Plus, the 1:1 ratio Discover offers is better than the 0.7¢ per point that some other issuers offer on Amazon redemptions.
Credit Score
Since part of the reason I decided to get another credit card all those years ago was to help bring up my credit scores, I was encouraged to find that Discover includes your FICO score from TransUnion on your statements. This information is also accessible through the app and the website. Although this will only give you one credit score, it’s a nice added perk nonetheless.
Easy Account Freeze
If you remember the Discover card commercials from a few years ago, you’ve probably heard about this nifty feature. Basically, if you misplace your card but aren’t quite sure that it’s gone for good, you can put a hold on your account just in case. If you do end up finding the card afterward — no harm, no foul — you can unfreeze your account and go back to using your card. This is one feature I hope to not have to use, but I’m still glad it’s there.
The End of Discover Deals
Sadly, not all of the changes that have come to Discover since I’ve been a cardholder have been for the better. Back when I first joined, the company offered what they called Discover Deals in a special section on the site. This included additional cashback offers for retailers like JCPenney.com, Ulta.com, Gap.com, and more when cardholders shopped using Discover Deals links. Unfortunately, this section has since been discontinued — but sites and apps such as Rakuten (formerly Ebates)can easily fill the hole left by this departure.
Final Thoughts on the Discover It Card
Final Thoughts on the Discover It Card
I was attracted to the Discover It card for its simple flat-rate cashback offer, as well as the 5% quarterly categories that would make it easy to supplement my current rewards card. While the more experienced version of me now realizes that the 1% base is not really competitive, the rotating category perk still makes this a solid pick in my opinion.
Add in its lack of foreign transaction fees, a first-year bonus cashback doubling offer, and its downright pretty design, and I was sold. However, my choice was further validated once I received the card and got to fully explore its tech integrations, security features, and the various other ways it allows me to save money.
Plus, the company continues to make attractive decisions, from adding Utilities as a bonus category to offering Amazon gift cards in their rewards catalog. I’ve also been impressed with how the company stays on top of new technologies, such as offering rewards redemption via Apple Pay.
Having said that, there is a small bit of uncertainty facing Discover at the moment. Recently, Capital One completed its acquisition of Discover Bank. While plans call for keeping both brands for now, that can always change — or Capital One could decide to dumb down some of the It card’s best features. There’s no reason to panic now, but I think it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Anyway, even with my growing credit card collection, there are still purchases where my Discover’s cashback wins out, allowing me to maximize my rewards all around. For all of those reasons, I would recommend the Discover It card to anyone looking for a solid and simple cashback card.
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