Discover just announced an increased rewards rate at Amazon.com and seems pretty excited about it. While the upgrade is definitely a plus for Discover card holders, Discover still lags behind others in giving rewards for Amazon shopping.
Discovering the Amazon
The Discover More’s claim to fame is its 5% cash back rate in rotating categories. It’s a decent program, but you’re subject to pretty low quarterly rewards caps (December’s is $300 in purchases) and you have to abide by the category calendar if you really want to earn rewards. Other purchases earn rewards at a .25% rate for the first $3,000 of every year and 1% after that. Discover has upped the rewards at Amazon, allowing cardholders to earn double points up to $250 in purchases a month.
Rotating categories making you Blue?
Double points at Amazon is certainly an improvement, but Discover is not quite living up to the precedent. The American Express Blue Cash Everyday credit card offers 3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% at department stores and 1% everywhere else. It treats Amazon as a department store, so you receive double points on the site, and, unlike Discover, American Express doesn’t limit your earning potential. For an even better rate, check out the American Express Blue Cash Preferred. It shares many of the same benefits with the regular Blue Cash card, but the cash back rate is bumped to 6% at supermarkets, 3% at gas stations and department stores (including Amazon), and 1% everywhere else. It does have a $75 annual fee, but it also gives $100 cash back as a signup bonus.
Though they are both cash back cards, the Blue Cash and Discover More couldn’t be more different. The Blue Cash is a rewards credit card that prides itself on simplicity. You don’t have to contend with caps or rotating categories. The cash back rates kick in right away, and you can redeem as soon as you hit $25. The Discover More can be a bit confusing and somewhat limiting, so unless you’re really excited by the rotating categories they’ve preselected for you, the Blue Cash might be a better option.
Forward thinking
If you’re really an Amazon lover, you might want to check out the Citi Forward® Card card. It offers 5x rewards at bookstores, movie theaters, movie rental store, music stores, and restaurants (you earn 1 point per $1 spent everywhere else). Citi includes Amazon.com in the bookstore category, which means a 5% rewards rate on all your Amazon purchases. Unfortunately, rewards are capped at 75,000 ThankYou Points a year.
The only downfall of the Citi Forward® Card is the cash redemption isn’t what it could be. You’ll only get about .6 cents to the point. There are other redemption options (gift cards, music downloads) that yield a better return, but it does not claim to be the king of cash back credit cards. Check out the redemption options first. If you like what you see, the card might be worth your time.
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