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Here are Discover’s 2022 cash-back rotating categories

Dec. 16, 2021
5 min read
Young woman using cell phone at grocery store market checkout
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Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information. This page includes information about the Discover cards that is not currently available on The Points Guy and may be out of date.


There is a lot to love about rotating-category credit cards. When you maximize the categories offered each quarter, you can rake in an impressive amount of cash back each year — and oftentimes, the categories offered aren’t common across other top credit cards.

Discover has released its 5% categories for the entirety of 2022, and many of them are conducive to everyday spending. Cardholders of the Discover it Cash Back can enroll to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in combined spending in these categories each quarter.

Here’s the full calendar for 2022:

  • First quarter (January-March): Grocery stores, fitness clubs and gym memberships.
  • Second quarter (April-June): Gas stations and Target.
  • Third quarter (July-September): Restaurants and PayPal.
  • Fourth quarter (October-December): Amazon.com and digital wallets.

The information for the Discover it Cash Back has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

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Earning potential on the Discover it Cash Back

If you max out the bonus category each quarter, you could be taking home an additional $75 per quarter and $300 a year — not too shabby. Even better, if you don’t currently have a Discover it Cash Back and sign up for one now, Discover will match all the cash back you earn in a 12-month period at the end of your first year of having the card.

That ultimately adds up to a potential of 10% back on the bonus categories, meaning up to $600 in cash back. That’s pretty great for a no-annual-fee cash-back credit card, and Discover also makes it pretty easy to redeem your cash back.

However, note that you must enroll each quarter and can only earn 5% in each quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases. After that, you’ll earn 1% back on all purchases. Also, you must enroll each quarter before making any transactions. Unlike with the Chase Freedom Flex, you can’t do it retroactively after you’ve made the purchase and still earn 5% (on up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter you activate).

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Previous Discover it Cash Back categories

For reference, here are the previous Discover it Cash Back quarterly categories, going back to 2017:

Year/QuarterBonus Categories
2022 – Q1Grocery stores, fitness clubs and gym memberships
2022 – Q2Gas stations and Target
2022 – Q3Restaurants and PayPal
2022 – Q4Amazon.com and digital wallets
2021 – Q1Grocery stores, Walgreens and CVS
2021 – Q2Gas stations, wholesale clubs and select streaming services
2021 – Q3Restaurants and PayPal
2021 – Q4Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com
2020 – Q1Grocery stores, Walgreens and CVS
2020 – Q2Gas stations, Uber, Lyft and wholesale clubs; The Home Depot (June only)
2020 – Q3Restaurants and PayPal
2020 – Q4Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com
2019 – Q1Grocery stores
2019 – Q2Gas stations, Uber and Lyft
2019 – Q3Restaurants
2019 – Q4Amazon.com
2018 – Q1Gas stations and wholesale clubs
2018 – Q2Grocery stores
2018 – Q3Restaurants
2018 – Q4Amazon.com and wholesale clubs
2017 – Q1Gas stations, ground transportation, wholesale clubs
2017 – Q2Home improvement stores, wholesale clubs
2017 – Q3Restaurants
2017 – Q4Amazon.com and Target

Other card options

(Photo by John Gribben for The Points Guy)

If you’re interested in other cards with rotating bonus categories, the Chase Freedom Flex mentioned above offers 5% back (on up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter you activate) similarly to the Discover it Cash Back, in addition to other bonus categories, including 5% on eligible travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards and 3% on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants.

Additionally, if you have an Ultimate Rewards-earning card such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, you can convert cash back earned with the Freedom card into Ultimate Rewards points, making the Chase Freedom Flex a powerful companion card.

Related: Best credit cards with customizable rewards

Bottom line

If you have the Discover it Cash Back card, make sure you mark down the 2022 dates so you can remember to activate your cash-back categories each quarter. You don’t want to miss out on rewards accidentally. Of course, you can also subscribe to the TPG newsletter, where we send out a reminder to activate your rotating bonus categories each quarter.

Additional reporting by Stella Shon.

Featured image by Getty Images/Hoxton
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.