Fred

5% Cash Back on Home Improvement with Discover Card’s Rewards Program

January 1, 2011 | by Fred (email) |

Discover Card’s Rewards program rolls over into a new quarter next April 1.  This quarter (April 1 – June 30) is when Home Improvement centers are on the list for 5% cash back!

How Do I Sign Up?

If you’re not a Discover Card member and you want to be a part of this program, you can signup for a Discover More Card here. Once you’re approved, you can enroll in the program immediately using Discover’s web site.

If you’re already a Discover Card member and have online access, simply login to your online Discover Card account, select Cashback Bonus and then select Get More.  Follow the resulting prompts.  It’s pretty simple.  If you don’t use Discover’s online access program (which is great, by the way), you can call 1-800-DISCOVER and sign up over the phone, just have your account # ready.

What Purchases Qualify for the 5% Rebate?

Up to $400 in purchases made at the following types of stores qualify:

  • Department Stores
  • Clothing Stores
  • Home Improvement Centers (We’re pretty certain Home Depot, Lowes, and similar stores qualify – but you should verify)
  • Lawn & Garden Centers
Note that the $400 limit here basically means you are restricted to getting $20 in “bonus” cash back from this offer. We are hoping to see Discover index that with inflation, but we suspect that the reason the amount is so low is that a lot of folks are shopping for home improvement in April and so many people are picking up this discount. Giving 5% back on an unlimited amount just wouldn’t be sustainable.

Cash Back on Other Purchases?

Each quarter, Discover Card offers a new 5% cash back promotion.  July-September includes gas and hotels, October-December features restaurants and movies. Sometimes the categories rotate, so checking their site makes the most sense.

Of course, Discover Card (marketed as “the card that pays you back”) offers up to 1% cash back on all purchases throughout the year.

Any Limitations?

Like all credit cards, there are certain limitations (purchase/reward limits, qualification for the card,  Discover can change the program at any time, etc.)  Just read the terms and conditions at Discover’s site or on the sign-up form.

Other Cash Back Deals

Discover Card is one of Cash Money Life’s best cash back credit cards. If you are interested in deals beyond Discover, you can check Ryan’s list for more details on other cards that also feature cash back, althought not usually inside the home improvement domain.