Key takeaways
- Discover’s rotating cash back categories offer cardholders the chance to earn 5 percent back (after activation) on up to $1,500 combined spending on qualifying purchases each quarter (then 1 percent).
- Categories tend to align with seasonal themes and common spending patterns, with multiple categories reappearing each year.
- Each of the rotating categories cards also features Discover’s Cashback Match bonus opportunity — Discover will match all the cash back new cardholders earn in the first year.
While some cash back credit cards offer a flat rewards rate for each dollar you spend, the Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Student Cash Back take a different approach.
Cardholders earn a flat 1 percent cash back for all regular spending with these cards, but also earn 5 percent cash back on up to $1,500 spent in quarterly rotating categories (activation required). After you hit that spending cap, you’ll earn 1 percent cash back on additional purchases in these rotating categories. These cards come with no annual fee, making them all good choices to keep in your wallet.
Furthermore, Discover has a unique welcome offer. Instead of a traditional bonus that you earn when you meet a minimum spending requirement, Discover will match all the rewards you earn at the end of your first year of card membership. This means that if you earn $200 in cash back your first year, you’ll receive another $200 at the end of the year via Discover’s Cashback Match, for a total of $400 in cash back. There’s no limit to the amount to can earn.
If you’re considering Discover it® Cash Back or Discover it® Student Cash Back, you’ll need to know which categories provide higher cash back rewards. This guide outlines Discover’s rotating categories as they’re announced for 2025, along with how you can best use its cash back calendar.
Discover cash back calendar for 2025
Discover’s cash back bonus categories change each quarter, allowing cardholders to consistently have elevated cash back options. It helps that Discover includes categories that most people can use.
If your goal is maximizing your rewards, familiarize yourself with the 2025 Discover cash back calendar and compare previous years’ calendar details to see which spending categories have remained consistent over time.
| 2023 Discover it categories | 2024 Discover it categories | 2025 Discover it categories | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1: January to March | – Grocery stores – Drugstores – Select streaming services |
– Drugstores – Restaurants |
– Restaurants – Home improvement stores – Select streaming services |
| Q2: April to June | – Restaurants – Wholesale clubs |
– Gas stations and EV charging stations – Home improvement stores – Public transit |
– Grocery stores – Wholesale clubs |
| Q3: July to September | – Gas stations – Digital wallets |
– Walmart – Grocery stores |
– Gas stations and EV charging stations – Public transit – Utilities |
| Q4: October to December | – Amazon.com – Target |
– Amazon.com – Target |
TBD |
Certain categories have featured consistently, even if they’ve shifted the quarter in which they appear. For instance, for Q1 2025 restaurants stayed the same but select streaming services reappeared after leaving Q1 in 2024. For Q4 2023 and 2024, Amazon.com and Target were both on the list. Digital wallets, a category from 2023, hasn’t appeared again.
Discover releases categories one quarter at a time — in line with how Chase announces its bonus categories. That means cardholders aren’t able to plan their purchases out to maximize a year’s worth of bonus categories, but that’s typical among rotating category cards.
How to activate Discover categories
You won’t earn your 5 percent cash back bonuses with the Discover it® Cash Back or Discover it® Student Cash Back until you activate the bonus on your card each quarter. There is no retroactive option. Fortunately, you can easily activate your bonus categories on your credit card’s online account page.
EXPAND
If you’re unsure whether you’ve activated your quarterly bonus categories, you can also check by using the Discover website. On the cash back calendar page, you can select “Log In to Activate” or click the button in your account either online or through the mobile app.
Making the most of Discover Q3 bonus categories
In Q3 2025 — July through September — you can earn 5 percent back at gas stations and on EV charging, public transit and utilities (on up to $1,500 in combined spending for the quarter after activation, then 1 percent). Consider the following tips to get the most out of these bonus categories:
- Get going. If you have a road trip coming up, this is a golden opportunity to earn extra rewards on fuel. Make sure you take your Discover it card along for the ride.
- Get a transit pass. Because public transit is a bonus category in Q3, opt for a monthly or multi-ticket pass.
- Pay your household bills. Some utility providers charge a fee for using a credit card. But it could be well worth it, especially if you can pay extra toward your accounts for future bills.
How to redeem Discover rewards
Unlike other cash back credit cards that make you build a minimum balance of rewards before you can cash them in, Discover lets you redeem rewards in the form of a direct deposit to your account or a statement credit in any amount.
You can also redeem your rewards for gift cards when you’ve accrued at least $5 in your rewards account. Cardmembers can redeem their cash back for a physical or digital partner gift card with a possible 5 percent to 20 percent added value to each gift card (depending on the merchant). Partner gift cards range from $5 to $200 in increments of $5. You can also donate your cash back earnings to charity or make purchases through Amazon.com or PayPal.com.
Rewards you earn with Discover credit cards never expire as long as your account is open, so you can keep earning until you’re ready to redeem.
The bottom line
The Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Student Cash Back make it easy to earn rewards without an annual fee, and you’ll get more out of these cards if you pay attention to the rotating bonus categories offered.
This is especially true during the first year you’re a cardholder since Discover will match all the rewards you earn at the end of your first year. Just be sure to activate your bonus rewards each quarter before you start spending so you don’t miss out.
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