Key takeaways
- While the Discover it® Student Cash Back and Discover it® Student Chrome are similar, they offer different rewards structures that appeal to different types of cardholders.
- The Discover it Student Cash Back card offers a higher cash back rate on shifting bonus spending categories.
- The Discover it Student Chrome card offers a lower cash back rate, but the spending categories don’t change throughout the year.
If you’re looking for a student credit card with competitive rewards and no annual fee, Discover it® Student Cash Back and Discover it® Student Chrome are likely on your radar.
While these two cards are very similar, they differ in rewards structures. The Discover it Student Cash Back card offers a higher cash back rate on bonus spending categories that alternate every quarter. On the other hand, the Discover it Student Chrome card offers a lower cash back rate, but the spending categories don’t change throughout the year.
Our breakdown of these two student credit cards can help you decide which will give you higher rewards based on your spending and which is right for you.
Main details
| Features | Discover it® Student Chrome | Discover it® Student Cash Back |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
| Sign-up bonus | Cashback Match — Cash back earnings are matched by Discover at the end of your first year | Cashback Match — Cash back earnings are matched by Discover at the end of your first year |
| Rewards |
|
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| Intro APR |
|
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| Variable APR | 18.24% to 27.24% variable | 18.24% to 27.24% variable |
Discover it Student Chrome vs. Discover it Student Cash Back highlights
These two Discover credit cards have a lot in common, but differ drastically when it comes to their rewards structures. As you decide on your first student credit card, keep these card highlights in mind — especially the card rewards — to decide which card will benefit you the most while you’re in school.
Welcome bonus winner
Tie
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Under Discover’s Cashback Match program, both cards will match the cash back you earn at the end of your first year of card ownership. So if you earned $300 in cash back by the end of your first year, Discover will match that amount for a total of $600 in cash back. Because both cards have the same welcome bonus, the winner will ultimately depend on how much cash back you earn on your card.
While the Discover it Student Cash Back card has the potential to offer much higher rewards, that doesn’t mean you’ll automatically earn more by signing up for it. Your spending habits will determine which card earns you the most cash back.
Discover it Student Cash Back
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The Discover it Student Cash Back offers:
- 5 percent cash back on each quarter’s activated rotating categories on up to $1,500 in combined purchases, then 1 percent
- 1 percent back on all other purchases
Discover doesn’t announce its quarterly categories early, however, so you won’t be able to plan your spending in advance. However, some categories get repeated, meaning you can get an idea of what to expect by looking at Discover’s cash back calendar. Here’s a look at the categories for for 2023 and 2024 so far:Quarter 2023 categories 2024 categories Q1: January through March - Grocery stores
- Drug stores
- Select streaming services
- Drug stores
- Restaurants
Q2: April through June - Restaurants
- Wholesale Clubs
- Gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations
- Home improvement stores
- Public transit
Q3: July through September - Gas stations
- Digital wallets
- Walmart
- Grocery stores
Q4: October through December - Amazon.com
- Target
TBD The Discover it Student Cash Back will allow you to earn higher rewards when you spend in the listed categories, but it comes with a big caveat. You’ll have to activate your bonus category every quarter to reap the rewards. Otherwise, your purchases for that quarter will count as just 1 percent even if they fall into the 5 percent category. For busy college students who might not want to add tracking bonus categories to their list of things to do each quarter, having to activate these categories could be a dealbreaker.
On the other hand, the Discover it Student Chrome offers:
- 2 percent cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter
- 1 percent back on all other purchases
These categories are fixed, so you wouldn’t have to worry about tracking them each quarter — and if you find that you spend a lot on gas station and restaurant purchases each month, this card could earn you a good amount of cash back with very little effort on your part.
However, the Student Cash Back nevertheless offers a higher rewards rate of 5 percent on more diverse categories than strictly gas stations and restaurants. On top of that, the Student Cash Back rewards you for up to $1,500 in spending per quarter when you activate, while the Discover it Student Chrome is capped at $1,000. For these reasons, the Student Cash Back still comes out on top in this category.
Intro APR winner
Tie
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Both credit cards offer the same introductory annual percentage rate (APR) promotions. With these cards, you’d get a 0 percent introductory APR for purchases, as well as a 10.99 percent introductory APR for balance transfers, for six months from account opening. After that, the variable APR of 18.24 to 27.24 would kick in.
If this is your first credit card, you’re likely not going to have to take advantage of the balance transfer promotion, but you might find the purchase promotion pretty helpful. With a 0 percent introductory APR, you can essentially carry a balance on your credit card for up to six months interest-free, making it helpful for paying down large purchases at the beginning of the school year, like new books or dorm furniture.
Annual fee winner
Tie
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Neither the Discover it Student Cash Back and Discover it Student Chrome charge annual fees, so they tie in this category.
Foreign transaction fee winner
Tie
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Neither card charges foreign transaction fees, making them both great choices when it comes to traveling outside of the U.S. — for example, if you plan on studying abroad one semester.
Which card earns more?
The card that earns you more cash back will depend on how much you spend in particular shopping categories and whether you keep up with the Student Cash Back’s rotating categories and activations each quarter.
