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Discover it Balance Transfer review The most rewarding balance transfer card available

Written by Credit Card Reviews Writer Bankrate expert Garrett Yarbrough strives to make navigating credit cards and credit building smooth sailing for his readers. After regularly featuring his credit card, Nov. 1, 2022 Edited by Credit Cards Editor Nouri Zarrugh is a writer and editor for CreditCards.com and Bankrate, focusing on product news, guides and reviews. His areas of expertise include credit card strategy, rewards Reviewed by Editor Nov. 1, 2022

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Snapshot

4.7 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon Bottom line With its 18-month introductory APR on balance transfers, the Discover it Balance Transfer card is a smart choice for people whose main focus is tackling their debt. Combined with Discover’s quarterly category rewards and first-year cash back match, this is a card that can also be good to keep in your wallet long-term – unlike many other balance transfer cards. on Discover's secure site

Best balance transfer card with rewards

Discover it® Balance Transfer

Rewards rate Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically. Annual fee Intro offer Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300. Regular APR Recommended Credit Score A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Discover it® Balance Transfer Credit Card Overview

The Discover it Balance Transfer card is one of the since it offers the same 18-month 0 percent intro balance transfer APR (14.99 percent to 25.99 percent variable APR thereafter) as several top transfer cards, but it still carries the same benefits you'll find on any other Discover credit card: a solid rewards program, first-year cash back match bonus offer, stellar customer service and some of the lowest rates and fees on the market. Very few balance transfer cards provide a welcome offer - let alone ongoing rewards. The Discover it Balance Transfer not only delivers both, but it happens to offer some of the best promotions in its class. Granted, Discover cards only pack in minimal features and the card's six-month 0 percent intro purchase APR (14.99 percent to 25.99 percent variable APR thereafter) is much weaker than that of many other , but the issuer's focus on value overcomes these two drawbacks to make a great option.

What are the pros and cons

Pros

One of the few cards designed specifically for balance transfers to offer rewards — 5 percent back on quarterly, activated, rotating categories (on up to $1,500 per quarter, then 1 percent) and 1 percent on all other purchases All cash back earned within your first 12 months will be matched, essentially doubling your first-year rewards 18-month 0 percent intro balance transfer APR with an impressively low 14.99 percent to 25.99 percent variable APR afterward No annual fee, foreign transaction fees, penalty APR or fee on your first late payment (then up to $41)

Cons

The intro purchase APR is short for a balance transfer card, which works against this card’s rewards spending advantage Barebones features outside rewards (which isn’t uncommon for balance transfer cards) The rotating category rewards program requires tracking quarterly activation periods and spending limits

A deeper look into the current card offer

Quick highlights

Rewards rate: 5 percent cash back after activation on rotating categories each quarter (up to $1,500 in quarterly purchases, then 1 percent), 1 percent for all other purchases Welcome offer: All cash back earned at the end of your first 12 months will be matched Annual fee: $0 Purchase intro APR: 0 percent for the first six months Balance transfer intro APR: 0 percent for the first 18 months Regular APR: 14.99 percent to 25.99 percent variable

Welcome offer

All cash back you earn within your first 12 months will be matched by Discover, which means all your first-year rewards will be doubled. Although Discover's unique Cashback Match™ offer isn't the traditional, upfront sign-up bonus you'd find with other , it's hard to find a balance transfer card with a first-year cash bonus. The Discover it Balance Transfer card's welcome offer will likely be much more rewarding since you'd only need to spend about $167 per month across your 5 percent rotating categories (after activation, then 1 percent) to get that same $100 matched. Maximizing your $1,500 quarterly categories will earn you three times that, $300, that will then be matched at the end of your first year for a total of $600 via cash back match.

Rewards rate

Out of Discover's two cash back structures, the Discover it Balance Transfer shares the same as the issuer's flagship card, the . Its rewards rate is certainly impressive for a balance transfer card, but keep in mind that it'll take a little work to -which could be hard if you've reduced your spending to pay off your balance.

How you earn

You'll earn 5 percent cash back on each dollar you spend on purchases that fall within your 5 percent rotating categories and all other purchases will earn 1 percent cash back. However, you'll have to remember to activate your bonus categories each quarter and stay within your bonus categories' $1,500 quarterly spending limit in order to earn 5 percent. Otherwise, you'll only earn 1 percent back. Fortunately, Discover has one of the more predictable issuer calendars since each quarter's categories typically remain the same year-to-year and are announced the previous year. Currently, you'll earn the rotating cash back rate on purchases with eligible gas station and Target in-store purchases. Here are all of the currently announced rotating categories in : Q1 (January through March): Grocery stores, fitness clubs and gym memberships Q2 (April through June): Gas stations and Target in-store purchases Q3 (July through September): Restaurants and PayPal Q4 (October through December): Amazon.com and digital wallet purchases (Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Garmin Pay)

How to redeem

Discover provides a good variety of redemption options for your rewards. You can receive cash back in the form of: An electronic direct deposit to an eligible bank account A statement credit A gift card A charitable donation A payment toward Amazon.com purchases There's no minimum rewards balance you need to redeem, and you can redeem at any time, unless you want your rewards as a gift card. Gift cards start at $5 and go up to $200 in value (redeemed in increments of $5), depending on the partner merchant. Your cash back also won't expire for the life of your account.

