Discover or Discover Gas?

[Michael]

I am just curious about which card users find to be the better card: Discover Gas, with 5% on gas and car maintainance, up to $1200; or Discover Platinum, with the 5% quarterly "get more" promotions?

[jannette]

Michael

I really think it depends on what you spend on and what you want to use the card for?

[eugenio]

I have the Discover Platinum. This quarter, you get 5% cash back for travel expenses. The discover gas card is different. You get 5% cash rebates for gas. Depends on what you are looking for....

[greg smith]

depends what you want the card for. I use blue cash with discover gas. Guess you could do the same or use discover platinum with discover gas?

[Michael]

What's so great about Discover Gas anyhow?

The 5% only lasts for $1200, and what do you do with the card after that?

I don't use 'partners'. I only want the cash.

[greg smith]

I do not think Discover is a great card, but for me, it is a good supplementary card to the Blue Cash.

You have to remember the history and context of the whole 5% EDP cash back game. Citi Dividend and Chase Cash Plus used to pay 5% on EDP - no tiers. But since they cut their rebate to 2% and 3% respectively, this leaves the blue cash as the only card (at least the only card I know now) that pays 5% rebate on EDP. But it has a tiered formula so you only earn 5% after spending $6,500.

The problem becomes how to earn 5% rebates when you have not hit the $6500 limit? You have a few alternatives

1. just use the blue cash - live with the tier formula

2. charge "other purchases" to the blue cash, while you use another card to earn more than 1% rebates on EDP. You can choose the citi dividend, any gas card or the discover gas card (5% on gas for $1200).

So I see the Discover Gas as a secondary card. It is not great, but we do not have the "old" citi dividend anymore..