OR
Credit Cards to Build Credit
Start your credit history or rebuild your credit
See if you’re pre-approved with no harm to your credit score.8
College student? See how to build credit and earn cash back
Explore the different cash back cards designed specifically for students with no credit history to earn rewards.
What to look for in a credit building credit card
To build your credit history, make sure your credit activity is being reported to the credit bureaus. Discover reports your credit history to the 3 major credit bureaus, and every Discover® Cardmember has access to their Credit Scorecard to help monitor their credit score.
When building credit history, you don’t want anything that could negatively impact your score. With Discover, see if you’re pre-approved without a hard credit inquiry.8 Hard inquiries typically impact your credit score.
The best credit card to build credit history may be one that lets you seamlessly upgrade to a better card with more perks. With Discover, upgrade to an unsecured card after 6 consecutive on-time payments and maintaining good status on all your credit accounts.9
Consider any fees your credit card issuer may charge and compare them to the rewards you can earn. If the fees, like an annual fee, cost more than you can earn in rewards, there may be better options for you that won’t cost you money. Discover cards have no annual fee.
There are lots of benefits if you're ready to build your credit history
Build your credit with responsible use.3 Use it for everyday purchases, pay your bills on time and in full, and stay within your credit limit.
Credit history isn’t just for credit cards
Although building credit may help you get new credit or a higher credit line, other things that need a credit check (like renting an apartment or getting a cell phone) may deny you if you have no credit history or a poor credit score.
Good credit can predict behavior
A card issuer sees a good credit score as proof that you have a history of responsible credit use. A credit card issuer expects a borrower with good credit to repay their credit; this is why good credit and a higher credit score often means lower interest rates.
A longer credit history can help your credit score
Your credit score includes credit utilization ratio, overall credit limit, and credit account age. Your oldest credit account starts your credit history and will continue to appear on your credit report for at least as long as the account is open. Open a credit card account early and keep it open to help your credit score.
Benefits beyond building credit
Online Privacy Protection.
Discover gives you more control over your personal information online by regularly helping you to remove it from select people-search sites. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.5
Free Social Security number alerts
Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.6 Activate for free.
Turn your account on/off with Freeze it®
If you misplace your card, you can prevent new purchases, cash advances, and balance transfers in seconds with the Freeze it® on/off switch on our mobile app and website.7
The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is not a prepaid card or a debit card
It’s a real credit card that gives rewards with no annual fee.
Your credit line will equal your deposit amount, starting at $200.2
Build your credit with responsible use.3 Use it for everyday purchases, pay at least the minimum amount due, and stay within your credit limit.
We'll report your payment history, credit utilization and other habits to the 3 major credit bureaus that calculate your credit scores.
†† You earn a full 2% Cashback Bonus® on your first $1000 in combined purchases at Gas Stations (stand-alone), and Restaurants each calendar quarter. Calendar quarters begin January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. Purchases at Gas Stations and Restaurants over the quarterly cap, and all other purchases, earn 1% cash back. Gas Station purchases include those made at merchants classified as places that sell automotive gasoline that can be bought at the pump or inside the station, and some public electric vehicle charging stations. Gas Stations affiliated with supermarkets, supercenters, and wholesale clubs may not be eligible. Restaurant purchases include those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, and restaurant delivery services. Purchases must be made with merchants in the U.S. To qualify for 2%, the purchase transaction date must be before or on the last day of the offer or promotion. For online purchases, the transaction date from the merchant may be the date when the item ships. Rewards are added to your account within two billing periods. Even if a purchase appears to fit in a 2% category, the merchant may not have a merchant category code (MCC) in that category. Merchants and payment processors are assigned an MCC based on their typical products and services. Discover Card does not assign MCCs to merchants. Certain third-party payment accounts and digital wallet transactions may not earn 2% if the technology does not provide sufficient transaction details or a qualifying MCC. Learn more at Discover.com/digitalwallets. See Cashback Bonus Program Terms and Conditions for more information.
Student Credit Cards: Discover it Student® Cash Back, Student Chrome Card
Secured Credit Card: Discover it® Secured credit card
Student Credit Cards
Intro purchase APR is x% for x months from date of account opening then the standard purchase APR applies. Intro Balance Transfer APR is x% for x months from date of first transfer, for transfers under this offer that post to your account by then the standard purchase APR applies. Standard purchase APR: x% - x% variable, based on your creditworthiness. Cash APR: x% variable. Variable APRs will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Minimum interest charge: If you are charged interest, the charge will be no less than $.50. Cash advance fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater. Balance transfer fee: x% Intro fee on balances transferred by and up to x% fee for future balance transfers will apply. Annual Fee: None. Rates as of . We will apply payments at our discretion, including in a manner most favorable or convenient for us. Each billing period, we will generally apply amounts you pay that exceed the Minimum Payment Due to balances with higher APRs before balances with lower APRs as of the date we credit your payment.
