Discover it Double Cash Promotion Now Live – 10% Cash Back Rotating Categories And 2% Everywhere (New & Existing Customers)
Small update: This offer is now being reported on the homepage of Discover.com, it makes it seem that this promotion is only for new cardholders but it’s available to existing cardholders as well.
Two days ago we were the first to report a new deal offered by Discover, they will be doubling the the cash back bonus for Discover it cardholders for their next 12 statement cycles. Keep reading to better understand the full details of this offer.
The Offer
To enroll in this offer you can call 800-347-3085 and request to be enrolled in this offer, hopefully they will also let you sign up online at some stage.
- Discover it cardholders will receive double the cash back for the next twelve statement cycles, this means that the card will earn at the following rates:
- 10% cash back in rotating categories
- 2% cash back on all purchases
I was told that Discover Deals would also be doubled by the representative. But I have a query with the Discover media team to confirm this as it sounds too good to be true and the Discover it Miles also offers double cash back for the first twelve months and Discover Deals is not doubled (reps also thought this would be doubled and it’s not).
The Fine Print
- Must enroll in this offer to be eligible
- Available to new and existing cardholders
- You have until July 31st to enroll
- You’ll receive your double cash back bonus with your 13th statement after you’ve enrolled in this offered
- This offer does not begin until your next statement period begins (when you call, they’ll be able to tell you when this period begins). It’s possible to change when your statement cuts out by calling Discover as well
- No earning caps
Full fine print from credit card application page:
After the first 12 consecutive billing periods that your new account is open, we will double all the cash back rewards you’ve earned and apply them to your account in the next billing cycle. You’ve earned rewards when they have posted to your account by the end of the 12th consecutive billing period. You will not receive Double Cash Back if your account is closed or no longer in the cash back reward program as of the award date. This promotional offer may not be offered in the future.
Discover It Sign Up Bonuses
Discover usually offers a sign up bonus of $150 once a year on this card, unfortunately that offer is only available to some people via targeted means at the moment. The best sign up bonus is a $100 Amazon gift card has been reduced to $50 (although the official site is also offering an introductory APR of 0% for 14 months). Also keep in mind that it’s possible to have more than one Discover it card.
Having multiple Discover it cards could be very useful for people who spend more than $1,500 per quarter in any of the rotating categories. You can have a maximum of two Discover credit cards and your first card must have been opened for a period of one year before you’ll be eligible to open a second.
Our Verdict
I’m glad to see that the 5% cash back categories will be doubled, this means that it’s possible to earn 10% cash back in those categories. If your statement cut out before June 30th you could receive 10% cash back for 2015: Q2, Q3, Q4 and 2016: Q1 & Q2 for a potential of $750 in cash back per Discover it card. Obviously some people will have already have maxed out Q2 2015 but that’s still a potential of $600 in cash back. Below is a list of the current, future and past rotating categories for the Discover it:
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Gas Stations & Wholesale Clubs | Grocery Stores | Restaurants | Amazon & Wholesale Clubs |
2017 | Gas Stations, Ground Transportation & Wholesale Clubs | Home Improvement & Wholesale Clubs | Restaurants. Some cardholders targeted for Amazon | Amazon and Target |
2016 | Gas and Ground Transportation | Restaurants & Movies | Amazon, Home Improvement | Sam’s Club, Amazon, and Department Stores |
2015 | Gas Stations & Ground Transportation | Summer Spruce Up? | Home Improvement Stores, Department Stores, and Amazon.com | Amazon, department stores, and clothing stores |
2014 | Restaurants and Movies | Home Improvement Stores, Furniture Stores and Bed Bath & Beyond | Gas stations | Department Stores and Online Shopping |
2013 | Restaurants and Movies | Home Improvement Stores | Gas stations | Online Shopping |
2012 | Gas stations, Movie theaters and Museums | Restaurants and Movies | Gas stations, Movies and Theme parks | Department Stores and Online Shopping |
2011 | Travel and Restaurants | Home and Fashion | Gas, Hotels, Movies and Theme Parks | Restaurants and Fashion |
*2011 had a limit of $800 in spend per quarter rather than the $1,500 currently offered.
2% cash back is nice, but there are a lot of cards that already offer that rate or higher, without having to wait over a year to get the cash back. The advantage of Discover is that they have relationships with JCB and UnionPay which means their acceptance should be better than Visa, Mastercard or American Express in places like Japan and China. You can read our tips for using Discover internationally here.
There is one thing that I don’t like about this promotion though and that’s the fact that you need to wait a full 13 statement cycles before you receive the double cash back.
If Discover Deals does also offer double cash back then this deal is out of control good. Discover Deals is often best in show when it comes to cash back shopping portals. As an example, Sears is currently 10% cash back with Discover Deals doubled would make it 20% cash back and it’s also possible to double dip making this 40% cash back. Obviously this isn’t sustainable, which is why I think Discover Deals will not be doubled. The other option Discover has is simply to reduce the rates on merchants that are being abused and possibly shut down the accounts of the abusers (again waiting 13 months for your cash back is never a good thing).
Where is the sign up for the bonus? I didn’t see it. Thanks.
