Discover It Fourth Quarter 5% Cash Back Categories 2026 – Restaurants, Entertainment and Utilities

For those with a Discover It® Credit Card, the new 5% cash back bonus categories have just been announced for the Fourth quarter of 2026.

Activation starts September 1st and you can still activate it before the year ends. Discover It Card owners should also take note of the available cash back opportunities during the 2026 Fourth quarter. Make sure to register your card, so you can save some money while purchasing groceries and your essentials!

Editor’s Note: Discover It card offers $100 bonus after making a purchase within three months of account opening.

Discover 5% Cashback 2026 Q4 Categories

Earn 5% Cash Back on the following categories: Restaurants, Entertainment and Utilities,

Terms: Activate to earn 5% Cashback Bonus at Restaurants, Entertainment and Utilities from 10/1/26 (or the date on which you activate 5%, whichever is later) through 12/31/26, on up to $1,500 in purchases.

• Restaurant purchases include those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, and caterers. Restaurants located inside of or affiliated with another business, such as hotels or retail stores, and establishments classified as a bakery may not qualify.
• Entertainment purchases include ticket purchases at movie theaters, sports promoters (professional and semi-professional live events), theatrical promoters, concert promoters, amusement parks, tourist attractions, aquariums, zoos, dance halls, record stores, video rental locations, pool halls and bowling alleys. Tickets for or fees at golf courses, country clubs, some collegiate sporting events, charitable events, as well as cable and digital streaming and subscription services, amusement park tickets purchased on third-party sites, and entertainment and resort packages categorized as “travel” or “hotel” do not qualify.
• Utilities purchases include purchases for residential electricity, natural gas, and water service. Utilities purchases also include purchases made over the phone or online for internet, cable, satellite TV, and mobile and landline phone service. Purchases at physical retail stores for internet, cable, satellite, and mobile and landline phone service do not qualify. Purchases made through third parties, such as through a landlord, property management company, or homeowners association, may not qualify. Purchases for home fuel delivery, standalone streaming services, some satellite phone and internet service, vehicle connectivity, accessories, or equipment may not qualify.

(Learn more at Discover)

Discover 5% Cashback Categories

Below are the cash back categories for 2026:

• January-March 2026: Grocery Stores, Wholesale Clubs, and Select Streaming Services
• April-June 2026: Restaurants and Home Improvement Stores
• July-September 2026: Gas Stations, Transportation and Drug Stores
• October-December 2026: Restaurants, Entertainment and Utilities

Below are the cash back categories for 2025:

• January-March 2025: Restaurants, Home Improvement Stores, and Select Streaming Services
• April-June 2025: Grocery Stores and Wholesale Clubs
• July-September 2025: Gas Stations & EV Charging, Public Transit, and Utilities
• October-December 2025: Amazon & Drugstores

Below are the cash back categories for 2024:

• January-March 2024: Restaurants and Drugstores (Ends 3/31/2024)
• April-June 2024: Gas Stations, EV, Home Improvement Stores, and Public Transit (Activation begins 2/1/2024)
• July-September 2024: Walmart and Grocery Stores (Activation begins 5/1/2024)
• October-December 2024: Amazon.com and Target.com (Activation begins 8/1/2024)

Below are the cash back categories for 2023:

• January-March 2023: Grocery Stores, Drug Stores and Select Streaming Services
• April-June 2023: Restaurants and Wholesale Clubs
• July-September 2023: Gas Stations and Digital Wallets
• October-December 2023: Amazon.com and Target

Below are the cash back categories for 2022:

• January-March 2022: Grocery Stores & Fitness Clubs & Gym Memberships (Ends 3/31/2022)
• April-June 2022: Gas Stations and Target (Activation begins 2/1/2022)
• July-September 2022: Restaurants and PayPal (Activation begins 5/1/2022)
• October-December 2022: Amazon.com & Digital Wallets (Activation begins 8/1/2022)

Below are the cash back categories for 2021:

• January-March 2021: Grocery Stores, Walgreens and CVS (Ends 3/31/2021)
• April-June 2021: Gas Stations, Wholesale Clubs and Select Streaming Services (Activation begins 2/1/2021)
• July-September 2021: Restaurants and PayPal (Activation begins 5/1/2021)
• October-December 2021: Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com (Activation begins 8/1/2021)

Below are 2020’s cash back categories:

• January-March 2020: Grocery Stores, Walgreens and CVS (Ends 3/31/2020)
• April-June 2020: Gas Stations, Uber, Lyft and Wholesale Clubs (Activation begins 2/1/2020)
• July-September 2020: Restaurants and Paypal (Activation begins 5/1/2020)
• October-December 2020: Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com AND Best Buy (11/25/2020 through 12/31/2020)(Activation begins 8/1/2020)

Bottom Line

If you don’t have the Discover It®, you might be excited to hear that it has a 0% APR for 14 months on balance transfers, no annual fee, no fee for your first late payment, no over limit fee, no fee for payments by phone, and no foreign transaction fees.

In addition to these already great features, all eligible purchases made with your Discover card are protected for up to $500 during the first 90 days if they’re stolen or accidentally damaged. Learn more about this magnificent card in our Discover It Review.

• Discover It First Quarter 5% Cash Back Categories
• Discover It Second Quarter 5% Cash Back Categories
• Discover It Third Quarter 5% Cash Back Categories

Other 5% Cash Back Card to Consider

The Chase Freedom FlexSM offers a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR. You'll earn: • Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! • 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel?, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more • 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service • Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases You cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back. This card has no annual fee. Click here to learn how to apply