How much are the rewards worth

Like with other cash back programs, your are worth 1 cent per percentage point of the cash back rate. That means you'll pocket 5 cents per dollar spent on bonus category purchases and 1 cent per dollar on all other purchases. Earn 5 percent cash back after activation on rotating categories each quarter (up to $1,500 in quarterly purchases, then 1 percent) However, Discover is one of the rare issuers that makes redeeming gift cards a more valuable option than cash back in some cases. Depending on the partner, each gift card you redeem may have 5 percent to 20 percent more value added to the balance. So, if you know you're going to spend all your cash back at one partner merchant (like a restaurant or retailer on Discover's gift card catalog), a gift card may stretch your cash rewards a little further.

Other cardholder perks

No-annual-fee cards usually dial back on extra benefits - except for - but Discover cards are bare-bones even by those standards. Instead, Discover trims the fat in order to focus on value through low costs, and top-notch customer service.

Account protections

On top of standard security features, like $0 fraud liability for unauthorized purchases and account alerts, Discover's free Identity Alerts program is a that scours the dark web for your personal information and Social Security number, and immediately notifies you if your data has been compromised or if there are any fishy changes to your Experian credit report. That's pretty comprehensive coverage for a free issuer-based service, which pairs nicely with Discover's Freeze it® in-app feature. Freeze it allows you control to freeze and reactivate your credit card account whenever and for however long you'd like. This lets you act quickly to prevent any new purchases, cash advances and balance transfers without having to call the issuer.

Award-winning customer service

Discover's customer service provides helpful free overnight shipping to replace lost cards, free FICO score access, a year-end spending summary and a recurring charges dashboard, but it's notable for having 100 percent U.S.-based, 24/7 customer service that consistently ranks above other national issuers. In fact, Discover just ranked second in the recent 2021 - behind American Express by just one point on a 1,000-point scale (837 versus 838). Discover has obtained the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey's top rank for five of the past seven years.

Rates and fees

If you're on the hunt for a balance transfer card with enough ongoing value to hold onto after paying your debt, it's hard to do better than the Discover it Balance Transfer. You'll never have to worry about paying an annual fee, penalty APR or a late fee on your first late payment (up to $41 after that). Plus, it's also an excellent choice if you plan to earn rewards while traveling abroad as it charges no foreign transaction fees. The card's 18-month 0 percent intro balance transfer APR is longer than any other Discover card's, and it's one of the longest zero-interest periods you'll find among many reward cards with zero-interest periods (14.99 percent to 25.99 percent variable APR thereafter). You'll face a 3 percent intro balance transfer fee (up to 5 percent on future transfers, see terms), which is a standard rate. The big drawback is that the Discover it Balance Transfer card's six-month 0 percent intro APR period for purchases is much shorter than the one it offers for balance transfers. While many balance transfer cards have matching purchase and balance transfer intro APR offers, a shorter purchase intro APR isn't a shock since it's the same length the card has consistently offered in the past and the 14.99 percent to 25.99 percent (variable) ongoing APR makes up for it. In fact, 14.99 percent is lower than you could get with most balance transfer cards and is far below the .

How the Discover it Balance Transfer compares to other balance transfer cards

Although the Discover it Balance Transfer has a leg up over many rewards cards with intro APR periods - plus a vast number of balance transfer-oriented cards when it comes to ongoing value - its intro APR lengths may not give you as much breathing room as other cards' offers may. Deciding against a card with rewards, a lower interest rate and an upfront first-year cash back offer for another card solely focused on zero-interest may be wiser if you'll treat your balance transfer card as a temporary steppingstone to clear your card debt. However, the Discover it Balance Transfer and these alternative cards could be better all-around picks if you'd rather have more long-term utility from your next balance transfer card.

