The Best Discover Credit Cards: NerdWallet’s Picks

Honestly, the Discover cards aren’t that great. While the Discover student cards are pretty good, you’d be much better off with a different card if you’re looking for anything else. Check out our list of the best rewards credit cards if you’re looking to earn something on your purchases, or if you’d like a 0% introductory APR period, we suggest the Citi Simplicity for its 21-month 0% period and because it has no late fees or penalty APR.

Best rewards card: the Discover More

The Discover More doubles as a great rewards card and a good balance transfer card. The card pays an impressive 5% cash back on quarterly rotating bonus categories that include groceries, airfare, clothing, gas, hotels, and movies. Rewards are capped each quarter at $300 in purchases. Outside of bonus spending categories, you earn 0.25% cash back on the first $3,000 in purchases per year and 1% back thereafter.

On the balance transfer front, the Discover More charges a 3% balance transfer fee–– lower than the average 5%. Discover is currently offering an 18-month 0% balance transfer interest promo, almost as long as you’ll find anywhere. The Discover More also offers 0% APR on purchases for the first 6 months. This card is a solid balance transfer option, with the added benefit of great rewards.

Best for travel: the Discover Escape

Among its major selling points, the Discover Escape boasts generous rewards and extremely flexible travel redemptions. The base rewards rate is 2 miles per dollar spent, and once you’ve saved up your Discover Miles, you can do anything you like with them. Book your trip however you want: fly on holidays, buy tickets through online sellers like Orbitz, and fly any airline you wish. You can also redeem miles for travel credits. As long as you pay with your Escape card, Discover will pick up the tab.

The card comes with a $60 annual fee, but we think the rewards and prorated signup bonus will more than make up for it. Earn an extra 25,000 miles, with 1,000 bonus miles per month for the first 25 months. The downside is that Discover isn’t accepted as widely outside of the United States, so you might find yourself denied. In particular, they’re accepted in completely random countries like Slovakia but not in, say, France or the UK.

Best student card: the Discover Student More

The Discover Student More tops our list of the best student credit card. The card pays out handsomely in rewards, with 5% cash back up to a quarterly limit in rotating bonus categories. Bonus categories vary, including restaurants, travel, and department stores. Spending outside current bonus categories earns a rewards rate of 0.25% on purchases up to $3,000 per year.  Spend more than that, and the rate rises to 1%. The card has no annual fee and offers 0% APR on purchases for the first 6 months, so you can make big back-to-school purchases and pay them off interest free over time. You’ll also receive a $25 bonus when you make a purchase within 3 months of approval.