5% Discover Card CashBack Bonus in 2010

I have many New Year’s Resolutions but in 2010 it might just be possible I will be going shopping at a department store, buying groceries, driving through a pharmacy to pick-up prescriptions, or improving my home.  These are things that I normally get a 1% or less cash back on but Discover is raising the bar in 2010. 

Starting in January if you sign up for a Discover Card and then sign up for this 5% Cash Back bonus once you log-in to your account you will save big time.  January through March gets you 5% Cash Back on Airlines, Hotels, Car Rentals, and Cruise Lines. In 2009 they limited some of these to $400 but this is up to $800 in spending.  This is better than using your travel reward card because this is a real 5% back and not a typical one mile to three mile given.

You actually get to sign up for two bonuses in March.  March must be a lucky green month for Discover Card holders because you also get the option to shop Grocery Stores and Drug stores for a 5% bonus.  Make sure you check the maximum amount though and make sure these two bonuses in March do not interfere with each other.

April, May, and June shopping includes Home Improvement, Department, and Clothing Stores which get the 5% back bonus.  For example, you could spend $300 inside Guess or Nordstrom’s and get a full 5% back on this purchase. This bonus plays out to the mall shoppers, bargain hunters at Outlet Malls, or even someone going inside a Lowe’s to purchase a ceiling fan.

Discover card goes back to its roots with the July-September bonus because they give you the 5% back on gas (again) but just for these months.  As an added bonus of the bonus you get Gas, Hotels, and Movies covered these months.

October through December in 2010 are the bonuses you need to shop in the Holiday Season.  Restaurants, Department Stores, and Clothing Stores all get the 5% bonus so that you can dine out and shop your heart out.  I would only do it until I hit the maximum 5% bonus spend but Discover Card of course wants you to do it until you get near your spending limit.

Sign up now for the 1st quarter bonus of 5% Cashback on travel purchases.  Do not forget in March that you also have to sign up again for Grocery and Drugstore.

This should be reason enough to own a Discover card.  Use the 5% bonus to your advantage but pay close attention to when you go over the maximum spend for that month on these categories or you will be earning only 1% or lower.