- The Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Student Cash Back cards earn cash back on some purchases.
- Grocery stores and wholesale clubs such as Sam's Club and BJ's are the bonus categories for Q2 2025.
- Competitor Chase Freedom's 5% bonus categories are Amazon and select streaming services.
The Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Student Cash Back earn cash back on bonus categories that rotate every quarter.
Better yet, new Discover cardholders can double their cash back after their first year of card ownership through the Discover Cashback Match program. This means first-year cardholders can earn a total of 10% cash back on bonus categories in their inaugural 12 months.
These generous rewards are why the Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Student Cash Back are two of our favorite credit cards for everyday use especially if you're a student or recent graduate, new to credit, or a first-time credit cardholder.
Q2 2025: The bonus categories for April through June 2025 are groceries and wholesale clubs like Sam's Club and BJ's.
Here's how you can start earning big cash rewards in 2025.
$0
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR
Earn Unlimited Cashback Match®
Good to Excellent
- From April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025, earn 5% cash back at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%
- Discover will match your cash back earned at the end of your first account year
- No annual fee
- Cap on how much bonus cash back you can earn each quarter
- If the quarterly categories aren't convenient for you, you can earn more cash back with a different card
The Discover it® Cash Back is one of the best credit cards that offers 5% back on popular rotating categories each quarter up to a spending limit when activated. Your rewards are matched by Discover after the first 12 months, and the card has no annual fee.
Discover it® Cash Back- Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers–only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
- Earn 5% Cashback Bonus® at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs, April 1 through June 30, 2025, on up to $1,500 in purchases, when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Redeem your rewards for cash at any time.
- Apply and you could get a decision in as little as 60 seconds. No annual fee.
- Start shopping and earning rewards in minutes with our digital card, before your physical card arrives in the mail, if eligible.
- Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. Activate by mobile app for free.
- Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 18.24% to 27.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
- Terms and conditions apply.
How the Discover Cashback Bonus works
Earning cash back on bonus categories is incredibly easy, but you'll need to take one crucial step each quarter before you begin.
Enrollment and activation
Cardholders must activate the promotion through Discover in order to begin earning 5% bonus cash back, and all purchases must be made within the U.S. in order to qualify.
You can activate the 5% cash back by clicking through the "log in to activate" button on the Discover 5% cash back enrollment page. Once you've filled in the relevant information, you will automatically be enrolled for the quarter.
Activate ASAP: You won't earn bonus rewards on any purchases made before you activate, so make sure you enroll in the promotion as early as you can. You can enroll at any time during the quarter.
Earning cash back with Discover
Cardholders earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent, then 1% in combined bonus categories that change every three months once activated, and 1% back on all other purchases.
2025 Discover Cashback Bonus calendar
Here's what Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Student Cash Back cardholders can expect to earn in 2025 once they activate the quarter's promotion.
Q2 2025: April 1 through June 30
After enrolling in the promotion, cardholders can earn increased cash back on U.S. groceries and wholesale clubs between April 1 and June 30.
Grocery store purchases include those made at supermarkets, meat lockers, bakeries, smaller grocery stores, and grocery delivery services. Purchases made from Walmart or Target are not eligible, and transactions from convenience stores and discount stores may not qualify.
Wholesale clubs include stores like Sam's Club and BJ's, although some may not accept Discover cards. Purchases of affiliated wholesale club services such as delivery services, travel, and cell phone purchases may not be eligible for the cash-back bonus. Individual merchants and stand-alone stores within physical wholesale clubs or online may not be eligible in this category.
Purchases must be made with merchants in the U.S. To qualify for the bonus, the purchase transaction date must be before or on the last day of the offer or promotion. For online purchases, the transaction date from the merchant may be the date when the item ships. Rewards are added to your account within two billing periods. Even if a purchase appears to fit in a rotating category, the merchant may not have a merchant category code (MCC) in that category.
Merchants and payment processors are assigned an MCC based on their typical products and services. Discover Card does not assign MCCs to merchants. Certain third-party payment accounts and digital wallet transactions may not earn increased rewards if the technology does not provide sufficient transaction details or a qualifying MCC.
Q1 2025: January 1 through March 31
Cardholders earned increased cash back on restaurants, home improvement stores, and select streaming services.
Q4 2024: October 1 through December 31
Cardholders earned increased cash back at Amazon and Target purchases within the U.S.
Q3 2024: July 1 through September 30
Cardholders earned increased cash back at grocery stores and Walmart in the U.S.
Q2 2024: April 1 through June 30
Cardholders earned increased cash back at gas stations, electric vehicle charging stations, home improvement stores, and on public transit.
Q1 2024: January 1 through March 31
Cardholders earned increased cash back at full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, restaurant deliveries, and drugstores.
Q4 2023: October 1 through December 31
Target and Amazon purchases earned bonus cash back in Q4 2023.
Q3 2023 Discover calendar: July 1 through September 30
Gas station and digital wallet purchases earned increased cash back in Q3 2023.
Q2 2023 Discover calendar: April 1 through June 30
Restaurants and wholesale clubs were the Discover bonus categories for Q2 2023.
Q1 2023 Discover calendar: January 1 through March 31
Purchases at grocery stores, drug stores, and select streaming services earned bonus cashback in Q1 2023.
Q4 2022 Discover calendar: October 1 through December 31
Amazon.com and digital wallet purchases earned bonus cash back in Q4 2022.
