Discover it® Student Cash Back
on Discover's website, or call (800) 347-0264
Discover it® Student Cash Back
Card details
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! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 into $200. 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.
Earn rewards while building your credit history that can help you after graduation. And, get your free Credit Scorecard that includes your FICO® Credit Score and important details that help make up your score.
No annual fee. No late fee on first late payment. No APR change for paying late.
Refer-a-Friend: Once you become a Discover it® Student cardmember, you can earn a statement credit each time you refer a friend and they’re approved. Over half a million students got Discover Cards from their friends' recommendations.
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.
Discover is accepted nationwide by 99% of the places that take credit cards.
0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months, then the standard variable purchase APR of 12.99% - 21.99% applies.
Rates, fees & offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-5%
Bonus offer
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! So you could turn $50 cash back into $100. Or turn $100 into $200. There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for- dollar match.
Intro APR
0% intro APR on Purchases for 6 months and 10.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months
Ongoing APR
APR: 12.99% - 21.99% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 24.99%, Variable
Balance transfer fee
3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
Foreign transaction fee
None
Recommended credit score
Compare to other cards
Annual Fee$0 | Annual Fee$95 | Annual Fee$0 intro for the first year, then $95 |
Regular APR15.99% - 22.99% Variable APR | ||
Intro APR0% intro APR on Purchases for 6 months and 10.99% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 6 months | Intro APRN/A | Intro APR0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
NerdWallet review
Rating details
4.9
Editor's overall rating
Pros and cons
Pros
Earn 5% Cash Back in rotating categories each quarter up to the quarterly maximum when you activate
No FICO history required.
Bonus cash back categories
No annual fee
Intro APR period on Purchases and Balance Transfers
No foreign transaction fee
Cons
Slightly less merchant acceptance for Discover in US - acceptance outside of US can be an issue
Bonus rewards categories require quarterly activation
This card gives you 5% cash back in quarterly rotating categories that you activate, on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Historically, bonus categories have included student-friendly options such as restaurants, movie theaters and Amazon.com purchases.
Other great features include a $20 statement credit each year if you maintain a 3.0 GPA, free access to your FICO score, and an annual fee of $0. If you're planning to study abroad, the card has no foreign transaction fees, but Discover's acceptance abroad is fairly limited. For more information, read our full review.
