Everything you need to know about Discover's rotating bonus categories.
The following featured chart contains all the available information on Discover's bonus categories, including when to sign up and spending caps.
Discover announces next year's calendar every December 1st. However, the spending limits are top secret until one month before the signup date.
In 2012, Discovery drastically revamped their bonus categories. Changes include much higher spending limits ($1,500 quarterly, up from around $550), fewer categories and nine months of 5% cash back bonus at movie theaters.
Maximize your Discover card cash back bonus earnings. Stay up to date with Knowzy's "Discover Cash Back Bonus Categories."
Discover changed their bonus category program in a big way this year. There are some good and not so good parts of it.
The good news is the spending limits went up dramatically in 2012. The caps rose from an average of $550 per quarter to $1,500. This gives you a chance to earn $75 at 5% cash back every three months.
Raising the spending limits appears to take aim at the Chase Freedom card, which also has a $1,500 quarterly cap.
Bonus category months overlapping the quarterly bonus are back in 2012. In May, you get 5% back on groceries for up to $300 ($15 maximum cash back).
It's a mixed bag this year for the Discover 5% calendar. You'll have to look at your spending habits and decide if the changes worked out in your favor.
This is the "classic" Discover bonus calendar. It looked much the same in previous years.
It had a standard grouping of 5% cash back categories every three months. It also had two more groups of bonus categories lasting one month each.
The spending caps were much lower than 2012's $1,500 limit. In 2011, they were as low as $200 ($10 maximum reward) and as high as $800 ($40 maximum cash back).
The same year, Chase Freedom was offering 5% cash back with $1,500 limits on rotating categories.
More bonus categories in the 2011 classic calendar meant calendar was more opportunity to earn. In 2012, many categories dropped out of the rotation, like home improvement stores and airlines.
Review the chart and relive Discover's previous generation of the 5% cash back category calendar.
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Originally Published: Thursday, March 8, 2012, 8:29 PM PT
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 8:56 PM PT
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