Discover It
The Discover It from Discover has no annual fee. At $2,650 a month of typical household spending it pays about $485 a year after fees, $151 less than the Citi Double Cash, a flat 2% card.
Terms checked October 27, 2026. Net values use the spending mix of 1,229 U.S. households in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey. This is an estimate, not financial advice.
What does the Discover It earn?
1% on everything else. 5% on rotating quarterly categories, up to $1,500 a quarter, from the quarterly calendar (assuming each quarter is activated).
Not counted in the numbers on this page:
- Unlimited first-year Cashback Match (doubles first-year cash back)
- Capital One Offers and Capital One Travel bookings perks (portal)
How much would it pay you a year?
This is the card's rewards minus its annual fee, at three spending levels, with spending split the way the survey households split theirs. Statement credits and sign-up bonuses are left out.
| Spending a month | Discover It | Citi Double Cash (2%) |
|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | $293 | $360 |
| $2,650 (the survey median) | $485 | $636 |
| $5,000 | $786 | $1,200 |
The mix is 30% everything else, 25% groceries, 16% phone and utilities, 13% dining, and smaller shares elsewhere. Your own split decides the real answer: add your statements to work it out on what you actually spent.
How did it do for real households?
We ran each of the 1,229 households in the 2024 survey through every card, on 12 straight months of their own spending. It was never the best of the 53 cards for any household, and paid more than the Citi Double Cash, a flat 2% card, for 4%. For the median household it paid $158 a year less than the flat 2% card.
The survey records spending categories but not merchants, so merchant bonuses and statement credits never count there, which favors flat cards. How we ran the household test.
Fees and sign-up bonus
- Annual fee: $0.
- Foreign transaction fee: none.
- Sign-up bonus: $200 after $500 of spending in 3 months. Offers change and can differ by applicant, so check the issuer's page.
Cards that pay about the same
At $2,650 a month, these pay closest to the Discover It:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred: $488 a year
- Amex Blue Cash Everyday: $481 a year
- Wells Fargo Autograph: $491 a year
- Bank of America Travel Rewards: $477 a year
See what it would have paid you
Add your statementsFree, in your browser. Your statements are never uploaded.
PointMaxx runs a year of your own card statements against 53 U.S. cards, after annual fees, caps and the credits you'd really use. No statements on hand? The quick estimate asks seven questions instead.
Sources
- discover.com/credit-cards/
- nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/news/discover-it-cash-back-sweetens-welcome-bonus-october-2026
- nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/news/discover-bonus-categories-q4-2026
- nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/discover-it-cash-back
- discover.com/credit-cards/cash-back/it-card.html
- Household spending: BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys public-use microdata, 2024 Interview Survey.
See a wrong rate? Tell us. PointMaxx is not affiliated with or endorsed by Discover; the card's name is used only to say which card is meant.