February 27, 2025: The Discover it® Cash Back card will double all of the cash back you earn in the first year of being a cardmember, but if you apply through a referral link, you can earn an extra $100 statement credit. Here’s what you need to know about the new cardmember bonus on this card
Best bonus: $100 statement credit + double cash back offer
Annual fee: annual_fees
Best sign-up bonus: Get a $100 statement credit if you apply through our link, are approved, and use your card in the first three months. This offer is exclusive to referral links like the ones on this page. You’ll also get a dollar-for-dollar cash back match in your first year of having the card.
The $100 bonus is earned as a statement credit and the dollar-for-dollar cash back match is earned as additional cash back rewards.
Does the cash back match apply to the $100 bonus?
One question that comes up frequently about the referral bonus is whether the $100 you get from applying through a referral link is also doubled at the end of the first year. Unfortunately, since the $100 credit is earned as a statement credit, it won’t be doubled at the end of your first year.
Direct and affiliate applications: Double cash back in the first year, but no welcome bonus
When you apply for the Discover it® Cash Back card through Discover’s website directly, you’ll miss out on the $100 bonus after your first purchase. This lower offer is the same offer you’ll see on sites that have Discover affiliate links. For this reason, we recommend you apply through a referral link, either the one on our site or through a friend’s link.
My take on the Discover it® Cash Back welcome bonus
If you’re into 5% rotating category cards, the Discover it® Cash Back is an essential card to have in your wallet. $100 after your first purchase is one of the easiest cash back welcome bonuses to get. However, that’s only a fraction of the value you can get from the card in your first year.
The most interesting part of the card’s welcome bonus is that the doubled cash back effectively turns the card into a 10% rotating category card during the first year. We update our post on the Discover 5% categories each quarter. Visit that post to get an idea of what could be featured over the next year if you’re thinking of getting the card.
Unfortunately, outside of the card’s 5% categories, the card ends up being pretty uninteresting. It offers only 1% cash back on your other purchases. Even when that’s doubled in your first cardmember year, it only matches what you’d get with a 2% cash back card.
My verdict: Get the card for its 5% rotating categories. If you maximize rewards in two quarters over your first year, you’ll get $150 in marginal rewards from the first year cash back match and $100 if you apply through an affiliate link, making the “welcome bonus” worth about $250.
A few notes on applying for Discover credit cards
- You can have as most two credit cards issued by Discover at the same time. You can have only one student card.
- Your first account must be opened for a year before Discover will issue you a second credit card.
- You can get welcome bonuses for Discover cards if you have had the same card in the past.
- Discover reports business credit cards to the personal credit bureaus. Keep this in mind if you are trying to stay under 5/24 for Chase applications.
- You can check the application status of your Discover card application online, at Discover’s website.
About the card: Discover it® Cash Back at a glance
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: annual_fees
All information about the Discover it® Cash Back card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
The Discover it® Cash Back card offers 5% cash back in Discover’s rotating quarterly categories and a dollar-for-dollar cash back match in your first year.
Sign-up bonus
Best sign-up bonus: Get a $100 statement credit if you apply through our link, are approved, and use your card in the first three months. This offer is exclusive to referral links like the ones on this page. You’ll also get a dollar-for-dollar cash back match in your first year of having the card.
The $100 bonus is earned as a statement credit and the dollar-for-dollar cash back match is earned as additional cash back rewards.
Rewards
- 5% on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in Discover’s rotating 5% categories each calendar quarter.
- 1% on all other purchases.
Rewards are earned as cash back, but can also be redeemed for gift cards. When you redeem for select gift cards, you’ll get better-than-cash-back value for your rewards.
Benefits
The Discover it® Cash Back card offers no substantive benefits.
Bottom line: An extra $100 if you get the card through a referral link
No matter how you apply for a new Discover it® Cash Back, you’ll get your first-year cash back doubled after one year of being a cardmember. But if you apply through a referral link, you’ll get an extra $100 bonus.
