Discover it® Student Cash Back
on Discover's website, or call (800) 347-0264
Discover it® Student Cash Back
Card details
INTRO OFFER: Discover will match ALL the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, automatically. There's no signing up. And no limit to how much is matched.
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, select rideshares and online shopping, 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.
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0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months, then the standard variable purchase APR of 19.49%.
Rates, fees & offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1%-5%
Bonus offer
Discover will match ALL the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year, automatically. There's no signing up. And no limit to how much is matched.
Intro APR
0% on Purchases for 6 months and 10.99% on Balance Transfers for 6 months
Ongoing APR
APR: 19.49% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 26.49%, 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
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.
