Here are Discover’s Q3 cash-back rotating categories

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 This page includes information about the Discover cards that is not currently available on The Points Guy and may be out of date.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.

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So we’re here to remind you to use your Discover it Cash Back in the third quarter. From July through September, cardholders can enroll to earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in combined bonus categories on restaurants and PayPal. It should be effortless for most users to max out this spending threshold, as restaurants are part of everyday spending and PayPal can be used on millions of retailers online.

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.

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 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 the Chase Freedom Flex, you can’t do it retroactively after you’ve made the purchase and still earn 5% (up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter).

Previous Discover it cash-back categories

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

Other card options

If you’re interested in other cards with rotating bonus categories, the Chase Freedom Flex mentioned above offers 5% back (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 dining at restaurants and drugstores.

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 cash-back credit cards

Bottom line

If you have the Discover it Cash Back card, make sure you mark down the 5% cash back 2021 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 photo by Juan Ruiz/The Points Guy