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Bonus Categories for Discover IT® Cashback Additionally, the student card version was announced in the second quarter of 2025, making it easy for most cardholders to maximize it completely. Activate the bonus category and earn 5% cashback when purchasing from grocery stores and wholesale clubs from April 1st to June 30th, 2025 (up to $1,500, 1% on spending). You’ll be worth up to $75 in cashback.
This is not difficult to achieve as you have to spend an average of $125 a week. According to the Bureau of Labor Statisticsthe average US household spent $6,053 on food (groceries) at home in 2023. Include wholesale clubs that are generally excluded from other clubs Top Grocery CardDiscover offers one of the easier and more valuable quarterly categories, regardless of spending habits.
Here’s a larger breakdown of how the categories of this quarter stacked up with competitors, and how you can squeeze out your value the most easily.
Compare this quarter with other cards
Many Top Reward Cards Include solid grocery category bonuses, but not many offer bonuses at wholesale clubs.
Personally, I plan to spend as much as $1,500 possible at Sam’s Club, the wholesale club closest to my home. If you can’t reach $1,500 with Sam’s Club alone, you can easily do grocery shopping to maximize your category. I rarely get paid more than anything else Flat rate card We offer it at wholesale clubs, so I like to take advantage of the bonuses whenever possible. Compare and see the reward rates offered by other top grocery cards.
*Based on Bankrate’s latest point rating
In my opinion, the best opportunity cost for this quarter is for wholesale clubs. It’s easy to spend a lot of money on a wholesale club, but it’s usually difficult to get some spectacular rewards in return. As you can see, bonuses in this category rarely outweigh what you get from a flat rate card unless you have a co-branded card for that club.
Look at these exclusions
Allocated to all merchants Merchant Category Code. This code determines what merchant will be counted in the eyes of the issuer when purchasing with a reward card.
This is like a hidden pitfall in the category reward cards. Certain categories are explicitly excluded from quarterly bonus revenue, so you need to make sure your purchase is in the correct category. Otherwise, you only earn 1% when you buy. Here are the things that don’t count in the second quarter category in Discover:
- Superstores with Walmart and Target
- Convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Wawa
- Discount shops for family dollars, big lots, dollar trees and more
- Purchase affiliated wholesale club services, including delivery services, travel, and mobile phone purchases
- Standalone shops with individual merchants within physical wholesale club locations
In the included categories, you earn only 5% for up to $1,500 in total purchases per quarter (activation required). Don’t spend more than that, as you’ll only get a 1% cashback sub-value for $1,500.
Here’s how to lock your savings
Grocery stores and wholesale clubs should be easy enough to maximize, but if you can’t spend that much money on these categories, there are still some clever ways to lock up savings to use after the end of the quarter.
One option is to purchase gift cards from grocery stores and wholesale clubs for future use. Alternatively, if your store or club sells gift cards to other merchants in the store or on the website, you can purchase them to lock up a 5% discount or get a higher discount with those merchants.
For example, let’s say you need to buy clothes for your kids, but you only earn 1% cashback when you buy. Instead of buying directly on the website, you can create a cart and buy a gift card for that amount at the grocery store to earn 5% cashback. Then use your gift card to pay on the website and effectively get better discounts.
When the statement is due, try not to spend more than you can manage to pay. Do not purchase gift cards unless you are sure you will be using them in the future. This could also be a good opportunity to purchase gift cards as holiday gifts, even if the holidays are closed.
Conclusion
Quarterly Bonus Category Rotation DiscoverIT® cashback has become a long-term mainstay in my wallet. I like how that discovery gives me time to make use of my high cashback return rate, as it gives me time to assess and plan for future costs. Some quarterly categories are harder to maximize than others, but this quarter will require you to walk around the park regardless of your level of card expertise.
Eligibility and profit level vary by card. Conditions, conditions, and restrictions apply. Please visit AmericanExpress.com/benefitsguide For more information. The Amex Assurance Company took on it.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or MasterCard® and may vary depending on the product. Terminology and exclusions apply, so please refer to the guide to each benefit for more information.
Information regarding CitiCustom® Cards, CostcoAnywhere Visa® CardBy Citi, BJ’s One+™ MasterCard® and Sam’s Club® MasterCard® were collected independently by Bankrate.com. Card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
