6 Discover Cash Back Benefits You Didn’t Know About

• Written by Melanie Pincus
  

  Melanie Pincus

  Credit cards, loans and banking

  Melanie Pincus has worked in consumer advice journalism since 2021. She was the deputy editor covering credit cards for CNN Underscored Money from September 2023 to November 2024. Before that, Melanie was an editor on the Credit Cards, Loans and Banking team at U.S. News & World Report. Melanie holds a Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing, and prioritizes making complex topics accessible to readers. Melanie earned her bachelor’s degree in History from Brown University in 2021.

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• Edited by Emily Gadd
  

  Emily Gadd

  Credit Cards, Personal Finance, Health and Wellness

  Emily Gadd is an editor, responsible for writing about personal finance and credit cards. She got her start writing and editing at Healthline. She is passionate about creating educational content that makes complex topics accessible. Emily lives in Seattle with her husband and two cats.

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• Reviewed by Jasmin Baron
  

  Jasmin Baron

  Credit Cards, Travel Rewards, Loyalty Programs, Family Travel, Credit Building, Credit Scores

  Jasmin Baron is CardCritics’ senior editor, responsible for editing and writing credit cards, travel rewards, loyalty program, and other credit-related content. She is passionate about personal finance education and enjoys sharing tips and tricks for making the most credit card points and miles with her readers. Her expertise in maximizing credit card travel rewards originated from over two decades of aviation industry experience, including 18 years working as a pilot and college professor/flight instructor in her native Canada. Her work has appeared on sites such as CNN Underscored Money, Business Insider, The Points Guy, and point.me. When she’s not planning her next trip with credit card rewards, you’ll probably find her tinkering around in the kitchen, hanging out with her three kids, or playing with her dog, Benji.

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• Last Updated Aug 26, 2025

The benefits of the Discover it® Cash Back go beyond earning rewards. Although the rotating Discover cash-back calendar can provide some serious value for strategic cardholders, some lesser-known perks can help you get the most out of it.

1. Cashback Match® in Your First Year With the Card

The Discover it Cash Back isn’t likely to appear on lists of best credit card intro offers. That’s because it doesn’t offer a traditional welcome bonus.

Instead, Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year with the card. This is a strong incentive to spend on the card in your first year, despite its typically less-than-ideal 1% base rewards rate.

2. Quarterly 5% Cash Back Categories

This is perhaps the Discover it Cash Back’s best-known benefit, landing it on best rotating category credit card lists. It offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in categories that rotate each quarter when you activate (then 1%). 

In the fourth quarter of 2025, the 5% category covers Amazon.com and drugstores. Categories vary year to year, but have previously included grocery stores, restaurants and drugstores.

3. Promotional APR Offers 

The Discover it Cash Back offers a 0% Intro APR on purchases and on balance transfers for 15 months, then 17.99% - 26.99% Variable APR. But after the welcome offer ends, Discover may still offer you a promotional APR.

For example, my card account currently shows a 2.9% purchase APR offer that would last for six months. That’s not quite as sweet as a 0% APR, but it’s still much lower than the card’s regular 17.99% - 26.99% Variable APR.

If you’re looking for a low APR to pay off a purchase over time, this isn’t a bad deal, but you can also consider whether it makes sense to open a new card with a 0% introductory APR. Having multiple credit cards can make sense, though you’ll need to evaluate your specific financial situation.

4. Amazon Offers

If you use your Discover cash back rewards to pay for purchases at Amazon.com, you might get extra value from your points. I recently got an email from Discover with an offer for 30% off, up to $30, on eligible purchases if I paid with rewards.

You can check for information about rewards on cards connected to your Amazon account by navigating to the Shop with Points page on Amazon.com.

These promotions come and go periodically, and not everyone gets the same offers.

5. Free Fraud Monitoring

You should regularly check your credit reports for signs of potential fraud. Discover can help you with a free service that does three things:

• Looks for your Social Security number on a set of websites on the dark web 
• Checks your Experian credit report for new credit pulls
• Checks your Experian credit report for new credit accounts

You likely have credit reports with each of the three major consumer credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — and you’ll still have to check Equifax and TransUnion on your own.

6. No Late Fee the First Time You Pay Late

You should always aim to pay your credit card bills on time and in full. That way, you can avoid credit card interest and any damage to your credit scores that can result from late payments.

Credit card issuers also charge fees for late payments. The Discover it Cash Back charges a late fee of up to $41, but you won’t have to pay it the first time you miss a payment. 

That can provide a welcome cushion if you do wind up missing one payment. Setting up automatic payments for the minimum amount can help you avoid having to use this feature.