22% Cashback with Discover and Apple Pay (23% with DIM, 30% at Department Stores)

We just posted about the deal of the year released by Discover which will offers a 10% cashback bonus on all in-store purchases made until years end when using your Discover card with Apple Pay.

10% + 10% = 20%

We mentioned that the 10% will likely be doubled at year’s end. This was confirmed by the Discover media team on Twitter that the cashback will be doubled at year’s end.

11% + 11% = 22%

Speculation ensued whether the 10% is in addition to the ordinary 1% or it’s instead of the 1%. We reached out to Discover again on Twitter and they clarified that the 10% is in addition to the ordinary rewards.

This is great news – we’ll get 11% immediately and another 11% at years end for up to $10,000 in purchases with Apple Pay. That’s up to $2,200 total per Discover card.

11.5% + 11.5% = 23%

If you have the Discover IT Miles card, you get 1.5% back (“miles” they call it) on all purchases which gets doubled at years end for new cardmembers. You’ll get 11.5% back on all Apple Pay purchases now and it will get doubled at year’s end.

15% + 15% = 30%

You may be able to get 30% back if you can find a store which gets 5% back for the quarterly category. You’d get 15% immediately and an additional 15% at year’s end. We hope to have a post up soon with more details.

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Update: Please don’t referral spam your links in the comments. I’ve removed links that provided no value apart from referral links.
    Chuck
  • On September 9, 2015, 23:31

View Comments (77)

    • It worked for me at the Whole Foods Huntington Beach, CA.

      It never worked at the Whole Foods stores in Austin, TX.
      I was told that the Austin stores will have their terminals updated around February 2016, and then they will accept Apple Pay with Discover.

  • Anybody having trouble getting the 10% CB when your Discover statement closes? I've had 2 close since this promo started - first one didn't have any Apple 10% bonus CB and second had $0.56 when I was owed $4+. They claim that cash back takes a few cycles to post but feels like I'm not getting my full bonus here. And didn't buy any gift cards in the purchases.

  • Did anybody succeed in using Apple Pay with the Discover card at Whole Foods?

    Mine is not being accepted in the two stores I tried, one being the No. 1 store here in Austin.

    Apple Pay works at Whole Foods if I select my Chase Visa card.
    Apple Pay works at Firehouse Subs with the Discover card.

    • @sergio, I was able to use my Discover card with Apple Pay at a Whole Foods in Minneapolis. No problems, scanned easily.

  • Hi Will:

    I think the twitter posts you published confirm that Apple Pay cashback is added to Double cashback, but they never said that Apple cashback will be doubled as well. For instance, Discover meant to say that you will get 13% with Discover Miles, but not 23%.

      • Chuck:

        I have Discover It and Miles with the double promotion already in place. I sent two emails to CS asking whether the Apple Pay cashback will be doubled. They responded, but never answered the question directly. Apparently, they are not sure themselves.

  • I don't believe we will get the 10% bonus on gift card purchases. I used Apple Pay with my Discover card today to buy a vanilla gift card, and the Apple Wallet screen said something like, "Get a 10% cash back bonus on all Apple Pay transactions with your Discover card. Gift card purchases not eligible." When I bought the vanilla gift card, in addition to the normal receipt, the computer also produced a second receipt specifying that it was a gift card purchase.

    • The 2nd receipt is something like "activation receipt". You get it even if you pay with a regular card, and it's not related to Discover.

  • I have read where newer IPADS can be used with Apple Pay. Can I set my Discover card up with my IPAD and then buy cards at Walgreen via my IPAD AND APPLE PAY.

    • Ipads can only be used in app with Apple Pay, not in store, so that won't work. It has also been stated that in app purchases don't count for the promo.

  • So to follow up on an earlier post above, if you are a new Discover IT card holder, does the double cash back start after activation or after 1st statement ? I ask because above it wasn't clear if the after 1st statement was for current card holders who registered for the double cash vs new card holders.

    Thanks

    • I believe for new cardholders, it's active at signup, but for existing cardholders, it becomes active at the following statement cycle. At least, that's what I read on reddit.

  • As far as I know, CVS is still on the MCX train, holding out for CurrentC and boycotting Apple Pay. So it's pretty much Walgreens or office supply stores. Best Buy is rumored to be coming back to Apple Pay sometime "later this year."

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