Discover reveals Q3 and Q4 5% Cashback Categories

We already mentioned the Discover Q2 Bonus Cashback category but if you are the planning ahead type, the confirmation email when you activate the Q2 cashback also reveals the 5% categories for the rest of the year. The terms are similar, up to $1500 in bonus-earning purchases per quarter per credit card…

And they are both great categories! Q3 is restaurants, we all have to eat after all, while the fourth quarter of the year is the return of Amazon and Warehouse Clubs. If you have the Amazon Chase PRIME VISA, you can use that for your Amazon purchases since it gives you 5% and has no limited, and “save” the Warehouse Club purchases for the Discover since it has a $1500 quarterly limit…

Sign up now – Discover Q2 2018 5% Cashback Rewards are GROCERIES!

Time flies and the second quarter of 2018 is almost upon us! If you are a Discover credit card holder, check your emails or the app or their website. You can already begin to sign-up for the second quarter 5% cashback rewards. This cycle runs from April 1st (not an April Fool’s Day joke!) until June 30 in 2018.

The category is a great one, GROCERY STORES! Every single person has to eat, so that’s very utilitarian and an easy way to stock up on rewards. You earn 5% on first $1500 of eligible purchases per credit card during the quarter. If you spend over $1500 on this category, purchases over $1500 will earn the normal purchase percentage (eg 1% or whatever the card features). If you have multiple Discover credit cards, the limit is per credit card, not per customer!

The emails have a 1-click link, meaning you click on that link and you get activated. You don’t have to login to your Discover account. Or if you don’t trust that, go directly to their website and login and locate the 5% Cashback pages to activate the promotion. Their website or app will probably prompt you after you login.

Activate your Discover Q1 2018 5% Cashback Rewards!

Time sure does fly! It’s time once again to activate your Discover credit card quarterly rewards for the first quarter of 2018, which runs from January 1st until March 31st in the year. There are two main categories for this quarter, Gas Stations (not superstore or supermarket ones) and Wholesale Clubs.

You can activate this from the Discover email announcing it (without the need to login), or you can login to the Discover website or app and activate them at the appropriate place.

The limit of $1500 is per card, so if you have multiple Discover credit cards, the limit for the 5% earnings is $1500 per individual (separate account) credit card.

Reminder: activate your Discover Q4 Cashback rewards

This is a reminder alert! If you have Discover credit cards, make sure you activate your Q4 5% credit card rewards for 2017! It’s a pretty good get this quarter, it’s Amazon and Target. There is a maximum spending of $1500 per credit card for the quarter, but that’s a $75 cashback bonus, not a small amount!

The quarter runs from October 1st until December 31st in 2017. Unlike the Chase rewards sign-up, the Discover sign-up is NOT retroactive for the quarter. It starts after you activate it. It may take a couple of days for it to kick in, I haven’t tested the exact timing of it because I usually sign up the moment I see the new quarterly offers appear (they usually appear a month before they start).

Here’s a screenshot from their website to remind you:

Discover Q4 5% Cashback Credit Card Rewards feature Target and Amazon

This year has flown by real fast. We are not that far away from the 2017 Holiday shopping season and with that we have the fourth quarter credit card rewards ready for activation! Discover has an even better fourth quarter in 2017, you will get 5% cashback on purchases at both Amazon and Target, two of the biggest online and offline retailers out there.

As usual, there is a limit of $1500 in spending per quarter per credit card account. If you have multiple Discover cards, each one has its own limit of $1500. Purchases made above $1500 will earn the standard cashback amount you get on everyday purchases. So the maximum Cashback Bonus from this promotion is $75.

You can activate this right now in your Discover account or app, BUT purchases will count for the 5% rewards for the 4th quarter, which is October 1st until December 31st in 2017.

You can sign up now for the Discover Q1 2017 Cashback Bonus

Time flies and already, if you have a Discover credit card, you can pre-signup for the Q1 of 2017 5% cashback bonus rewards categories. The earning period is the usual calendar quarter, January 1st until March 31st in 2017. Don’t wait until the last day of the quarter though, as some of the transactions may not get in the system on time to earn the rewards.

Amazon is no longer going to be featured, so if you want to still get 5%, simply buy Amazon gift cards in Q4 2016 (if you are still under $1500 for your card).

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The categories are pretty good though for Q1:2017, you get Gas Stations (almost everyone with a car needs gas), wholesale clubs (Costco doesn’t accept Discover, so by default it is not eligible), and ground transportation (but travel agencies or travel aggregators are not eligible). You can find a detailed list of what exactly is eligible and ineligible on the Discover website.

Some of the notable exclusions: gas stations at superstores/supermarkets may not be eligible (only way to tell for sure is try it and do the math in your statement).

If you have multiple Discover credit cards, good news, the $1500 limit is per account, not per person/SSN.

