Discover it® Chrome
- Best for: Drivers and diners who want a bonus with nothing to activate, though most earn more with the Discover it Cash Back or a flat 2% card
- What Sets It Apart: Automatic 2% at gas stations and restaurants; first-year Cashback Match; 15 months with no interest on purchases and balance transfers
- Cost: $0 annual fee; no foreign transaction fee; 3% balance transfer fee in the first 15 months; 17.74% to 26.74% variable interest rate after the intro period
- Features: 2% on the first $1,000 of gas and restaurant purchases each quarter; 1% on everything else; 5% on hotels, rental cars, vacation rentals, and activities booked through Capital One Travel; no late fee the first time you pay late
- Pros: Nothing to activate; year-one match doubles your cash back; lower interest rates than the Discover it Cash Back
- Cons: 2% bonus tops out at $20 a quarter; no sign-up bonus; 1% on everything else
Pass on the Discover it® Chrome. Its 2% at gas stations and restaurants stops at $1,000 of purchases a quarter, or $20 back. The Discover it Cash Back’s $200 bonus puts it ahead in year one, even if you never activate its categories. After that, a flat 2% card matches the Chrome’s 2% and pays more on everything else.
Capital One, which now owns Discover, issues the Chrome, a no-annual-fee card for drivers and diners who want a bonus without signing up for new categories each quarter. College students get the same 2% and first-year match on the Discover it Student Chrome.
Key Features
- $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee on purchases abroad
- 2% cash back on the first $1,000 of combined gas station and restaurant purchases each quarter, then 1%
- 1% on everything else, and 5% on hotels, rental cars, vacation rentals, and activities booked through the Capital One Travel site
- Cashback Match doubles all the cash back you earn in your first year, with no limit
- No interest on purchases or balance transfers for 15 months (3% transfer fee), then a variable interest rate of 17.74% to 26.74%
Pros
- The 2% bonus applies automatically, with no categories to sign up for
- In year one, the match turns the 2% into 4% at gas stations and restaurants and the 1% into 2% everywhere else
- No late fee the first time you pay late, then up to $41
- Ongoing interest rates of 17.74% to 26.74%, lower than the Discover it Cash Back‘s 18.74% to 28.74%
Cons
- The 2% stops at $1,000 of purchases a quarter, or $20 back
- No sign-up bonus, while the Discover it Cash Back pays $200 after you spend $500 in 3 months when you apply on Discover’s site (anyone who got it in the past 4 years may not qualify)
- Just 1% on everything else, half what a flat 2% card pays
- Gas at stations tied to supermarkets, supercenters, or wholesale clubs may not earn 2%, and only U.S. merchants qualify
Even if you never activate the Discover it Cash Back’s categories, the Chrome’s 2% at gas stations and restaurants beats that card’s 1% by $80 at most in year one, match included, well short of the $200 bonus. Drivers and diners who want a bonus with nothing to track should open that card instead, then use a flat 2% card after year one.
See how the Discover it Chrome compares to the best gas credit cards.
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