Secured Credit Card
x% standard variable purchase APR . Intro Balance Transfer APR is x% for x months from date of first transfer, for transfers under this offer that post to your account by then the standard purchase APR applies. Cash APR: x% variable. Variable APRs will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Minimum interest charge: If you are charged interest, the charge will be no less than $.50 . Cash advance fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater. Balance transfer fee: x% Intro fee on balances transferred by and up to x% fee for future balance transfers will apply. Annual Fee: None. Rates as of . We will apply payments at our discretion, including in a manner most favorable or convenient for us. Each billing period, we will generally apply amounts you pay that exceed the Minimum Payment Due to balances with higher APRs before balances with lower APRs as of the date we credit your payment.
-
No Credit: Based on the preceding 12 months of Discover Student credit card application data. When we evaluate your creditworthiness we consider all the information you provide on your application, your credit report, which includes your credit score if applicable, and other information.
Based on 2023 Discover it Secured credit card application data, applicants without a credit score may qualify. You must meet other applicable underwriting criteria. When we evaluate your creditworthiness, we consider all the information you provide on your application, your credit report, and other information. If you have a credit score, we may use that in our evaluation.
-
Minimum Security Deposit: If approved, you must make a minimum security deposit of $200 (or more, in increments of $100 up to $2,500), which will equal your requested credit limit. Discover will determine your maximum credit limit by your income and ability to pay.
-
Builds credit with responsible use: Discover reports your credit history to the three major credit bureaus so it can help build/rebuild your credit if used responsibly. Late payments, delinquencies or other derogatory activity with your credit card accounts and loans may adversely impact your ability to build/rebuild credit.
-
Cashback Match: Only from Discover as of May 2024. We'll match all the cash back rewards you've earned on your credit card from the day your new account is approved through your first 12 consecutive billing periods or 365 days, whichever is longer, and add it to your rewards account within two billing periods. You've earned cash back rewards only when they're processed, which may be after the transaction date. We will not match: rewards that are processed after your match period ends; statement credits; rewards transfers from Discover checking or other deposit accounts; or rewards for accounts that are closed. This promotional offer may not be available in the future and is exclusively for new cardmembers. No purchase minimums.
-
Online Privacy Protection: Online Privacy Protection is offered by Discover Bank at no cost and only available in the mobile app. About every 90 days we will scan at least 10 people-search sites for your online personal information and help you submit opt-out requests. Types of personal information found on these sites will vary.
-
Discover® Identity Alerts (Alerts) are offered by Discover Bank at no cost, are available only online, and do not impact your credit score. The Alerts currently provide: (a) daily monitoring of your Experian® credit report and an alert when a new inquiry or account is listed on your report; (b) daily monitoring of thousands of Dark Web sites known for revealing personal information and an alert if your Social Security Number is found on such a website. Alerts are only provided to Primary cardmembers who agree to receive them online and whose accounts are open, in good standing, have a Social Security Number, and an email address on file. This benefit may change or end in the future. Discover Bank is not a credit repair organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. To see a list of Frequently Asked Questions, visit discover.com/freealerts.
-
Freeze it®: When you freeze your account, Discover will not authorize new purchases, cash advances or balance transfers (including checks). However, some activity will continue including charges from merchants where your card is stored or billed regularly, as well as returns, credits, dispute adjustments, delayed authorizations (such as some transit purchases), payments, Discover protection product fees, other account fees, interest, rewards redemptions and certain other exempted transactions.
-
There is no hard inquiry to your credit report to check if you’re pre-approved. If you’re pre-approved, and you move forward with submitting an application for the credit card, it will result in a hard inquiry which may impact your credit score. Receiving a pre-approval offer does not guarantee approval. Applicants applying without a social security number are not eligible to receive pre-approval offers. Card applicants cannot be pre-approved for the NHL Discover Card.
-
Getting your deposit back: Monthly reviews start your seventh month as a customer. We will refund your security deposit if you have made all payments on time for the last six consecutive billing cycles on all your Discover accounts including any loans, and you've remained in "good status" on all credit accounts you are responsible for whether they are Discover accounts or not. "Good status" means: (1) your credit report shows no delinquencies, charge-offs, repossessions, or bankruptcies for the six months prior to our review; and (2) your Discover secured card is not in a prohibited status at the time of our review, including, but not limited to: closed, revoked, suspended, subject to tax levy, garnishment, deceased, lost/stolen, or fraud. Monthly reviews may be delayed if you change your payment due date. We typically process your refund in 2-3 business days based on your delivery preference. If you close your account and pay in full, we'll return your deposit within two billing cycles plus ten days.
gjvp-1.
gjvr-2.
gjx4-3.
rjqx-4.
rjrm-5.
kxpa-6.
gjvv-7.
dcit-1.
dtic-2.
dcmi-3.
dsit-4.
dtis-5.
dcsc-6.