2020 Discover Cashback Calendar

Discover revealed the entire list of 5% cashback categories for 2020, so you can plan your spending for the year. That’s great news for Discover it® Cash Back and other eligible Discover cardholders will Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

Here, we’ll review the 2020 cashback calendar, what you need to know to earn 5% cashback and how the Discover cashback calendar compares with the Chase Freedom® cashback calendar.

Here’s what you need to know:

• You need to activate the bonus categories to earn 5% cash back. Log into the Account Center or call 1-800-DISCOVER (1-800-347-2683) to activate.
• Each quarter, 5% cash back is limited to $1,500 in spending. After you hit that ceiling, you’ll earn 1% cash back.
• All purchases outside the bonus categories automatically earn 1% cash back.
• Eligible cards include:

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Discover it^® Cash Back

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(1,496) Over the Past 60 Days!

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on Discover's secure site

Rates & Fees

• 0% Intro APR

  0% for 14 months on purchases and Balance Transfers, then 11.99% - 22.99% Variable.

• Rewards

  Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically. *

• Cashback Match™

  Get a dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, automatically*

Highlights

• INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match – 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. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
• Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate.
• Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically.
• Redeem cash back any amount, any time. Rewards never expire.

• Use your rewards at Amazon.com checkout.
• Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.* Activate for free.
• No annual fee.
• See Rates & Fees

See additional details for Discover it^® Cash Back

More Info

Apply Now

Discover it^® Student Cash Back

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(63) Over the Past 60 Days!

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on Discover's secure site

Rates & Fees

• Intro Purchase APR

  0% intro for 6 Months*

• Rewards Rate

  Earn 5% cash back at different places each quarter up to the quarterly maximum, when you activate*

• Ongoing APR

  12.99% - 21.99% Variable*

Highlights

• INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match – 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. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
• Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
• Good Grades Rewards: $20 statement credit each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next 5 years.
• No annual fee. No late fee on first late payment. No APR change for paying late.
• Get 100% U.S. based customer service & get your free Credit Scorecard with your FICO® Credit Score, number of recent inquiries and more.

• Freeze It® on/off switch for your account that prevents new purchases, cash advances & balance transfers in seconds.
• Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.* Activate for free.
• 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months, then the standard variable purchase APR of 12.99% - 21.99% applies.
• See Rates & Fees

See additional details for Discover it^® Student Cash Back

More Info

How the 2020 calendar compares with 2019

The 2020 cashback calendar is very similar to 2019’s calendar, with the addition of Walgreens, CVS, and wholesale clubs. Wholesale clubs were brought back this year after being absent in 2019. In 2018, Discover cardholders benefited from wholesale clubs as a bonus category twice — during the first and last quarters of that year.

There is also the return of rideshare services Uber and Lyft, which are included with gas stations and wholesale clubs from April to June.

Discover cashback calendar vs. Chase cashback calendar

While Discover releases its entire 2020 cashback calendar early, Chase releases the categories prior to the quarter in which they are available for the Chase Freedom®. Chase tends to build the anticipation and reveal categories throughout the year. However, looking at past years, grocery stores and department stores will most likely be included.

Here’s what we know so far:

*Eligible streaming services are Pandora, Netflix, Hulu, Sling, Vudu, FuboTV, SiriusXM, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and ESPN+

**Grocery stores do not include Target or Walmart purchases.

Which cashback program is better?

It’s hard to choose the best cashback program for two reasons. First, Chase hasn’t released its 2020 cashback calendar, so we don’t know which categories will be included. Second, everyone has different spending habits. Depending on where you shop most should help you determine which card is a better fit.

If you’re in the market for a new cashback card, you should also take a close look at the Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card, which will provide cardholders a flexible rewards program, which began early in 2019. Existing and new Bank of America® Cash Rewards credit card holders will be able to earn 3% cash back in one of six categories: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores or home improvement and furnishings; 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs; and unlimited 1% on all other purchases. Cardholders can choose which category they want to earn 3% in every month.

The information related to the Chase Freedom® has been independently collected by CompareCards and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.