Discover

• Competitive Cash Back Rewards
• No Annual Fees
• No Foreign Transaction Fee
• Free Credit Score Monitoring
• Fraud Safeguards
• Introductory APR
• Positive Customer Reviews

Competitive Cash Back Rewards

Discover offers a number of rewards options on a variety of cards:

• The Chrome Student Card offers students cash back each school year if their GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next five years. At the end of the first year, Discover adds up all the cash back earned on the student card and matches it.
• The Cash Back Credit Card gives a percentage of cash back in the selected quarterly category.
• The Travel Credit Card offers an automatic match of all the miles earned at the end of your first year with no blackout dates. Miles can be redeemed for travel credits or cash.
• The Gas & Restaurants Credit Card offers 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants.
• The NHL Credit Card offers 5% cashback on everyday purchases at different locations each quarter.
• The Discover Business Credit Card offers 1.5% cash back on every dollar spent on all purchases and your rewards never expire.
• The Discover Secured Credit Card is unique in that it offers cash back rewards - 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

At the end of your first year as a cardholder, Discover adds up all the rewards you earned and matches it.

No Annual Fees

There are no annual fees associated with any of Discover's credit cards, which can save cardholders hundreds of dollars each year.

No Foreign Transaction Fee

Discover does not charge a foreign transaction fee, which is a nice benefit for frequent travelers.

Free Credit Score Monitoring

Discover offers FICO credit score monitoring for free, and you don't even have to be a Discover cardmember to use this service, and checking will never impact your credit. Through this service you can see a breakdown of your FICO score and the five categories that affect it — payment history, credit utilization, length of credit history, new credit, and credit mix. In addition, you can take an in-depth look into your payment history and credit mix.

Fraud Safeguards

Discover offers several fraud safeguards, including purchase monitoring and the ability for customers to freeze and unfreeze their card in the event that it is lost or stolen.

Note: Many other card issuers offer the ability to freeze and unfreeze your card if necessary.

Introductory APR 

Most of Discover's credit cards offer an introductory APR of 0 percent for the first 14 months.

Positive Customer Reviews

The majority of Discover reviews are positive, awarding the credit card company 4 or 5 stars. These positive reviews most frequently highlight the following:

• Generous cash back rewards
• Convenient mobile app
• Great option for first-time credit borrowers and those who are looking to build credit

Negative reviews are limited, but of these reviews, customers mention that interest rates are high and that cards are not accepted everywhere.

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• Late Payment Penalties
• Limited International Card Acceptance
• Minimal Cardholder Benefits
• Limited Co-branded Cards

Late Payment Penalties 

For the first late payment, Discover does not charge a late payment fee. However, cardholders can expect to be charged a fee for every late payment after the first.

Limited International Card Acceptance 

Discover cards are accepted at 99 percent of locations that take credit cards across the United States, and the Discover Global Network offers acceptance in 200 countries and territories across the world.

The Discover network continues to grow, but compared to Visa and Mastercard credit cards, which are accepted almost anywhere internationally, Discover credit card acceptance is limited. Thus, if you travel frequently, Discover may not be the best card option for you.

Minimal Cardholder Benefits 

After the first year of being a Discover cardmember, there are minimal cardholder benefits available, especially in comparison to other card issuer rewards cards.
For example, Discover will match all cash back earned in your first year of being a cardholder, but only in the first year.

Limited Co-branded Cards

Discover only has one co-branded card available: the NHL credit card. Other large credit card companies, such as Capital One or American Express, offer many co-branded card options.

Co-branded credit cards offer greater access to rewards at more locations and on a wider range of purchases. Instead of having one retail card providing rewards at specific limited locations, co-branded cards combine retail benefits with the ability to gain points, miles, and rewards on more than just retail purchases.