Does Discover trump Freedom?

[kdm31091]

Taken on its own terms, without the CSP/UR point transfer thing (which I agree is overhyped, as it doesn't apply to everyone in a blanket way like some make it sound), the Freedom pales compared to Discover IMO.

Let's see....Freedom usually does more specific categories than Discover - home improvement with Discover vs just Lowe's with Freedom. Which would most people choose? The broader category.

Additionally, as far as redemption, your Discover points can go further whether you travel or not since the gift cards are often discounted. No such benefit with Freedom AFAIK, the only way to extend the value is with UR/CSP transfers etc.

As a cash back card on its own I don't see the compelling argument for Freedom being better but it depends on your spending habits etc. I will say I find Freedom to be an overrated card, and not everyone is a heavy traveler who pairs with a CSP and uses it that way. I think that is used as a way to make Freedom sound more appealing than it really is. If you are not into the UR point thing, Discover is the better card, IMO. No contest.

They do not usually directly overlap, but during the year, the categories tend to be basically the same...gas, home improvement, restaurants, etc. You can certainly have both, I just find it redundant since they serve basically the same purposes. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

discover deals does trump chase portal though

[kdm31091]

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@Anonymous wrote:
discover deals does trump chase portal though

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That too. I just can't find any reason to say that Freedom is better on its own.

[Open123]

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@kdm31091 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:
discover deals does trump chase portal though

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That too. I just can't find any reason to say that Freedom is better on its own.

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In general, I'd agree.

I still advise having both, just in case the Freedom may have a 5% category that Discover doesn't, or vice versa.

*Edited*  PS - GC redemptions and Discover Portal is much better than Chase's.

[NRB525]

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@Open123 wrote:

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@kdm31091 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:
discover deals does trump chase portal though

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That too. I just can't find any reason to say that Freedom is better on its own.

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In general, I'd agree.

I still advise having both, just in case the Freedom may have a 5% category that Discover doesn't, or vice versa.

*Edited*  PS - GC redemptions and Discover Portal is much better than Chase's.

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I agree. There's not much if any overlap in the quarterly categories, both are no AF cards, each has features one can use or not use, so the question is not Either / Or, it's not one is better than the other in all cases. The debate is only a regurgitation of the features of each card, with each poster's perspective of "I Like". And as soon as one person says "I Like" one over the other, another person can say the other features of the other card appeal to them.

[Callandra]

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@kdm31091 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:
discover deals does trump chase portal though

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That too. I just can't find any reason to say that Freedom is better on its own.

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I have a Freedom and I agree with you too! 

[longtimelurker]

OK, struggling for a new argument....!

Freedom is better now because getting the Discover IT prevents you getting the Discover IT Miles for a year.  And a year from now,  who knows if the more-or-less ubeatable 3% everywhere will still be there.

And conversely, get the IT with the double cash feature, as that might not last either, whereas the Freedom seems to be pretty consistent, give or take bonuses for a checking relationship.

I think a more interesting question really is "Discover IT vs Discover Miles" for this year!

[Anonymous]

As cards alone, discover all the way. For rebuilding, discover is going to show luv. For people like me who have both, I just simply have both. I plan to get other chase cards in the future, where discover doesn't have diverse spending agendas to plan out. I see using a discover to bail out a carried chase baance, not the other way around, as chase limits are set in stone for some of the best customers with some of the best scores. You shouldn't have to get a new card for a zero percent offer, discover delivers there too.

[yfan]

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@jsucool76 wrote:

For somebody who has no intentions of getting a CSP or Ink to transfer UR points, I'd still suggest getting both. If the categories happen to not overlap, you can get a potential 6 months of 5% gas. 

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Not necessarily. The gas category is essentially useless for someone like me, since I almost always get gas from Costco, and even when Costco begins accepting Visa, a Chase won't allow warehouse club gas sales to count as stand alone gas stations for the 5% reward. Around these parts, getting gas at Costco alone saves me about 10% (sometimes more), plus the Costco TE allows another 3%.

I feel that one is almost always better off trying to maximize savings rather than trying to maximize cashback. This is one reason why broader categories are more important to me than transfer potential - which isn't in and of itself a draw, given that point "valuations" of loyalty programs necessarily fail to account for the possibility of alternate plans and cash sales. Broader categories allow for the use of the card in more places without having to too much mental lookups and "maximization."

[Anonymous]

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@Sharingan wrote:

Personally, I prefer to view the Discover IT and Chase Freedom as complements rather than competitors. They go very well together to either: raise the $1500 cap imposed on both for overlapping 5% rotating categories or to make up for when the other has awful categories. I'd feel as though I was leaving money on the table if I had to choose just one. For example, I have the Sallie Mae + Discover for Amazon his quarter and Sallie Mae + Freedom next quarter. I also have the Citi Dividend's rotating categories to take advantage of. 

I will admit that the Discover Deals portals are amazing, irrespective of the double cash back promotion!

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Completely, hands down 100% agree with this post. I personally love having both cards and I think it is a bit odd when people discount the benefits of having both. Their categories do not always align, but even when they do, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Even though Discover and Freedom both had restaurants for Q2, I still managed to exceed BOTH caps, so sometimes even when the categories overlap, I still manage to reap a benefit. I know this won't be the case for everyone, but it definitely is for me.