NEWS And bad news at that.... it appears that the Restaurant and Home Improvement cards are no longer offered. Therefore I would assume that it is no longer to switch into them either. If you have one of those cards, you may consider just staying in the program because once you switch out, you'll probably never be able to switch back. (THANK YOU RECKONER!)

Please bump this posting if you like it. Thanks!

You probably already know that Discover offers several rewards programs which earn up to 5% Cash Back. In addition to the standard purchase rewards, you can earn 5% in any one of the following categories
a. Gas Stations
b. Restaurants
c. Home Improvement Stores
d. "Get More" purchases (the rotating promotions on the basic platinum card).....

But did you know that any Discover cardholder (except Miles & Student cardholders) can change from one rewards program to another? All with only one credit card account, one call, and no credit check. It is simply a change in Discover's computer system.

Some reasons you may consider changing are if you
1) Have maxed out your 5% rewards for the year in your current program*
2) Change spending habits (ie start spending more in restaurants than on gas)
3) Have another card whose rewards overlap with Discover's

**********************Here's what to do******************************
Step 1: Choose the area where you will spend the most amount of money for the time being from the a,b,c,d list above.

Step 2: Once you have decided on your program, you just have to call 1-800-DISCOVER to tell them which rewards program you want to be in. The change in programs goes into effect at the close of your billing cycle for the month (listed on your bill), so you just have to make sure you plan a bit since the change doesn't happen immediately or by calendar month.

Step 3: Spend! You can switch as much as once a month and go back and forth between programs too. Your Cash Back Bonus reward will just keep on building until you decide to redeem.
****************************************************

*The maximum you can spend on your card earning the full 5% on selected purchases varies by card and Discover is in the midst of changing the program caps. Check the fine print of your own card or the one you are interested in to find out more. It is generally between $1,000-$2,500, however be careful because under some of the program rules, all purchases (even those earning you only .25%) will bring you closer to your cap. In that case, you may consider using your Discover card only in the areas which you earn a full 5%.

You start with a new cap each time you switch into a new program. If you switch out of one progam before you've spent up to the cap and go back later in the year you just pick up where you left off.

Discover may try to get you to just sign up for an additional account when you call to change. If you don't want to take the credit hit by getting a new card you don't have to. All of this can be done with one account. Some new CSR's might tell you that it is not possible to change, but just be persistent as it is. Enjoy!

when I've switched from Gas to Resaurants, I received a new card with the same #. Was told that I may not get 5% on restaurants until I get a new card. Waited about 10 days to receive it.

The only useful discover card is the one that gives 5% for restaurants.
Citi gives 5% Cash Back on gas(and it's accepted everywhere, while discover is not accepted at some gas stations) and use can get 20% off Home Depot & Lowes giftcards through dealpass.
If you really need to have 5% on home improvement, it's easer to just get 2 discover cards one for Restaurants and one for Home Improvement.

Yes, the Citi and Chase 5% cards are nice since there is more flexibility. Discover though, has its advantages too though.... especially if you already have Discover, and especially if you use Discover to supplement Citi or Chase....

1) Discover rewards can be doubled so you can feasibly earn 10% back..... albeit not everyone will shop at those stores, but at the very least you can get 6.25% back on your money with gift cards from Gap, Borders, Bed Bath and Beyond etc. That is better than Citi and Chase.

2) I'd still use Discover for Gas even if I have the Citi or Chase card. All of the cards have relatively low limits on rewards. If you use the Citi or Chase card solely most of us will max out the rewards program before the year ends. If you use Discover gas for part of the year, you won't max out so quick.

3) Citi and Chase are only for Gas, Grocery, & Drugs. So you don't earn 5% at restaurants, get more, or home improvement.

Moral of the story, it is smart to keep using Discover if you already have it. Then, decide if you are willing to take the credit hit to apply for Chase or Citi, (or Discover if you don't have it already)

Oh, and you will get new cards when you switch Discover programs... somewhat of a glitch in the system I guess. They are trying to change that though. I use the same card all of the time though and never activate the new ones, and I still get 5% where I request. The changes just happen at the end of the billing cycle.

lsufanatic said:I'm a bit confused on this one. If you max out your 5% rewards under one program and then switch to another program, do your tiers reset? I have a gas card that I have blown through the 5% tier on, and would switch it to the restaurant card if I would start anew in the 5% tier.I believe it resets on your anniversary and when you switch, you will acquire everything (anniversary date, tier usage, Cash Back rewards, account no.) from the old card. Like someone said, you can even use the old card and never activate the new one ever (however I don't understand why anyone would prefer to do this).

The Gas card is pretty useless for me, since Discover will not make any effort to straighten incorrect gas card coding when a gas station incorrectly codes a pump purchase "supermarket". They say to take it up with the gas station to have it coded properly. They also say they will give a ONE time courtesy cash adjustment on your statement (not even CashBack where it can be doubled). So a solution for me was to switch to AT&T (5% gas and supermarket) for gas purchases, now every gas station earns the bonus whether it is coded gas or supermarket.

EDIT: Seems OP has a different take on cap. I thought we're working off one cap per anniversary period no matter how many cards you've been through (CSR told me that back in July). But instead OP is saying each specialty card will have its own cap, just when you switch back to an old card within the same anniversary period you are put back. Is this correct? I waited for nothing....argh

FFGuru said:Can you provide a link for dealpass?

Oh, and you will get new cards when you switch Discover programs... somewhat of a glitch in the system I guess. They are trying to change that though. I use the same card all of the time though and never activate the new ones, and I still get 5% where I request. The changes just happen at the end of the billing cycle.

that's good to know, CSR who converted the card told me to wait for the new cards.

For dealpass serch for "giftcards for 80% face value" or something like that.

Procter said:AFAIK, you can only do this 4 times a year.

You can only switch programs 4x's a year? They didn't tell me that. Where did you hear that? Still a pretty good deal though.

I just switched to the Get More promo. Too bad I found a better price on my computer at the mac store rather than online. Bummer. Thanks for the information Procter

I looked at the Discover site and I can't find any place that states what the Get More categories are on the standard platinum card. Anyone know?

I called today to switch from the gas rebate program to the restaurant rebate program. No problem with switching (and I believe I was told that the restaurant rebate would start over again) however the CSR said that I could never go back to the gas rebate. I'm guessing that she is wrong since many of you have switched back and forth.

I just completed conversion of my Gas Rebate card to Restaurant Rebate. It was quick and easy over the phone. Seems like the only other card that gives restaurant rebate is the citiMTVu card for students. And since I already have 6 credit cards as a student, I'm waiting a little while to apply for that one.

I called to switch and I didn't even have to make my way through the phone tree! Someone picked up right away.

Yes, the rep told me that I am welcome to change programs as much as I want. Most of the time I'll be in the gas program, but when I order new kitchen cabinets at Home Depot in a few months, I'll have to make sure that I change programs to home improvement.

Thanks FFGuru. Good Post!