Discover it® Balance Transfer

star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon Bankrate Score Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. on Discover's secure site Annual fee Intro offer Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match - only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300. Rewards rate Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically. Recommended credit A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Citi® Double Cash Card

on Citi's secure site Annual fee Intro offer For a limited time, earn $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. Rewards rate Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Recommended credit A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

BankAmericard® credit card

on Bank of America's secure site Annual fee Intro offer Intro offer is not available to this Bank of America credit card Rewards rate Recommended credit A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Discover it Balance Transfer vs. Citi® Double Cash Card

The is one of the few credit cards with an 18-month 0 percent intro APR on balance transfers (variable 17.74 percent to 27.74 percent thereafter) to earn substantial rewards other than the Discover it Balance Transfer. The Double Cash card rakes in up to 2 percent unlimited cash back on all purchases; you'll get 1 percent when you purchase and another 1 percent once you pay the purchase off. This rewards scheme could make it a wiser option than the Discover it Balance Transfer if rotating categories are a bit too hands-on for you, or if you plan to pair it with other . However, the Discover it Balance Transfer card does have a few advantages over the Double Cash. First and foremost, the Citi Double Cash doesn't offer an intro APR for purchases and its 17.74 percent to 27.74 percent variable APR is a bit higher than the Discover card's ongoing APR. It's worth noting that the Citi Double Cash charges a 3 percent foreign transaction fee if you spend abroad, which will eat into any rewards you'd earn. It will also be easier to earn more cash back with the Discover it Balance Transfer card if you plan to maximize your rewards spending after paying off your balance.

Discover it Balance Transfer vs BankAmericard credit card

The biggest reason to consider the non-rewards-earning BankAmericard over the Discover it Balance Transfer is its lengthier intro APR offers. The BankAmericard's 0% introductory APR for 21 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 14.99% – 24.99% variable APR will apply. A 3 percent fee (min $10) applies to all balance transfers.

Best cards to pair with this card

Your primary focus should be after transferring your balance, but there are a few worth considering once that's handled. Discover cards don't necessarily pair very well with each other, so a card from another issuer with rewards that will cover your biggest expenses outside Discover's rotating bonus categories would be a smart choice. A flat-rate cash rewards card like the would be an effortless way to earn boosted rewards on purchases outside Discover's cash back calendar or your categories' $1,500 quarterly spending limit. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card would be excellent for this job since it squeezes unlimited 2 percent cash rewards on purchases. This doubles all your cash rewards earned outside of Discover's rotating categories and it's a value you don't have to wait till the end of the year to enjoy fully.

Bankrate s Take Is the Discover it Balance Transfer card worth it

The Discover it Balance Transfer card is undoubtedly one of the best balance transfer cards on the market. Since they typically don't offer much value beyond their lengthy introductory zero-interest periods, balance transfer cards often have a hard time earning their keep after the intro APR ends-but the Discover it Balance Transfer card doesn't have this problem. It translates card into the balance transfer world and shores up that ongoing value with the issuer's signature low costs and first-year cash back match bonus. Its short six-month intro purchase APR might not be the strongest, but the Discover it Balance Transfer's well-rounded features make it one of the best options you'll find for a balance transfer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What credit score do you need for the Discover it Balance Transfer card

You’ll have strong approval odds if you have a good to excellent credit score before applying, which amounts to a FICO score of 670 or higher or a VantageScore of 661 or higher.

What subscriptions earn bonus cash back as Discover s select streaming services

Discover’s rotating cash back calendar makes cards like the Discover it Balance Transfer some of the best for . Any of the following subscriptions will earn rewards in Discover’s streaming service bonus category: Netflix Hulu HBO Max Amazon Prime Video Disney+ Apple TV+ Peacock TV Vudu Showtime Starz ESPN Fubo TV Sling BET+ AT&T TV Now CBS All Access YouTube TV Google Play Movies & TV Philo DAZN Eligible audio streaming services Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music Pandora Sirius XM

Can you transfer your balance from another Discover card to the Discover it Balance Transfer card

You cannot transfer a balance from one Discover card to another. You can only transfer your balance to a Discover card from another issuer's card.

How do I transfer a balance to the Discover it Balance Transfer card

The easiest way to do a balance transfer with Discover is to go to your online account. Under the “Manage” tab, you “Balance Transfer.” Follow the instructions and tell Discover where you are transferring your balance from. Have your information from your previous issuer ready as well as how much you plan to transfer to your new card.

How long does it take for Discover to transfer a balance

A balance transfer can take seven to ten days with Discover, although that timeframe isn’t guaranteed. with any issuer, but Discover’s estimation could be a good bit faster than the seven to 21 days estimated by several other issuers.

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Written by Garrett Yarbrough Credit Card Reviews Writer Bankrate expert Garrett Yarbrough strives to make navigating credit cards and credit building smooth sailing for his readers. After regularly featuring his credit card, credit monitoring and identity theft analysis on NextAdvisor.com, he joined the CreditCards.com and Bankrate.com teams as a staff writer to develop product reviews and comprehensive credit card guides focused on cash back, credit scores and card offers. Edited by Credit Cards Editor Reviewed by Editor

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