Discover Card Redemption Special: Use $20, Get $25 Red Robin Gift Card

If you have a Discover Credit Card (or any other Discover account that is eligible for their rewards program), and you have at least $20 of rewards available in your account, they are running a special promotion on Red Robin gift card, you use $20 of your rewards to receive a $25 Red Robin gift card (plastic card by mail or by e-mail). This is highlighted when you go through the various gift card redemption options. Screenshot below:

redrobin_discover_redemption

I do not know when this offer expires.

YMMV $10 off $30+ at Kohls with Discover Email Coupon

If you have a Discover credit card, check your emails for a new YMMV custom promotion. The email has a unique coupon code with a PIN that gets you $10 off a purchase of $30 or more at Kohl’s, either online (you type the coupon/pin) or at the store (you show it to the cashiers). This promotion is flexible in that it is good until 11/20/16. Here’s a screenshot of the relevant parts of the email (I cut off the barcode since it is a unique number):

kohls_discover_10off_30

Discover’s 4th Quarter 5% Cashback is Amazon, Department Stores and Sam’s Club

No Amazon as a 5% 4th quarter category from Chase Freedom, but Discover saves the day with their 4th quarter 5% rewards, continuing on with Amazon that was also a featured category in the third quarter.

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Coming along for the ride with Amazon are Department Stores, another very popular category during the holidays (obviously), along with Sam’s Club. Costco doesn’t accept Discover so they couldn’t include them even if they wanted to. Needless to say, between these three categories, it’s not that hard to get to $1500.

Remember, everything you buy from Amazon qualifies for the 5%, including Prime memberships, and monthly subscriptions, and digital content, and gift cards and such.

As usual, the quarterly spending limit is $1500 per credit card, not per person, so if you have two Discovers, you get $1500 per. By $1500 I mean the purchase maximum, so the most you will get rewards-wise from this is $75. After that, it reverts to the standard 1% (or whatever rate your card is at). This applies to Chase and Citibank as well.

Discover does not allow retroactive activation, so make sure you activate it ASAP!

Strategically, you have to triangulate department store purchases between this and Chase, since they both feature them.

Prime Day PRO TIPS: use 5% Cashback Credit Card, Etc

These are some refresher tips that can help save you even more! Now that we know that Amazon Prime Day is July 12, in 2016, you have time to make some preparations!

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ShopDiscover: 10% back on Samsung Store purchases

If you have a Discover credit card, check the ShopDiscover section of your account. You may be eligible for a promotion that gets you 10% cashback on purchases made at the Samsunng website until 6/30/16. Here’s a screenshot of that. Look at your account for more details.

discover_10percent_cashback_at_samsung

NOTE however that there are some exceptions to this promotion, as you can see in the screenshot below:

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5% Discover Q3 2016 Credit Card Rewards is Amazon and Home Improvement

The third quarter (July 1 until September 30) of credit card cashback rewards in 2016 is another promising one. We already mentioned that Chase Freedom gets you 5% at Restaurants and Wholesale Clubs. Complementing that is Discover, whose Q3 promotions cover Amazon and Home Improvement stores. They have the same limit of $1500 total spend in those two categories for the quarter.

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5% Discover Cashback for Q2 is Restaurants (includes Starbucks) and Movies (includes Netflix and Fandango)

The second quarter of 2016 is a good 5% cashback season. Chase offers 5% on Grocery Stores and Warehouse Clubs, and Discover is diversifying into two more popular categories, restaurants and movies!

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Prime members: Pay with Discover Cashback, Get $15 OFF

If you are a Prime member, Amazon has yet another promotion for you. If you make a purchase using your Discover Cashback Bonus, you can get up to $15 off your order by doing so and entering coupon code DISC16EVER in the Amazon shopping cart. This promotion only works if you hadn’t previously done this. This is a great deal because it is a 1:1 translation, $1 Discover Cashback converts to $1 in Amazon buying power. Needless to say, you need to have your eligible Discover credit card added to your Amazon account. If you had previously used that card on Amazon, it’s all good. If not, you have to follow the steps to “link” them together.

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Discover 5% Cashback Bonus for Q1 2016 revealed

If you are a Discover credit card member, we have some news for you. Discover has official revealed the 5% Cashback Bonus categories for the first quarter of 2016. These promotions run from January 1st until March 31st. You get 5% cashback on gas stations and ground transportation purchases.

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Gas stations are fairly self-evident, but they include a long list of examples, including Shell, Texaco, 76, BP, Chevron, Exxon, Conoco, Philips 66 and many more. That list is just examples, it is not an exhaustive list. Basically if a gas station is properly registered with Discover, then it should count. If you are not certain, just make a fillup and wait for your next statement. Or call them.

disc_Q1_2016b

The ground transportation (see above) is a welcome addition for people who don’t have cars or who don’t drive a lot of miles. They include most of the basics, rental cars, buses, trains, taxis, and also Web 2.0 taxis (Uber, Lyft). Tour buses and charters are also eligible however, they must not be purchased through travel agencies and other similar services.

As usual, the limit is $1500 per quarter per credit card. If you spend more than $1500, the amounts over $1500 will earn the standard cashback rewards like any other purchase.

PS: if you are using Apple Pay, these purchases should register as well for the 5% cashback.