Discover 2023 Q1 Categories - Grocery, Drug Stores, Streaming

[UncleB]

Discover has announced their 2023 Q1 cash back categories:

DoC:  https://www.doctorofcredit.com/discover-q1-2023-categories-grocery-drugstores-streaming/ 

I'm pleased to see they stuck with grocery for Q1, and the other two aren't terrible, either.

[simplynoir]

Discover and other credit card rotating categories should just make grocery spending a semi-permanent category. Customers are not having it easy shopping for food

Also forgot they're not doing yearly releases anymore

[UncleB]

---

@simplynoir wrote:

Discover and other credit card rotating categories should just make grocery spending a semi-permanent category. Customers are not having it easy shopping for food

Also forgot they're not doing yearly releases anymore

---

Yeah, that would be nice.

I'm hopeful that running Walmart charges through Curve will bypass the Walmart exclusion like Paypal Key did last year.  If it does that will be even better than PPK, since I won't have to bother with Walmart Pay.

The 'streaming' category has also piqued my interest, since if it's driven by MCC then Dish Network/DirecTV and the like should also trigger it (which would free up a category on one of my Cash+ cards).  Of course there's no way to know without just trying it, and by then the Cash+ categories will be locked up tight.  Such is the way of this game, LOL.

[Adkins]

This is excellent, I'll pull my older Discover out for my grocery spend instead of my Citi Custom Cash. 

[mrphilli]

Thanks for posting this! These quarterly categories feel like a non-starter for me, unfortunately. The Blue Cash Preferred card seems to cover grocery stores and streaming services for 6% cash back, and I can't remember the last time I went to a drug store. Hopefully other folks find them useful, though!

For anyone thinking about taking advantage of the bonus for streaming services: I didn't see Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, and Netflix on the list of streaming services in the Doctor of Credit post. They might end up working just fine because the merchant code matches up, though you never know with all the fine print floating around about these bonuses.

The last few years, grocery stores have usually been the first quarter of Discover's bonus calendar. I think it'd be a little funny if the second quarter ended up being gas stations again, the third quarter was restaurants again, and the fourth quarter was Amazon again... But all with just different second or third category offerings... Making the change from announcing the quarters all at once versus announcing them every few months feel like a minor waste of time and effort for everyone involved. 

---

@UncleB wrote:

---

---

The 'streaming' category has also piqued my interest, since if it's driven by MCC then Dish Network/DirecTV and the like should also trigger it (which would free up a category on one of my Cash+ cards).  Of course there's no way to know without just trying it, and by then the Cash+ categories will be locked up tight.  Such is the way of this game, LOL.

---

That's a good idea. My knee jerk reaction is that, since they specifically list DirecTV Stream in their list of services, it might not work... Then again, the list on the link also said Apple TV (the storefront and media player) and not Apple TV+ (the streaming platform)... Which just leads me to think that these streaming companies need to rethink their branding strategies and stop slapping pluses on everything. 

[M_Smart007]

Thanks for posting @UncleB !

I was just looking for this a day to early

Probably be using the 5% Grocery cat.

ETA: Unless Affinity CR wants to give me 7%

[ptatohed]

Grocery will be useful.  Never go to drug stores (maybe if they brought back Thrifty ice cream ).  Streaming is nice but as cash-back-crazy as I am, even I don't find it worth logging in and changing the payment method on a few streaming services from AOD to Disco and then back 3 months later for an extra 2% on a relatively low spend.  

Thanks for the post UB!

[SUPERSQUID]

Thanks for posting that. I just activated both my cards. one of my discover cards is still in the first year so its 10 pct cb on groceries, i guess i will give savor a rest for a few months.

[UncleB]

I think I might "risk" dropping the TV, internet, and streaming category from my Cash+ on the chance that Discover might count satellite TV and AT&T fixed wireless as streaming (they all use MCC 4899). 

If I lose the gamble I get 4% back anyway with my Savor, so it's not a big deal.

That will free up a spot on the Cash+ for 'Electronics Stores', which might come in handy if I decide to pull the trigger on a new phone next spring. 😉

I spend way too much time scheming on how to save an extra $2, LOL

[Remedios]

I don't care too much for grocery quarters, I have that on multiple cards but Disco codes all Fred Meyer purchases as grocery (none of my other lenders do). 

So, that's 5% on what you'd find at department stores for me. Low amount but whatever, it will see some use.