Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card vs. Discover it^® Cash Back [2024]: Travel Rewards vs. Cash Back

We recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card if you want to earn travel rewards and take advantage of travel benefits. But it has a $95 annual fee.

We recommend the Discover it^® Cash Back if you want to earn cash back with a $0 annual fee.

Let’s compare the Chase Sapphire Preferred versus Discover it Cash Back to see which one is the best fit for you.

Key takeaways

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Discover it Cash Back comparison

Our verdict

If you want a rewards credit card that’s focused on helping you travel more, choose the Chase Sapphire Preferred. However, keep in mind that it comes with a $95 annual fee. If you want opportunities to earn a high rate of cashback rewards on everyday expenses, choose the Discover it Cash Back. This card has a $0 annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits and drawbacks

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can take advantage of a generous welcome offer and earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases.

You can also earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Additionally, you receive these travel benefits:

• Travel redemptions
• A 25% bonus to travel redemptions, including flights, hotel stays, and rental cars, made through Chase Travel℠
• Travel insurance
• Up to $50 in statement credits each anniversary year for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel℠
• No foreign transaction fees

Learn more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.

Discover it Cash Back benefits and drawbacks

The Discover it Cash Back has a $0 annual fee and 0% foreign transaction fees. 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—automatically.

Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.

You can also take advantage of these intro APR offers:

• Intro APR on purchases: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 17.24% - 28.24% Variable).
• Intro APR on balance transfers: 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 17.24% - 28.24% Variable).

Learn more in our Discover it Cash Back review.

What both cards excel at

• Welcome offers: Both cards provide welcome offers that new cardholders can take advantage of.
• Earning potential: You can earn rewards on eligible purchases with either card. There are also bonus categories for earning more rewards on specific purchases.
• Foreign transaction fees: You don’t have to worry about paying foreign transaction fees with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Discover it Cash Back.

7 important differences between Chase Sapphire Preferred and Discover it Cash Back

1. Rewards rates

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases.

With the Discover it Cash Back, 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—automatically.

There’s no clear winner because these are different types of earning rates. If you prefer travel rewards, the Sapphire Preferred makes more sense. If you prefer cash back, the Discover it Cash Back makes more sense.

Winner: It’s a tie because the better rewards rate depends on your spending habits and preferences.

2. Redemption options

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has these redemption options:

The Discover it Cash Back has these redemption options:

Overall, the Sapphire Preferred has more redemption options.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred because it offers more flexibility with its higher number of redemption options.

3. Annual fees

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, while the Discover it Cash Back has a $0 annual fee.

If you want to avoid annual cardmember costs, the Discover it Cash Back makes more sense.

Winner: Discover it Cash Back because it has a $0 annual fee.

4. Card protections

The Chase Sapphire Preferred provides these coverages and protections:

One of the only noteworthy card protections that the Discover it Cash Back offers is online privacy protection. This is a service that can help remove your personal information from certain websites.

Overall, the Sapphire Preferred provides more and better protections to cardholders.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred because it provides more card protections.

5. Introductory APR offers

The Chase Sapphire Preferred doesn’t provide intro APR offers to help you avoid paying a high interest rate for a certain amount of time.

The Discover it Cash Back provides these intro APR offers:

• Intro APR on purchases: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 17.24% - 28.24% Variable).
• Intro APR on balance transfers: 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 17.24% - 28.24% Variable).

In general, many Discover credit cards provide intro APR offers. Travel cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, don’t typically have intro APR offers.

Winner: Discover it Cash Back because it has excellent intro APR offers.

6. Card benefits

You can take advantage of these benefits with the Chase Sapphire Preferred:

• Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel℠.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. That means 60,000 points are worth $750 toward if you book travel through the Chase travel portal.
• Each account anniversary, earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases from the previous year. For example, spending $25,000 nets you 2,500 points.

The Discover it Cash Back doesn’t provide much in the form of additional unique benefits. That’s common on cards without annual fees.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred because it has more perks and benefits.

7. Card network

The Chase Sapphire Preferred uses the Visa credit card network, while the Discover it Cash Back uses the Discover network.

For overall card acceptance, Visa and Mastercard are better than Discover. For example, Visa is accepted in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, while Discover doesn’t provide that same kind of reach. But if you don’t plan to travel abroad, either network should work just fine.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred because Visa is the superior network in terms of worldwide acceptance.

Which credit card should you choose?

When you should choose Chase Sapphire Preferred

• You already have a relationship with Chase Bank.
• You want to earn travel rewards.
• You want to take advantage of travel perks and benefits.
• You want to combine points with other eligible Chase credit cards.
• You want more international card acceptance.

When you should choose Discover it Cash Back

• You already have a relationship with Discover.
• You want to earn a high rate of cash back on quarterly rotating categories.
• You want a $0 annual fee.

What factors to consider before choosing

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a travel credit card that provides travel rewards and benefits. That doesn’t mean you have to be a frequent traveler to get value from this card, but the Sapphire Preferred makes a lot of sense for people who want to travel more.

The Discover it Cash Back is a cash back credit card that provides cashback rewards on eligible purchases. It has a $0 annual fee, making it an easy card to hang onto year after year. This card doesn’t earn travel rewards, so it makes sense if you want a simple card for earning cash back on everyday purchases.

FAQ

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Discover it Cash Back: bottom line

We recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred if you want to earn points that you can redeem for travel. If you would rather earn cash back with a $0-annual-fee card, consider the Discover it Cash Back.

Compare credit cards to find the right credit card offer for you.

Easy-to-Earn Unlimited Rewards

Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card

Benefits

Card Details

• Earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases
• Earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases
• Longer intro APR on qualifying purchases and balance transfers
• No foreign transaction fees
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• Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.
• 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
• Use your card to book your trip how and where you want - you're not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions.
• Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout.
• 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.24% - 28.24% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%.
• If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase. That means instead of earning an unlimited 1.5 points for every $1, you could earn 1.87-2.62 points for every $1 you spend on purchases.
• Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
• This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

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FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

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Intro Offer

Earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases

Annual Fee

$0

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Why we like it

• The Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card is great for individuals who enjoy earning rewards and traveling.

• Cardholders will enjoy the flexibility to redeem points with no blackout dates and receive a statement credit to pay for travel and dining purchases.

• Earn 1.5X points on all purchases everywhere, every time.

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