Discover Deals is a fantastic way to save extra money on lots on online purchases because it often offers some of the most competitive cash back rates out of any program.
But who gets access to Discover Deals and how does it work?
This article will show you how to use Discover Deals to save money and earn cash back (5% and more) at some of the most popular merchants like Best Buy, Apple, and Walmart.
I’ll show you how to make sure that you’re going after the most valuable cash back deals.
Table of Contents
What is Discover Deals?
Discover Deals is the exclusive cash back shopping portal for Discover cardmembers.
But in addition to supplying you with cash back for various merchants, Discover Deals also offers promotions that can save you money at merchants online and in-store.
Wait, what’s a shopping portal?
A shopping portal is a website that allows you to earn extra cash back or miles/points when doing shopping online.
You are able to shop around for the same products you’d normally be able to buy at the same prices but the difference is that you’ll be earning cash back or points for every dollar that you spend.
There are lot of different shopping portals for other banks and loyalty programs.
For example, there’s a shopping portal for Chase, American Airlines, Southwest, among many others.
Who gets access to Discover Deals?
You will need to hold a Discover card to get access to the shopping portal.
(All Discover cards are eligible for the portal so this is a great way for students with cards like the Discover It Student to save on much-needed cash).
How does Discover Deals work?
If you’re a Discover cardmember, simply log-in to the portal here.
Once you log-in, you’ll see the main page where you can find the current deals and also use the search bar to search for your merchants.
The deals that show “Instant Savings” are offers that will provide you with a specific amount off your purchase (versus the cash back bonus which gives you a % of cash back on your purchase).
You can also save deals for easy retrieval in the future.
If you’d like to, you can filter the results based on categories like location, store type, and promotional offer.
Once you click on a merchant you’ll be taken to a screen where you can see the terms of the offers. Be sure to place close attention to the terms to make sure you don’t disqualify yourself.
For example, Discover states that you need to use your Discover card for each transaction within 3 hours of clicking the offer link.
Also many stores have very specific exceptions. For example, Walmart has the following exceptions:
EXCEPTIONS: Apple Watch, iPhones, Grocery to Go, cell phones, prepaid phone cards, Straight Talk, Pharmacy, travel, financial services, tires, Walmart Connect Internet service, gift cards, shipping, taxes or service fees
Once you’ve read up on all of the relevant terms click on “Shop Now” and you’ll be taken to t
Does Discover Deals offers the best rates?
Discover Deals often offers some of the best cash back rates compared to other shopping portals.
But keep in mind you won’t always be getting the best deal since the cash back rates often fluctuate.
Many portals offer special temporary bonus earning rates for different retailers so you always want to be on the lookout for those.
So how can you know which portals are offering the best rates?
The answer is easy: check one of the sites that monitor the earning rates.
My top recommendation is to check Cash Back Monitor. Simply input the store that you’re wanting to shop at and then take a look at the results. You’ll be able to see which portals are offering the best rates for cash back and points on one easy-to-understand screen.
But you can also search for historical data so you can see if a bigger bonus rate might be coming your way. Read more about how to get the most out of Cash Back Monitor here.
Another site you can try is Evreward. It’s not as thorough as Cash Back Monitor in my experience but it does offer a good breakdown on ongoing promotions, rebates, and coupons for stores which can be very handy.
You can read more about how to use Evreward here.
List of Discover Deal merchants
Discover Deals has some great offers but there’s not a super-long list of merchants like some of the other shopping portals have, so your shopping options are a bit on the limited side.
For example, one of the most popular stores to use a portal on is Best Buy, but you won’t currently find Best Buy in the Discover Deals portal for cash back earnings. However, there have been special instant savings (like 20% off) for using your Discover card at Best Buy on special items in the past.
Below are all of the stores where you might earn cash back or simply receive instant savings — keep in mind these merchants are always subject to change at any time.
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A
B
C
D
Discover Bike San Diego Stations
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Note: Home Depot, Amazon, and AirBnB are currently not listed/available.
Discover Deals promotion examples
As mentioned, in addition to earning cash back at the merchants above, Discover Deals will also often run promotions so you can save extra money at these retailers.
Below are a few examples that will give you an idea on the kind of savings you might be able to expect.
Discover Deals car rental deals
Discover Deals almost always has a tone of car rental deals.
You can often get 20% to 25% off various car rentals from companies like Avis, National, Budget, Hertz, and others.
In the past, Discover also allowed you to redeem $40 car rentals gift cards for only $20, which could be used for the likes of Alamo, Enterprise, and National.
Discover Deals Apple store
In the past, Discover offered a special promotional cash back rate of 10% at the Apple Store (up to $10,000). The current cash back rate is 5%.
Discover Deals Kohls
Discover offered a special promotion of $10 Off $30.
Discover Deals Under Armour
Discover offered a special promotion of 15% cash back.
Discover Deals travel deals
You can often find several travel deals. Beyond rental car and Uber deals, look for deals on hotels with Hotwire.com and deals on Atlantis Resorts.
Universal Studios Resort vacations are also popular.
There are always plenty of deals for cruises too with various cruise lines, such as Disney, Princess Cruises, Carnival, Royal Caribbean International, and may others.
I haven’t been able to find good Discover Deals for flights, however. Let me know in the comments if you come across any!
Preparing to use the portal
Before you ever even access the Discover Deals portal, there are a few things you should consider doing to decrease the odds of your purchase not tracking properly.
Clear your shopping cart
If you’ve already been browsing online with the merchant and dropping items into your shopping cart here and there, you might want to remove those items first. (After you click through the portal and get back on the merchant’s website later on, you can add those items back.) This is not necessary all the time but many people choose to do it out of precaution.
Turn ad blockers off
Make sure your ad blocker is off before you access the Chase shopping portal. This could prevent necessary pop-ups from showing or interfere with your tracking.
Enable cookies and javascript
Make sure you have enabled cookies and javascript. Some people also like to clear their cookies before they access the portal but you could also just use an incognito browser to do the trick.
Also, you might want to disable your browser toolbars so that they don’t interfere with your tracking.
Discover Deals FAQ
How long does it take to receive my cash back?
You should receive your cash back within 10 weeks.
Can Discover Deals be used with other coupons?
Generally, no, you cannot combine coupons and promo codes found outside of Discover Deals.
Sometimes these things can stack but there’s also a risk that you’ll lose your Discover Deals cash back.
Can I combine the 5% Discover it cash back with Discover Deals?
Yes, you’ll earn your 5% Discover it cash back in addition to your Discover Deals earnings.
Do I have to sign up for Discover Deals offers?
Do I need to pay with my Discover card to earn rewards?
Are Discover Deals rewards added to the regular rewards I already earn?
Yes, you will earn Discover Deals rewards in addition to your other Discover rewards, such as the cash back you earn with the Discover it.
What types of Discover cards are eligible for Discover Deals?
What if I have an issue with my offer?
Final word
Discover Deals is a great way for Discover cardmembers to save extra cash.
Be sure to take a close look at the terms and exception for your merchants and double check the top earning rates with other portals, and you’ll be maximizing your earnings in no time.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.