The Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back are two rewards credit cards that can help reward you for your spending based on rotating categories. While either card could be an excellent addition to your wallet, the Chase Freedom Flex offers a higher earning potential.
Let’s explore the differences between the Chase Freedom Flex and the Discover it Cash Back to help you decide which card is best for you.
Chase Freedom Flex vs. Discover it Cash Back
Card type | Cash back | Cash back |
FinanceBuzz star ratings | ||
FinanceBuzz value calculation1 | Year one earnings: $855
Year two earnings: $655 |
Year one earnings: $1,070
Year two earnings: $535 |
Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
Welcome offer | Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. | Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. |
Earning rate | Earn 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service); and 1% cash back on all other purchases. | Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. |
Intro APR |
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Foreign transaction fee | 3% | 0% |
Recommended credit | Excellent, Good | Excellent, Good |
Read full review | Read full review |
When to go with the Chase Freedom Flex
The Chase Freedom Flex combines the benefits of a cash back and travel credit card, offering elevated rewards on rotating bonus categories, as well as a few other regular categories. Though the best card for you will depend on your specific needs, we think the Chase Freedom Flex is the better option for most people. Here are some situations you may opt for the Freedom Flex:
- You want to earn the most cash back
- You have another Chase travel card
- You want a welcome bonus
- You want extra protections
Let’s explore these benefits a bit more in-depth.
You want to earn the most cash back
The Chase Freedom Flex has a far higher earning potential than the Discover it Cash Back. Both cards have the same core benefit of earning bonus cash back on rotating categories each quarter. With Chase Freedom Flex, you could earn 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. Bonus categories may include grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and more.
But on top of the elevated cash back in the current bonus category, the Chase Freedom Flex also offers elevated rewards in a few other categories. You’ll earn:
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service)
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
You have another Chase travel card
The Chase Freedom Flex is the best option if you already have a travel credit card in the Chase ecosystem. When you have multiple Chase cards, you can transfer points between them.
Travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® allow you to redeem your points for travel at a greater value. By transferring points from the Chase Freedom Flex to one of those other cards, you get the most bank for your buck. If you already have a Chase travel card, the Freedom Flex is a great choice.
You want the most redemption options
The Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back are considered cash back credit cards because they earn cashback rewards on eligible purchases.
However, the Freedom Flex earns cash back in the form of Ultimate Rewards points that provide a bit more flexibility than your standard cashback rewards.
Here’s a breakdown of the redemption options with each card:
Chase Freedom Flex | Discover it Cash Back |
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Overall, the Freedom Flex has quite a few more redemption options. That includes being able to redeem points for travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal and combining your rewards with other eligible Chase credit cards.
You want extra protections
The Chase Freedom Flex provides useful card protections, including:
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty protection
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
- Cell phone protection
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
If you already have a premium credit card in your wallet, these protections may not be important to you. Your other card(s) likely already offer them. But if the Chase Freedom Flex is your first card or one of your first cards, these protections can provide a lot of value.
The Discover it Cash Back doesn’t provide any of these protections or coverages, though It does provide online privacy protection.
Learn more in our Chase Freedom Flex review.
When to go with the Discover it Cash Back
We wouldn’t recommend the Discover it Cash Back over the Chase Freedom Flex for most people. It simply doesn’t offer the same value. However, there are a few select situations where this one might be your choice:
- You want no foreign transaction fees
- You want Discover’s Cashback MatchTM
- You don’t need Chase’s bonus categories
Let’s dive a bit deeper into these benefits.
You want no foreign transaction fees
The Discover it Cash Back, like all Discover cards, has no foreign transaction fee. If you have some international travel coming up and don’t already have a card in your wallet that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, this could be a good option.
One thing to consider is that while Discover doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, it’s also not as widely accepted around the world as Mastercard, which is the network the Chase Freedom Flex is on.
You want Discover’s Cashback Match
Discover has a unique benefit called its Cashback Match. Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you get to the end of the first year and you’ve earned $150, Discover will give you another $150.
You don’t need Chase’s bonus categories
Let’s say you already have one or more credit cards — ideally outside the Chase ecosystem — in your wallet that earn you elevated rewards in the categories you care about. You’re simply looking to take advantage of the elevated rotating bonus categories from either the Discover it Cash Back or the Chase Freedom Flex.
You should already have the other bonus categories, such as travel and restaurants, covered elsewhere. And since you don’t use other Chase cards, you won’t benefit from the point transfers. In that case, you might decide you prefer the Discover card.
Learn more in our Discover it Cash Back review.
What they have in common
The differences between the Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back are the most important factors when you’re trying to choose between them. However, these cards also have a few important things in common:
- Rotating bonus categories: Both the Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back allow you to earn elevated cash back on a different rotating bonus category each quarter.
- No annual fees: The Chase Freedom Flex has a $0 annual fee, while the Discover it Cash Back also has a $0 annual fee.
- Introductory APR offers: The Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back provide useful intro APR offers, which apply to both purchases and balance transfers.
- Activation required: Both the Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back require you to manually activate the bonus category each quarter. If you think you’re unlikely to remember to do this, it’s possible that neither card is right for you.
- Spending caps: Both the Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back have spending caps.
FAQs
What is the maximum cash back you can get from the Chase Freedom Flex?
There’s no limit to how much cash back you can earn with the Chase Freedom Flex. However, there’s a quarterly spending cap. You earn 5% on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. That means you can earn a maximum of $75 cash back each quarter if you activate the categories and max out your allowed spending.
Are Chase Freedom cards or Discover it cards better?
We recommend Chase Freedom cards because they earn flexible rewards and provide useful card protections. But if you only want to earn cashback rewards, it’s hard to go wrong with many of the Discover it credit cards, especially if you don’t think you'll take advantage of Chase's other card benefits. That’s especially true if you can take advantage of Discover’s unlimited Cashback Match welcome offer. This offer means that Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.
Which Discover card earns the most cash back?
The Discover it Cash Back offers a great cashback earning potential because of its elevated rewards rate. You can earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Bottom line
The Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it Cash Back are similar no-annual-fee cards that use rotating categories as part of their rewards programs. But for the most part, the similarities end there.
The Freedom Flex provides more benefits when it comes to bonus rewards categories, redemption options, and additional card protections. And if you already have other Chase cards, the benefits are even greater.
You don’t necessarily have to choose between these two cards. Neither charges an annual fee, so it doesn’t hurt to have them in your wallet, and you could take advantage of even more bonus cash back spending. Just make sure to compare the bonus categories to make sure there’s not too much overlap, which could defeat the purpose of having both.