You have to call in at the moment.
I was on chat this morning and I couldn’t sign up they said I had to call
should I wait to sign up so that I can get double 3rd quarter 2016 ?
I just signed up via the Customer Service department and I was told the double bonus will not be applied to bonus categories and Discover Deals. I made certain that the CSR understood my request and he continually stated that it will only be applied to standard category purchases. Hopefully he is uninformed.
B. C.
Interesting, I don’t get that from reading the fine print on the offer but maybe it’s different for existing cardholders? Hopefully just an uninformed CSR.
Can anyone confirm once and for all if the double cashback applies to 5% bonus categories? Some CSRs insist that it does while others insist it doesn’t
It shouldn’t matter as most people still maximize on those categories
10% vs 5% is a huge difference
I think what he meant was that since most people max out the quarterly categories, whether they are doubled or not would not change your usage habits… so just sign up and hope for the best!
Interesting. I talked to the rep (from Ohio) and he specifically confirmed after putting me on hold for 5 minutes that this will apply to all cashback including Discover Deals. Of course, we wont find out before 12 months what is the true fact. Sucks they wont be sending email confirmation regarding the enrollment in program.
Just called the customer service line and was told that any points earned including 1% cash back and 5% rotating categories would be doubled at the end of the year. Hard to say what will actually happen I guess.
Sorry for the horrible formatting. First post.
Discover CSR just told me that once I’m signed up, EVERYTHING (including ShopDiscover) is automatically doubled and will appear in my Cashback account on month 13. Here’s to hoping she was right…
Just called in and was told that I was “not eligible for the promotion”. Will try HUCA later; I don’t have time right now.
Managed to eke out the time to call now. Called again and got the promo! Here’s a summary of the two calls.
1st Call: After a short wait on hold, the call was answered by someone who identified herself as a supervisor. I said I wanted to sign up for the promo, she said, “Let me check your account and see if you are eligible for that promotion.” After a minute or two, she returned to the line and told me that I wasn’t eligible. I thanked her and hung up.
2nd Call: After a short wait on hold, the call was answered by someone who sounded less experienced. I mentioned the promo and she immediately knew what I was talking about and offered to sign me up. She read off the terms to me, sounding slightly awkward. When I asked whether the quarterly cash back would be doubled, she said, “No, it’s a 2% offer, not a 10% offer”, but sounded uncertain, then she repeated the terms: “All promotional cash back you receive for the next 12 months will be doubled.” So, we’ll see!
As always, if at first you don’t succeed, Hang Up and Call Again! The reaction from the first CSR leads me to wonder if this promo is intended to be targeted, and if so, if it will be honored for everyone who signed up.
Also, I tried to change my closing date for June, they said that the new closing date wouldn’t take effect until August. So you may not be able to move your closing date to an earlier date, but YMMV.
Just called in and asked about category spend. Rep confirmed to me it is ALL cashback, regardless of how you earn it. The one thing was that you don’t get double cash back per cycle. Instead, you’ll receive it all at the end of your 12 month enrollment.
Where are you getting $1500 total in CB?
It’s on up to $1500 in spending per quarter. So 10% of that is $150, X 5 quarters = $750. I think you doubled it twice.
You’re right, I knew that sounded too much to be correct. Fixing this now.
Rep on chat at first said that 5% categories won’t count for this promo, then checked the terms and confirmed that 5% categories will in fact count (10%). So be aware that not all reps know exactly whats going on yet
I just called and the rep said that everything applies for the double cash including discover deals she seemed knowledgeable about the promotion
Just enrolled both my Discover cards. CSR asked her supervisor, who confirmed this promo applies to both category spend bonuses and Discover Deals!!!
I asked to be enrolled over chat and these are the terms I was sent:
After the first twelve consecutive billing cycles that you are enrolled, we will double all the Cashback rewards you have earned and apply them to your account in the next billing cycle. Enrollment into this promotion will not be finalized until your next billing cycle; any spend you make from today until your next billing cycle will not be eligible for this double Cashback Bonus promotion. You earn rewards on purchases you make that have posted to your account by the end of the 12th consecutive billing cycle. You will not receive Double Cashback Bonus if your account is closed or no longer in the Cashback rewards program as of the date.
It doesn’t seem to exclude the 5% or the shop discover rewards.
Your comment about Discover Deals not being doubled with the Discover it Miles card is somewhat misleading. All the Discover Deals for that card are applied as a discount at time of purchase and never produce any miles, so there is nothing to double.
Just opened a chat with them. They said that all purchases, including ShopDiscover/DiscoverDeals are eligible for the doubling. Hope they are right.
I am on the phone right now with a very helpful CSR. She not only added the promo to my CC but also my husband’s without even asking to speak to him. Score! Could not have been easier. She’s adding some travel dates to our cards right now since now it makes sense to take them on our next trip. Thanks DOC!
Do you know if it works for old Discover Cashback Cards the ones that don’t say IT or just the new IT cards?
Nevermind just saw another comment that answered my question.
Just called and had this deal added to my existing card with no problem. Can I buy $1500 of Amazon gift cards from Amazon during the 3rd quarter and get the additional cash back?