Discover it Student Chrome vs. Discover it Student Cash Back spending example
The Discover it Student Chrome has boosted rewards of 2 percent back on combined purchases in restaurants and gas stations on up to $1,000 per quarter, while the Student Cash Back has boosted rewards of 5 percent on rotating categories each quarter, with activation, on up to $1,500 per quarter, then 1 percent.
If you maxed out the boosted rewards categories for each card each quarter and spent nothing else on the cards, your spending and rewards would look like this:
- Discover it Student Cash Back: $6,000 spent in a year, $300 in cash back earned
- Discover it Student Chrome: $4,000 spent in a year, $80 in cash back earned
In this scenario, the Student Cash Back is the clear winner. But your spending likely won’t align as neatly as this each quarter. So instead, let’s say you spend $1,500 each quarter, but it’s split up into gas station, restaurant, grocery store, apparel and miscellaneous purchases. Here’s a breakdown of what that budget might look like:
- Gas station purchases: $200
- Restaurant purchases: $400
- Grocery store purchases: $400
- Apparel purchases (all from Amazon.com/Target): $100
- Miscellaneous purchases: $400
For the Discover it Student Chrome, you’d earn 2 percent cash back on $600 per quarter, plus 1 percent cash back on $900. That would be a total of $21 in cash back for the year. With Discover’s CashBack Match, you’d earn $42 total by the end of your first year.
Now, let’s apply the 2023 rotating bonus categories to the quarterly spending budget above to see how much cash back the Student Cash Back would earn by the end of the year:
| Quarters | 2023 Rotating bonus categories per quarter | Money spent per quarter from above budget | Cash back earned by the Discover it Student Cash Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1: January through March | Grocery stores, Drug stores, Select streaming services | $1,500 |
|
| Q2: April through June | Restaurant, Wholesale Clubs | $1,500 |
|
| Q3: July through September | Gas stations, Digital wallets | $1,500 |
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| Q4: October through December | Amazon.com, Target | $1,500 |
|
| Total | $6,000 spent | $104 in cash back |
With the Student Cash Back, you’d earn a total of $104 in a year. With CashBack Match applied, you’d earn $208 by the end of your first year — significantly more than you would with the Student Chrome. However, that’s assuming you diligently activated the bonus categories each quarter and you made certain choices that aligned with the bonus categories, like only shopping for apparel at Target or Amazon.com.
If you’re able to stay on top of your category activations each quarter, the Student Cash Back will give you more opportunities to earn a higher rewards rate, even if you don’t max out your spending categories every month. However, if you plan on mainly using your card for just gas and restaurant purchases, or if you don’t want to worry about tracking categories, then the Student Chrome might be a better fit.
Why should you get the Discover it Student Chrome card?
The Discover it Student Chrome can be worth it for those who value simplicity when using their card and for those who spend a lot on restaurant and gas station purchases. You might also like the Student Chrome for the following reasons:
Additional benefits
Discover it Student Chrome benefits are light, but they’re nevertheless still useful. One good feature is the Freeze it button. By clicking this either online or through your mobile app, you can freeze your account at any time — perfect for the times you accidentally misplace your card on a night out or lose it while abroad. Activating the switch will prevent future purchases.
You’ll also be able to activate Discover Identity Alerts to be informed whenever someone pulls your credit. This allows you to recognize potential fraud and know if your Social Security number ever appears on the dark web. Credit monitoring like this usually comes at an extra cost. You’ll receive free overnight shipping to any U.S. street address if you need to replace your card. Further, you can view your FICO credit score for free with this card.
Redemption options
With the Discover it Student Chrome, you can redeem your cash back rewards at any time, and you don’t need to wait for a minimum amount to redeem them. Options include receiving cash back as:
- Direct deposits
- Statement credits
- Gift cards
- Payments for purchases at Amazon.com or via PayPal
- Charitable donations
Recommended credit score
One of the great things about the Discover it Student Chrome is that no credit history is needed to be eligible, making it specifically geared toward students who don’t yet have a credit score.
Why should you get the Discover it Student Cash Back?
The Discover it Student Cash back is worth it for those who are fine with the rotating bonus category rewards structure and like the idea of earning 5 percent back for common spending categories (up to $1,500 spent quarterly, then 1 percent) and are organized enough to remember to activate each quarter. Here are some additional reasons you might like this card:
Additional benefits
With the Discover it Student Cash Back, you’ll also be able to view your FICO credit score for free. Other benefits are similar to the Student Chrome and include free credit monitoring services, which will alert you if your Social Security number ever appears on the dark web and every time someone pulls your credit.
Redemption options
Just like the Discover it Student Chrome, you can redeem your cash back rewards at any time with no minimum amount required. The same redemption options apply.
Recommended credit score
The Discover it Student Cash Back also does not require a credit history to be eligible.
The bottom line
The Discover it Student Cash Back and Discover it Student Chrome are great for students looking for a starter card to build their credit.
They both offer competitive cash back rewards rates, access to Discover’s Cashback Match program and no annual fee. The main difference comes down to whether you want to receive a higher rewards rate on rotating cash back categories or prefer a lower, but consistent rewards rate on restaurants and gas station purchases.
Before you choose a student card, look to our recommended top student credit cards to find the best fit for your budget and goals.
