Has Discover cash back 5% always been like this...?

[Anonymous]

Hello I am new to discover only have had my card for about three weeks extremely excited one of the cards that I want it with a great credit line (personally)of 10K I was super excited about the cash back with Discover I have a capital one card quicksilver one of my first major cashback credit card I want to make discover my primary card however I just learned they have cashback broken up into quarters and you could only get the 5% cashback on the specific Stores has it always been like that? #Discoveritcard 

[Boss2Boss]

Yes

[ChazzieT]

Discover IT has been a rotating 5% category card for as long as I've known about it. Although they occasionally list specific stores (like Home Depot for June), they usually list transaction code groups (home improvement).

If your asking about rotating categories in general, Discover was the pioneer of cash back and my mom had one of the original discover cards which gave the same percentage back on every purchase.

[wasCB14]

Browsing old DFS 10-K filings...

Discover it card offers 5% Cashback Bonus in categories that change each quarter up to a quarterly maximum (signing up is required) and1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases.
Discover it Chrome card offers 2% Cashback Bonus at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarterand 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases.
Discover it Miles card offers 1.5 miles for every dollar spent on purchases.
Discover it Business card offers 1.5% Cashback Bonus on all purchases.
Discover More card, which we no longer offer for new accounts, offers 5% Cashback Bonus in categories that change each quarter up to aquarterly maximum. Customers earn .25% Cashback Bonus on their first $3,000 on all other annual purchases and on all warehousepurchases, and 1% Cashback Bonus on purchases over $3,000
Discover it Secured card offers the same reward features as the Discover it Chrome card. Customers provide a security deposit ascollateral for the credit card account. Starting at eight months after the account opening, Discover reviews the account to determine if the security deposit can be refunded to the customer and they graduate to an unsecured line of credit (2019)
Discover Open Road card offers 2% Cashback Bonus on the first $250 spent in combined gas and restaurant purchases each billing period and up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases. (2015)(Gave 5% on gas around 2007)
Miles by Discover customers receive two miles for every $1 on the first $3,000 spent in travel and restaurant purchases each year, one mile for every $1 spent thereafter, and one mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases. (2015)
Escape by Discover customers receive two miles for every $1 on all purchases. This card has a $60 annual fee. (2015)
Discover Business card offers 5% Cashback Bonus on the first $2,000 spent in office supply purchases, 2% Cashback Bonus on the first $2,000 spent in gas purchases each year and up to 1% Cashback Bonus on all other purchases. (2015)
Discover Motiva card provides customers with a full month’s interest as a reward each time they make six consecutive on-time payments. (2010)

There was also a 5% uncapped dining card at some point, I hear. It was quickly nerfed.

Years in parentheses are the annual report in which I saw the card mentioned. I only browsed a few and this may not be comprehensive.

[Anonymous]

The Discover Card was introduced in 1986. At the time it was owned by Sears Roebuck & Company (Sears department store). For most of the original run, the Discover Card had tiered cashback, based on spend and as long as you earned $5 cash back, they sent you a check on your Anniversary Date:

0.25% cashback on spend $0.01-$1,000.00

0.50% cashback on spend $1,000.01-$1,999.99

0.75% cashback on spend $2,000.00-$2,999.99

1.00% cashback on spend over $3,000.00

*don't hold me to those spend amounts though; its been so long that I have forgotten the tiers. 

At some point in the 2000s they removed the 0.75% tier and increased the spend amounts in the 0.25% tier. 

In 2013 the Discover IT card was introduced. This card, still available today, earns a flat 1.00% cash back with the rotating, 5.00% catagories. 

Those of us that had original Discover Cards (and later, Bravo, Private Issue and Platinum) had our cards changed to the Discover More card. This card is not available for new applicants; and for good reason...The More card still has the old tiers but also includes the rotating 5% catagories. I kept mine a Discover More because I hated (and still do hate) the "It" name and the fact that "it" was an un-embossed card. Joke was on me though, now even the Discover More is un-embossed. I could care less at this point as I only use it for the rotating 5% rotating catagories; Daddy doesn't do 1% cash back. 

When I was a kid in the 80s, I remember my poor mother having to ask every store clerk whether or not they accepted the Discover Card (it was so new that it was not widely accepted and it was owned at the time by the most powerful retailer in the world (Sears) so competitors like Montgomery Ward and JC Penney etc did not want to accept the Discover Card at first as they felt they were helping their competitor.) Oddly enough, I never once saw my dad use his Discover Card and I actually have it in my collection in mint condition which means he didn't use it as I suspected!  

[NRB525]

I had one of them Discover More cards. 5% categories but after joining here and looking closer at the disclosures, it earned the princely 0.25% on the first $3k of non-category spend. 

So I call it the Discover Less card.  PC'd to the it. 

OP, do be sure to click the simple link each quarter prior to trying to spend in the categories for 5%. There is no retroactive 5% in Discover land. Chase Freedom does retroactive, not Discover. 

[AverageJoesCredit]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hello I am new to discover only have had my card for about three weeks extremely excited one of the cards that I want it with a great credit line (personally)of 10K I was super excited about the cash back with Discover I have a capital one card quicksilver one of my first major cashback credit card I want to make discover my primary card however I just learned they have cashback broken up into quarters and you could only get the 5% cashback on the specific Stores has it always been like that? #Discoveritcard 

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Regardless  of split cats,  having double cash back first year is great even for low spenders. If you are one of those max a category people, fuggetaboutit. Also way to go getting 10k out of the gate. Many of us had/have to battle it out just to get to 10k

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the information & Thank you! I know that is why I was very surprised and humbled by the CL!

[Anonymous]

Thank you 

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the complete breakdown