Discover credit cards

Verified Oct 16, 2026USD

5 Discover cards ranked on a family's spending, each with Year 1 against every year after. Annual fees run from $0 to $0.

Advertiser disclosure: we may earn a commission when you apply through some links on this page. It never affects rank: cards are ordered by the value worked out from your spending. How we make money · Methodology

#1
Discover
it Cash Back
No annual feeGroceries 5%Dining 5%
after fees: After the card's annual or monthly fee, and foreign transaction fees if you set foreign spending. Additional-card fees and memberships some benefits need (such as Amazon Prime) aren't included.
Year 1$1,226
Year 2+$613
3 years $2,453 after fees· no fee to cover
Apply
Breakdown, earn rates and why it's ranked here
Year 1$1,226
Year 2+$613
Rewards on spending$1,226 / $613Fees (taken off the end)-$0 / -$0
No annual fee
Year 1Year 2Year 3
Earn rate by category
5%
Groc
Groceries
5%
Dine
Dining and takeout
5%
Gas
Gas and EV charging
1%
Air
Flights
1%
Hotel
Hotels and car rentals
5%
Transit
Transit and rideshare
5%
Stream
Streaming
5%
Drug
Drugstores
1%
Online
Online shopping
5%
Bills
Phone, internet and utilities
1%
Other
Everything else
Why it's ranked here
Ranked #1 of 5. By 3-year value on the family preset's spending. Over 3 years it's worth $2,453 after fees.
Year 1. $1,226 = rewards $1,226.
Each year after. $613 = rewards $613.
Against #2. Discover it Secured is worth the same over 3 years; the tie-breakers (lower fee, no foreign fee, earlier break-even) decide.
Verified Oct 16, 2026Every term and assumption
#2
Discover
it Secured
No annual feeGroceries 5%Dining 5%
after fees: After the card's annual or monthly fee, and foreign transaction fees if you set foreign spending. Additional-card fees and memberships some benefits need (such as Amazon Prime) aren't included.
Year 1$1,226
Year 2+$613
3 years $2,453 after fees· no fee to cover
Apply
Breakdown, earn rates and why it's ranked here
Year 1$1,226
Year 2+$613
Rewards on spending$1,226 / $613Fees (taken off the end)-$0 / -$0
No annual fee
Year 1Year 2Year 3
Earn rate by category
5%
Groc
Groceries
5%
Dine
Dining and takeout
5%
Gas
Gas and EV charging
1%
Air
Flights
1%
Hotel
Hotels and car rentals
5%
Transit
Transit and rideshare
5%
Stream
Streaming
5%
Drug
Drugstores
1%
Online
Online shopping
5%
Bills
Phone, internet and utilities
1%
Other
Everything else
Why it's ranked here
Ranked #2 of 5. By 3-year value on the family preset's spending. Over 3 years it's worth $2,453 after fees.
Year 1. $1,226 = rewards $1,226.
Each year after. $613 = rewards $613.
Against #1. Discover it Cash Back is worth the same over 3 years; the tie-breakers (lower fee, no foreign fee, earlier break-even) decide.
Against #3. Discover it Student Cash Back is worth the same over 3 years; the tie-breakers (lower fee, no foreign fee, earlier break-even) decide.
Verified Oct 16, 2026Every term and assumption
#3
Discover
it Student Cash Back
No annual feeGroceries 5%Dining 5%
after fees: After the card's annual or monthly fee, and foreign transaction fees if you set foreign spending. Additional-card fees and memberships some benefits need (such as Amazon Prime) aren't included.
Year 1$1,226
Year 2+$613
3 years $2,453 after fees· no fee to cover
Apply
Breakdown, earn rates and why it's ranked here
Year 1$1,226
Year 2+$613
Rewards on spending$1,226 / $613Fees (taken off the end)-$0 / -$0
No annual fee
Year 1Year 2Year 3
Earn rate by category
5%
Groc
Groceries
5%
Dine
Dining and takeout
5%
Gas
Gas and EV charging
1%
Air
Flights
1%
Hotel
Hotels and car rentals
5%
Transit
Transit and rideshare
5%
Stream
Streaming
5%
Drug
Drugstores
1%
Online
Online shopping
5%
Bills
Phone, internet and utilities
1%
Other
Everything else
Why it's ranked here
Ranked #3 of 5. By 3-year value on the family preset's spending. Over 3 years it's worth $2,453 after fees.
Year 1. $1,226 = rewards $1,226.
Each year after. $613 = rewards $613.
Against #2. Discover it Secured is worth the same over 3 years; the tie-breakers (lower fee, no foreign fee, earlier break-even) decide.
Against #4. Beats Discover it Miles by $41 over 3 years, mostly on rewards on spending (+$41).
Verified Oct 16, 2026Every term and assumption
#4
Discover
it Miles
No annual fee
after fees: After the card's annual or monthly fee, and foreign transaction fees if you set foreign spending. Additional-card fees and memberships some benefits need (such as Amazon Prime) aren't included.
Year 1$1,206
Year 2+$603
3 years $2,412 after fees· no fee to cover
Apply
Breakdown, earn rates and why it's ranked here
Year 1$1,206
Year 2+$603
Rewards on spending$1,206 / $603Fees (taken off the end)-$0 / -$0
No annual fee
Year 1Year 2Year 3
Earn rate by category
1.5%
Groc
Groceries
1.5%
Dine
Dining and takeout
1.5%
Gas
Gas and EV charging
1.5%
Air
Flights
1.5%
Hotel
Hotels and car rentals
1.5%
Transit
Transit and rideshare
1.5%
Stream
Streaming
1.5%
Drug
Drugstores
1.5%
Online
Online shopping
1.5%
Bills
Phone, internet and utilities
1.5%
Other
Everything else
Why it's ranked here
Ranked #4 of 5. By 3-year value on the family preset's spending. Over 3 years it's worth $2,412 after fees.
Year 1. $1,206 = rewards $1,206.
Each year after. $603 = rewards $603.
Against #3. Trails Discover it Student Cash Back by $41 over 3 years, mostly on rewards on spending (−$41).
Against #5. Beats Discover it Chrome by $644 over 3 years, mostly on rewards on spending (+$644).
Verified Oct 16, 2026Every term and assumption
#5
Discover
it Chrome
No annual feeDining 2%Gas 2%
after fees: After the card's annual or monthly fee, and foreign transaction fees if you set foreign spending. Additional-card fees and memberships some benefits need (such as Amazon Prime) aren't included.
Year 1$884
Year 2+$442
3 years $1,768 after fees· no fee to cover
Apply
Breakdown, earn rates and why it's ranked here
Year 1$884
Year 2+$442
Rewards on spending$884 / $442Fees (taken off the end)-$0 / -$0
No annual fee
Year 1Year 2Year 3
Earn rate by category
1%
Groc
Groceries
2%
Dine
Dining and takeout
2%
Gas
Gas and EV charging
1%
Air
Flights
1%
Hotel
Hotels and car rentals
1%
Transit
Transit and rideshare
1%
Stream
Streaming
1%
Drug
Drugstores
1%
Online
Online shopping
1%
Bills
Phone, internet and utilities
1%
Other
Everything else
Why it's ranked here
Ranked #5 of 5. By 3-year value on the family preset's spending. Over 3 years it's worth $1,768 after fees.
Year 1. $884 = rewards $884.
Each year after. $442 = rewards $442.
Against #4. Trails Discover it Miles by $644 over 3 years, mostly on rewards on spending (−$644).
Verified Oct 16, 2026Every term and assumption

