Discover’s 5% Cash Back Calendar for 2022

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This offer is no longer available on our site: Chase Freedom Flex℠

The Discover it® Cash Back card offers rotating cash back categories that can help you boost your rewards each quarter.

The card has no annual fee, but to maximize the rewards you can earn, you’ll still need to prioritize your spending to match those rotating categories.

The key is to always know in advance what your next spending categories will be and activate them as soon as possible to avoid missing out — otherwise you won’t earn bonus rewards on purchases in those categories.

From our partner

Annual Fee

$0
Intro Purchase APR

0% 15 Months
Intro Balance Transfer APR

0% Intro APR for 15 Months
Regular Purchase APR

13.49% – 24.49% Variable
Regular Balance Transfer APR

13.49% – 24.49% Variable

Additional Rates and Fees

Cash Advance Rate	26.49% Variable
Cash Advance Fee	See Terms*
Late Fee	See Terms*
Penalty APR	See Terms*
Balance Transfer Fee	3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
Foreign Transaction Fee	None
Return Payment Fee	See Terms*

INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
NEW! Discover helps remove your personal information from select people-search websites. Activate by mobile app for free.
Redeem cash back in any amount, any time. Rewards never expire.
NEW Intro APR: Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 13.49% to 24.49% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
No annual fee.
Click “Apply Now” to see terms and conditions.
See offer and benefit terms

^*See the online provider's credit card application for details about terms and conditions. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However, all credit card information is presented without warranty. When you click on the "Apply Now" button, you can review the credit card terms and conditions on the provider's website.

See details, rates & fees

Discover cash back calendar for 2022
How to activate Discover bonus cash back
Maximizing your cash back rewards

Discover cash back calendar for 2022

Year	Q1: January–March	Q2: April–June	Q3: July–September	Q4: October–December
2022	Grocery stores Fitness club & gym memberships	Gas stations Target	Restaurants PayPal	Amazon.com Digital Wallets

How to activate Discover bonus cash back

There are a couple of ways to activate your bonus cash back categories each quarter.

Through your online account
Calling 1-800-DISCOVER

If you’ve had the Discover it® Cash Back card for less than a year, remember that Discover matches all of the cash back you earn during the first 12 billing cycles through its Cashback Match program.

Just keep in mind that Discover applies that cash back to your account in the following one or two billing periods after your first year.

Maximizing your cash back rewards

So how do you get the most value from your cash back rewards? Discover offers several ways to redeem your cash back, including …

Cash or credit: You can opt for a direct deposit into your checking account or a statement credit to help pay down your bill.
Amazon and Paypal: You can use your rewards to pay when you check out at Amazon.com and Paypal.com.
Gift cards: You can choose from dozens of brands.
Charity donation: You can donate your rewards to select charitable organizations.

The Discover 5% cash back bonus categories can help you get more back for everyday purchases. But if you’re not primarily spending in those bonus categories, the card’s 1% base rewards rate is nothing to write home about.

To further maximize your rewards, consider pairing your Discover it® Cash Back card with another credit card to get more rewards on purchases that don’t fall within a bonus category.

Take a look at our picks for the best Discover cards.
If these categories don’t make sense for you but you like earning boosted cash back in rotating categories, check out the Chase Freedom Flex℠ for an alternative.
A flat-rate cash back card like the Citi® Double Cash Card could be a good choice for purchases that aren’t covered by the bonus categories.

About the author: Ben Luthi is a personal finance freelance writer and credit cards expert. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and finance from Brigham Young University. In addition to Credit Karma, you can find his wo… Read more.