5 Discover it Chrome Benefits You Didn’t Know About

• Written by Ashley Parks
  

  Ashley Parks

  Credit cards, student cards, subprime cards

  Ashley Parks is a writer and editor with expertise in credit cards, credit building, banking, loans and consumer financial literacy. With over five years of professional experience, Ashley is passionate about helping people make the most informed decisions and providing guidance that is concise and accessible for all. She is a graduate of Texas Christian University, where she earned a B.A. in Theatre and Writing. While at Bankrate, Ashley worked primarily on best of pages and reviews, helping to match people with the best credit card products for their individual needs. Her subject matter niches include student credit and subprime credit. In her time at Newsweek, Ashley expanded her expertise to cover broader personal finance topics, chiefly student loans, small business and deposits content. She’s also covered an array of personal finance news as a reporter. Ashley is also a champion for video content and strategy, serving as a pioneer for using video to offer consumers a new way to engage with important topics. Beyond her workload, you’ll find Ashley wordsmithing original poetry, reading the latest hot book release, watching YouTube videos, and traveling when she can with her tiny poodle, Pepper, in tow. You can learn more about Ashley, her work and her artistic pursuits at her personal website, ashleynparks.co.

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• Edited by Emily Gadd
  

  Emily Gadd

  Credit Cards, Personal Finance, Health & 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 Sep 25, 2025

People in the market for a simple, straightforward cash-back credit card could find what they need in the Discover it® Chrome. The card’s elevated rewards rates in top spending categories, lack of an annual fee, introductory APR and other key perks make it worth a closer look. 

As a college student, I started with the Discover it® Student Chrome. I picked it for its simplicity, cost-effectiveness and convenience. After finishing college, I got an upgrade to the regular version and now, I get to cash in on many key perks. Here are five Discover it Chrome benefits of note.

1. Competitive Rewards Rates on Popular Spending Categories

The highest rewards rate that the Discover it Chrome offers is 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants, on up to $1,000 in combined spending per quarter (then 1% cash back). For many, this will be an easy way to earn bonus rewards on spending they were already doing. All other purchases earn 1% cash back.

2. Flexible Redemption Options

You can redeem your rewards from the Discover it Chrome as: 

• Statement credit to your card account 
• Direct deposit to an eligible checking or savings account 
• Gift cards 
• PayPal purchases 
• Amazon purchases

All of these options are a form of cash back rewards. While you’ll need to have a minimum available to redeem for a gift card (at least $5), you can redeem most of these other options at any amount. 

I’ve most often redeemed my cash back rewards for statement credits to cover the cost of previous major purchases, but any of these options can be helpful depending on your needs. Your rewards also never expire. 

3. An Easy Upgrade 

Upon graduating from college and updating my income on my Discover account, my Discover it® Student Chrome was automatically converted to a Discover it Chrome, alongside a credit line increase. 

While there were no formal steps to initiate the upgrade outside of updating key personal information (income, employment, etc.), Discover took into account my responsible credit use and other positive changes to my credit file and initiated the upgrade automatically. The primary difference between the two cards is the barrier to entry. Since it’s a student card, the Discover it® Student Chrome may be easier to qualify for, as it doesn’t require a credit score to apply. 

4. Valuable Intro Offer: Cashback Match

One of the most valuable Discover it Chrome benefits for new cardmembers is Cashback Match®, which is a dollar-for-dollar match on all cash back a cardholder earns at the end of the first year. Discover notes that there is no limit on how much of a cashback match you can earn at the end of the first year, increasing this card’s value immensely. However, be sure not to fall into the trap of overspending to earn.  

5. Intro APR Offer

Another noteworthy Discover it Chrome benefit is the card’s intro APR offer. Cardholders will get a 0% Intro APR on purchases for 6 months and 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months, followed by 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR. There’s a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. 

Balance transfer credit cards are a useful tool for tackling high-interest debt, as long as you’re able to pay off the full balance before the intro period expires.