All values are after each card's annual or monthly fee, and foreign transaction fees when you set foreign spending. Additional-card fees and memberships some benefits need (such as Amazon Prime or Instacart+) aren't included.

Rates, fees and offers are set by the issuer and may change. Check the issuer's terms before you apply. We don't estimate approval odds.

Values for points and miles are estimates based on published redemption valuations; actual value depends on how you redeem.

3-year value on each preset

points at their cash value, after fees. "~" marks estimates.

Card	Student	Couple	Family	Frequent traveller	Big spender
Discover it Cash Back	$883	$1,994	$2,453	$2,746	$4,781
Discover it Secured	$883	$1,994	$2,453	$2,746	$4,781
Discover it Student Cash Back	$883	$1,994	$2,453	$2,746	$4,781
Discover it Miles	$709	$1,840	$2,412	$2,794	$5,731
Discover it Chrome	$574	$1,386	$1,768	$2,022	$3,981

Frequently asked questions

Which Discover card is best?

On a family's spending, Discover it Cash Back is worth the most over 3 years ($2,453).

What do Discover cards cost?

Annual fees from $0 to $0 across the 5 cards listed here.

What rewards do Discover cards earn?

Cash back. Points are shown in dollars at the program's cash or statement-credit value unless you choose another redemption.

Sources

Estimates for information only; not financial advice. See how cards are ranked.

it Cash Back

it Secured

it Student Cash Back

it Miles

it Chrome

3-year value on each preset

Frequently asked questions

Sources