Q3 2022 Discover calendar: July 1 through September 30
Restaurants and PayPal purchases earned increased cash back in Q3 2022.
Q2 2022 Discover calendar: April 1 through June 30
Gas stations and Target purchases earned the Discover bonus categories in Q2 2022.
Q1 2022 Discover calendar: January 1 through March 31
Grocery stores and fitness club/gym memberships were the Discover bonus categories in Q1 2022.
Discover Cashback Bonus
The best cash-back credit cards earn rewards in different ways. Some cards offer a flat cash-back rate for all purchases, while others include extra rewards in specific categories. And some, like the Discover credit cards reviewed in this post, offer increased earnings in quarterly rotating bonus categories.
Discover now announces quarterly bonus categories a few weeks before they go into effect. You'll begin earning extra rewards on eligible purchases once you activate the bonus through your Discover online account and the promotion begins.
Discover credit cards don't charge annual or foreign transaction fees, so they're a good choice if you want to minimize out-of-pocket costs and maximize rewards. However, most bonus categories are limited to transactions completed within the U.S., so don't count on your international trip to earn you increased cash back.
Maximizing your cash back
$0
0% intro APR for six months on purchases
17.24% - 26.24% Variable APR
Earn Unlimited Cashback Match®
Fair/New to Credit
- From April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025, earn 5% cash back at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%
- Discover matches your cash back after the first year
- Not the most rewarding cash-back card for non-bonus purchases
The Discover it® Student Cash Back is a great choice if you're a student with limited credit history and want to earn a strong rate of cash back on your everyday spending without paying an annual fee.
Discover it® Student Cash Back- Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 cash back into $200.
- Earn 5% Cashback Bonus® at Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs, April 1 through June 30, 2025, on up to $1,500 in purchases, when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Redeem your rewards for cash at any time.
- No credit score required to apply.
- Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. Activate by mobile app for free.
- No annual fee and build your credit with responsible use.
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months, then the standard variable purchase APR of 17.24% - 26.24% applies.
- Terms and conditions apply.
Planning purchases according to the calendar
The best way to maximize your cash back opportunities is by planning your purchases around the Discover bonus calendar. For example, you can purchase grocery store gift cards during to use in later months. You can also purchase travel during promotion periods, and adjust your plans as needed if there are no associated change fees.
Tips for maximizing rewards in each category
Discover offers more redemption options than many people realize. If you have any of its cash-back credit cards, you can apply rewards to your bill as a statement credit or request a direct deposit to your bank account, redeem them toward Amazon and PayPal purchases, or cash them in for gift cards from select retailers.
Donations to select charities
You can also donate your rewards to select charities, including:
- American Cancer Society
- ASPCA
- American Red Cross
- Children's Miracle Network
- Junior Achievement
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
- Make-A-Wish
- Operation Homefront
- World Wildlife Fund
Quarterly rotating categories explained
$0
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months
18.99% - 28.49% Variable
Earn a $200 bonus
Good to Excellent
- No annual fee
- Generous bonus cash-back categories
- Great welcome bonus
- Booking through Chase Travel℠ can restrict outside earning potential
- Varying percentages and rotating calendar categories require extra attention
- 3% foreign transaction fees
The Chase Chase Freedom Flex® is a great pick if you want one of the best no-annual-fee cards with big earning potential and impressive benefits. It's an even better choice if you already collect Ultimate Rewards points with other Chase cards, because you can combine your points and potentially get even more value.
Chase Freedom FlexIf you like the idea of earning a bonus in categories that rotate each quarter, you should consider the Chase Freedom Flex® . Like its predecessor, the Chase Freedom® (no longer open to applicants), the no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Flex® offers 5% cash back in rotating categories after activation that are often different from Discover's in the same quarter.
With the Chase Freedom Flex, you'll earn 5% back (5x Chase Ultimate Rewards® points) on up to $1,500 spent in combined quarterly bonus categories after activation (then 1%), 5% back on travel purchases made through Chase Travel℠, 3% back on drugstore and dining purchases, and 1% back on everything else.
Similar to Discover, you can redeem rewards from the Chase Freedom Flex for statement credits, cash back, gift cards, merchandise, and more.
If you also have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can turn your cash back into Chase Ultimate Rewards points and unlock more redemption options, including transferring points to Chase's airline and hotel partners, like United Airlines and Hyatt.
Discover 5% Cashback Bonus frequently asked questions
How do I earn 5% cash back with Discover?
Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Student Cash Back cardholders can earn 5% back on different rotating categories after enrolling in Discover's quarterly promotion and making eligible purchases (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter, then 1%).
What are the rotating categories for Discover 5% Cashback Bonus right now?
Discover's 5% cash back categories for Q2 2025 are U.S. groceries and wholesale clubs.
Do I need to sign up each quarter to earn 5% cash back?
Yes, eligible cardholders must activate the 5% cash back promotion each quarter to qualify for the 5% bonus. You do not begin earning 5% until you've enrolled for the quarter.
What are some tips for maximizing my cashback?
Our credit card experts recommend planning ahead for bonus categories and making big purchases during bonus quarters.
Can I earn 5% cash back on purchases beyond the $1,500 limit?
No, Discover 5% cash back is capped at $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter, which is worth $75 in cashback rewards.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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