About to get started on your holiday shopping? You could spend a lot less by using a Discover card.
Everyone wants to save money on their holiday gift shopping. Fortunately, camping out for Black Friday sales is not the only way to save a few dollars on holiday gifts. One of the simplest and most effective options is to choose the right credit cards to use for your holiday purchases.
If you’d like to keep your wallet happy through the season of giving, Discover credit cards are an excellent choice. None of them charge annual fees, so you can get one free of charge. And the Discover lineup includes several cards with perks that are perfect for holiday shopping. Here are all the ways Discover cards can help you boost your savings this holiday season.
Buying holiday gifts online is a smart way to avoid crowded stores. If you have one of Discover’s cash back cards with rotating bonus categories, you can score big rewards on those online gift purchases.
The Discover it® Cash Back and the Discover it® Student Cash Back earn 5% back on up to $1,500 in purchases across bonus categories you activate each quarter. From October through December, both cards are earning that bonus rate across Amazon.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com.
Since those are three of the largest retailers in the world, you’ll be able to get a fantastic cash back rate on a huge selection of gifts. If you max out those bonus categories by spending $1,500, you’ll get $75 back.
2. 1.5% back on all your spending
Maybe you just don’t think you’ll spend much online with Amazon, Target, and Walmart. In that case, the Discover it® Miles will get you a good rewards rate on every purchase.
This card earns an unlimited 1.5 miles per $1, no matter where you shop. Miles are worth $0.01 each, meaning you earn 1.5% back. Don’t be fooled by the term “miles,” either. Although you can redeem miles for travel, you can also use them for cash back.
3. Double rewards on all your holiday purchases
One of the biggest perks of Discover cards is their first-year Cash Back Match. You’re effectively earning double rewards that entire first year — including your holiday spending.
Let’s say you decide to get the Discover it® Cash Back, which advertises a cash back rate of 5% in rotating bonus categories. When Discover matches your cash back, you’ll end up with 10% in earnings. The same is true if you have the Discover it® Miles. Normally, it earns 1.5 miles per $1. With the first-year match, however, it earns a total of 3 miles per $1.
This type of sign-up bonus gets more valuable the more that you use your Discover credit card. It’s especially beneficial for consumers who stick to a one-card wallet.
4. Zero-interest introductory offers
Need extra time paying off your holiday shopping? Multiple Discover credit cards have 0% intro APR offers. Our favorites include the Discover it® Cash Back, the Discover it® Miles, and the Discover it® chrome. All three offer 0% intro APRs on purchases for 14 months. They also have the same intro rate on balance transfers.
Even with a zero-interest offer, it’s still better if you can pay your credit card balance in full when it’s due. Ideally, you should stick to a holiday budget. But if you end up springing for some costlier gifts — and you can’t quite pay them off right away — a 0% intro APR offer could rescue you from expensive credit card interest charges. Any of these Discover cards is a good option for that situation.
Big holiday savings with Discover
A Discover credit card can save you money at any time of year, but the holidays are an especially good time to get one. You could earn up to 5% back — and Discover’s first-year match will make that 10% back. Rewards aren’t the only valuable perk, either. A 0% intro APR can also be extremely valuable if you end up needing to finance any of that holiday spending.
Whatever you decide, don’t start gift shopping without looking for the best credit card first. Your wallet will thank you.
