Discover It Credit Card Review

Disclaimer - The Discover offers are no longer valid.


The Discover it™ is an essential part of any credit card lineup.  It is one of my favorite cards (I have too many favorites to count ;) and I'll try to explain why.  You shouldn't try to use it as your only card, but it is a great secondary card.

Advantages

1. 5% cashback rotating categories in categories that you actually spend money in.  (Starting in July it is gas and in October through December it will be Holiday shopping)
1. 5% cashback is really 6.25! Once you accumulate $20 of rewards, you can redeem that for a $25 gift card in many stores.  
1. Examples are Bed Bath and Beyond, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Gap, The Children's Place, Brooks Brothers, DSW, Eddie Bauer, Lands End, LL Bean, Motherhood Maternity and many more.
2. Extra cashback when you shop through Discover's shopping portal.  
1. Before you buy anything online you should always check ebates or your credit card's shopping portal to see if you will get extra cashback.  I have found that Discover is consistently better than every other credit card for cashback online.  
3. No foreign transaction fees
1. If you use the Discover Card in a foreign country you will not be charged an extra fee.  Most cards do charge you.
1. Credit cards without foreign transaction fees

Disadvantages

1. Not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard, but it is accepted in most places
2. Does not give you 1% everywhere else.  Until you spend $3,000, you will only get 0.25% cashback outside of the 5% categories.

For these reasons, I think the Discover it™ is a great addition, but shouldn't be your only card