As I’ve shared before, the Discover It card was the first card I applied for when I got over my fear of credit and began to embrace the rewards hobby. Because of this, it still holds a special place in my heart and wallet, even if it’s not my most-used card anymore. In particular, though, I am always excited to see what Discover has in store for its 5% bonus categories, as these amount to the primary value the card offers — and, for next quarter, the bank is introducing a new category that I’m excited to make the most of.
From July 1st through September 30th, Discover It cardholders like me can earn up to 5% back on Utilities. What exactly qualifies for this? According to the terms on their site, residential electricity, natural gas, and water service are all covered, as are internet, cable, satellite TV, mobile phone service, and landline phone service bills (as long as you pay for them online or via the phone). However, if you pay utilities through a third party, such as a landlord, that sadly won’t be eligible for this bonus. Additionally, streaming services are excluded from this quarter’s offer.
Discover points out that this is the first time they’ve featured this category and, personally, I think it’s a great one! Perhaps I’m a bit biased now that I’m a homeowner, but I think this is an extremely usable and practical bonus category. After all, even if you don’t pay utilities or pay them as part of your rent (like I did previously), I suspect most people will have an internet, cable, or satellite bill —or, at the very least, a mobile phone plan. The only potential downside I see is if your provider charges a fee to use a credit card, then the value of this bonus would be severely diminished.
What’s more, this isn’t the only bonus category for the third quarter. Cardholders will also be able to earn up to 5% back at Gas Stations and EV Charging stations, as well as on Public Transport.
Keep in mind that the 5% cashback rate is capped at a total of $1,500 in combined category spending. This means that, if you were to max out this offer next quarter, you’d earn $75 cashback.
Funny enough, this bonus category pick from Discover is fairly similar to the surprise Internet, Cable, & Phone Service category Chase added for Freedom and Freedom Flex customers for this month only. Then again, that really only covers half of Discover’s 5% pick.
Overall, I’m excited to see this Utilities bonus category — not only because I’m a cardholder but also because I like to see credit card companies trying new things. Plus, I also appreciate when these 5% categories are easy to make use of naturally instead of inspiring new spending. Thus, I give Discover a thumbs up on this one and look forward to seeing what’s in store for Q4.