I try not to do too many credit card posts in a row, but Discover just released its fourth quarter bonus categories, and this one is always a money-maker. Nothing particularly complicated: In terms of simplicity, yesterday’s post was a 1, on a scale of 1-10. Today’s is a 3. A bit more work, but definitely better rewards. To max it out, be sure to read the bullet points at the end.
Every quarter, Discover gives you bonus categories that will get you 5% back, up to $1,500 spend, on its “It” branded cards (not It Miles). Here are last quarter’s categories:
And here are this quarter’s:
Looks awfully similar, doesn’t it? The only change is from Home Improvement stores to Clothing stores. For those of you who shop at Amazon, there’s a very quick way to get a $75 bonus. Amazon gift cards are specifically included in the promotion (Usually, gift cards are excluded.). Buy yourself a $1,500 gift card and upload it immediately to your Amazon account. You can then spend it down over time. Obviously, don’t do this if you can’t afford to pay off your credit card bill in full each month.
Discover is the card company that has the best unknown perks in the business. In addition to excellent customer service, its cards have no annual fees and don’t charge foreign currency transaction fees. The Discover It card, which is the one that I would recommend to all but the highest of spenders, normally gives you 1% base, but everything for the first year is doubled. Here’s where it gets interesting:
- The It Card gives you access to Discover Deals, the best cash back shopping portal on the web (The It Miles gets you access, too, but only for discounts, not cash back.). Each purchase you make through the portal will give you money back, such as 5% at Best Buy, 10% at Groupon or 15% at Under Armour (not to mention a 25% discount at Papa John’s). There are over 200 major merchants who are giving cash back or, in a few cases, discounts up front. Note: Do not overlook shopping portals when buying online. It is free money.
- The It card also gives you the 5% quarterly cash back bonuses mentioned above.
- All cash back the first year is doubled, so a 10% rebate is effectively a 20% rebate. The quarterly bonuses are really 10% bonuses.
I have the Discover It card, which I use specifically for the bonus categories and shopping at the Discover Deals site. With no annual fee, it is an outstanding card to rack up rewards. The card can be found on the cash back banner, the second banner at the bottom of this page. As always, thank you for using my links. I really appreciate it.
Note: This post may contain credit card affiliate links. All credit card proceeds are donated to charity.
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