Discover it Business Review: 1.5% Back on Everything, Matched in Year One
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Our Take
4.5
It's a fine rewards card for small-business owners who want to keep things simple. But bigger spenders who are willing to pay an annual fee can do better.
Quick Facts
Pros & Cons
Pros
High rewards rate
No annual fee
No foreign transaction fee
Cons
- None
This card earns 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year and 1% after that. It also offers an intro APR of 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-26.24% Variable APR. The annual fee is $0. Terms apply.
Compare to Other Cards
Annual fee$95 | Annual fee$0 | Annual fee$0 |
Regular APR20.74%-25.74% Variable APR | Regular APR17.99%-23.99% Variable APR | |
Intro APRN/A | Intro APR0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening | Intro APR0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Full Review
If your business plans to shell out a lot over the course of a year, the Discover it® Business Card can help you hang on to some of those clams.
The card earns an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, and like other eligible Discover cards, it offers a new-cardholder bonus that can effectively double that rate in the first year. If you're expecting a lot of expenses in the first year — say, launching a business or product line or making a major capital improvement — this card might be a good fit for you.
But other small-business cards offer similar or better ongoing rewards, while also throwing in extras such as an upfront welcome bonus or a lengthier 0% intro APR offer that may provide a greater benefit to your bottom line. And if you're OK with tracking bonus categories, you can do better than 1.5% back.
Discover it® Business Card: Basics
Card type: Small business.
Annual fee: $0.
Sign-up bonus: Get an unlimited dollar-for-dollar match of all the cash back you earn at the end of your first year, automatically. And no limit to how much we’ll match. So you could turn $350 cash back into $700 with Cashback Match™.
Rewards: 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
Interest rate: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 Months, and then the ongoing APR of 14.49%-22.49% Variable APR
Penalty APR: None.
Foreign transaction fees: None.
Other benefits: Free employee cards and free Social Security number alerts, among other perks.
Why you might want the Discover it® Business Card
Potentially lucrative sign-up bonus
Know what's even better than earning 1.5% cash back on everything? Having those rewards doubled at the end of the first year. For a fledgling business with a plethora of startup costs, earning an effective 3% back on all purchases in Year One can be a huge boon.
No minimum redemption for cash back
Starting with as little as 1 cent in earnings, you can cash in for a statement credit to your card account, an electronic deposit to your bank account, or a donation to select charities. Once you hit $5 in rewards, you can also redeem for gift cards or instant eCertificates from Discover partners.
Little in the way of fees
The Discover it® Business Card has a $0 annual fee, doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, offers free employee cards, and waives your first late fee. Even if you're habitually late, there's no penalty APR (although your credit scores could end up suffering).
0% intro APR offer on purchases
The Discover it® Business Card can offer you some extra time to pay off a big purchase, although you can find longer offers elsewhere.
Why you might want a different card
No upfront bonus offer
Although the new-cardholder bonus on the Discover it® Business Card can be quite lucrative, you still have a wait a year to collect it. Other cards will give you a cache of cash (or points) if you meet a spending requirement within the first few months.
Bigger spenders can do better
If your business spends more than $30,000 a year on a credit card, the Capital One Spark Cash Plus might be a better choice. It earns a flat 2% cash back on all spending. It does come with an annual fee of $150. But if you're putting tens of thousands worth of expenses on the card, you'll still fare better thanks to its higher rewards rate.
No 0% period for transfers
If you're looking for a business card to help you pay down debt, the Discover it® Business Card is not for you, since its 0% APR period applies only to purchases, not balance transfers. The U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard® would be a better fit. It offers an introductory APR of 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 18.99%-27.99% Variable APR. The annual fee is $0.
No travel perks
If you or your employees do a significant amount of travel for work, you could get more utility out of a card that offers extras like airport lounge access or enhanced value if you use your earnings for flights, hotels or rental cars. These kinds of cards typically charge hefty annual fees, but if you'll use the perks, they can easily make that fee worth it. The American Express® Business Gold Card, for instance, allows you to get 25% of your points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel (up to 250,000 points back per calendar year). The annual fee is $295, but you'll also earn 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in two bonus categories from a list of six where you spend the most each billing cycle (up to the first $150,000 in combined purchases per year; then 1 point back). Terms apply (see rates and fees).
To see how these cards stack up with competitors, see our best credit cards roundup.
Is the Discover it® Business Card right for you?
If you know you'll have a lot of expenses in the first year, the Discover it® Business Card is an appealing choice. It's also a good option if you like to keep things simple. But it pays to do the math. Many other cards can offer better value in the long term, especially if you're willing to pay an annual fee or keep track of bonus categories.
