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Cash Back

Discover it Cash Back

Every rate below is the issuer’s own, verified October 2, 2026.

5xIn rotating quarterly categories
$0Annual fee
2xYear one, cash back matched
View on DiscoverAnswer the Cash Back questions →

Terms apply. See rates & fees on Discover. Rankings are pure math, never sold.

The rates

How it earns

Every rate here is the issuer’s published number. Points are valued at what this door can redeem them for: cash-back at the statement-credit rate, travel at the issuer’s travel rate.

Earn rates Discover it Cash Back
Oct–Dec · restaurants, entertainment, utilities · up to $1,500, once activated · counted at 1x until it maps to your spending5x
Jan–Mar · next year's calendar, not yet published · up to $1,500, once activated · counted at 1x until it maps to your spending5x
Apr–Jun · next year's calendar, not yet published · up to $1,500, once activated · counted at 1x until it maps to your spending5x
Jul–Sep · next year's calendar, not yet published · up to $1,500, once activated · counted at 1x until it maps to your spending5x
Everything else1x
First year · the issuer matches all the cash back you earn2x
Annual fee$0
Worked example

What it pays at a typical spend

The family on our home page spends $800 a month on groceries, $200 on dining, $250 on gas, $100 on travel and $600 on everything else. Figures as of October 2, 2026, the day the terms were last verified.

Worked example$1,950 a month
Dining · 1x+$24
Groceries · 1x+$96
Gas · 1x+$30
Travel · 1x+$12
Everything else · 1x+$72
First-year match · doubles the cash back you earn+$234
Net, year one$468

At that spending the Discover it Cash Back nets $468 in year one and $234 every year after, fee included. The biggest line is the first-year match, at $234. For the family on our home page, it places tenth of the 12 cash back cards we’ve confirmed.

The U.S. Bank Smartly Visa Signature, just above it among the confirmed cards, nets the same in year one and wins the tie on its fee. The Prime Visa, just below it, nets $30 less. Judged on every year after the first instead, it places last of the 12 cash back cards we’ve confirmed.

Spending half as much in the same mix, it nets $234 in year one; spending twice as much, $936.

From its terms

Who it fits

It fits if

  • You will switch on 5x categories every quarter, up to $1,500 each.
  • You want year one to count double: the issuer matches all the cash back you earn in it.
  • You want no annual fee.

Look elsewhere if

  • You will not remember to activate each quarter: unactivated, those categories earn the base rate.
  • Most of your spending sits outside its categories: the rest earns 1x.
  • Your credit is fair or thin: approval usually needs good credit.
Know before you apply

Plain facts

  • Who gets approvedGood credit, around 670+. Typically ~good credit or better (estimate; issuer does not publish a score).
  • The issuer’s terms governRates, fees and bonus conditions are set by Discover and change without notice. Confirm the current offer before you apply.
  • Where these numbers came fromCollected by hand from Discover’s own published terms, last verified October 2, 2026. An automatic check re-reads that page every day. On October 19, 2026 all 4 of the figures it watches here were still printed there. How we check
Questions

What people ask about it

Is there a cap on what it earns?

Yes: the 5x quarterly categories stop at $1,500 a quarter. Past a cap, spending earns 1x, and our figures count it that way.

How does the first-year match work?

The issuer doubles all the cash back you earn in your first year, paid once. We add it to year one only, never to the welcome bonus or credits.

What does it earn on each purchase?

5x on rotating quarterly categories, and 1x on everything else.

Ranked and compared

Where it shows up

Every ranking and comparison with the Discover it Cash Back in it, each computed the same way.

Cash Back · nearest in our order

More cards like this

The three cash back cards beside this one on our list of every card. See every card

Compare it against the rest

Find the one that pays.

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