Which card earns more rewards, the Apple Card or Discover it Cash Back?

Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.

What benefits does the Apple Card have that the Discover it Cash Back doesn't?

The Apple Card offers travel credits. The Discover it Cash Back focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.

Should I get the Apple Card or the Discover it Cash Back?

Both cards have the same $0/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.

Apple Card vs Discover it Cash Back

Both cards cost $0/yr. The Apple Card leads on everyday spending; the Discover it Cash Back on rotating quarterly.

Card data as of October 12, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Apple Card Goldman Sachs · No annual fee	Discover it Cash Back Discover · No annual fee
Annual fee	$0	$0
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	—	—
Rewards	Cash back	Cash back
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	Mastercard	Discover
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Rotating Quarterly	1%	5% Highest
Everything else	1%	1%
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	Extra 2% Booking.com Travel Credits · $2 per transaction	—
Rideshare & transit	$60 Uber One trial · $60 one-time	—
Perks & access— means none on record
Car rental	5%+ off Hertz rentals + perks	—
Other perks	Share card with family and teens Interest-free payments on Apple gear Color-coded spending insights	Talk to a real person anytime, 24/7 Save 3% on international purchases with no foreign fees
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Purchase & returns	Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions No fees on international purchases Biometric security on every purchase	—
Other protections	No late fees or penalty APR 24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide	Freeze your account instantly from your phone FICO score monitoring First late payment fee is waived automatically Free daily monitoring for your credit and Social Security nu Start using your card instantly after approval Zero liability for any unauthorized charges
Pros & cons
Pros	No annual fee, no late fees, and no penalty APR Daily Cash deposited immediately rather than monthly 3% back at Apple and select merchants (Uber, Walgreens, Nike, etc.) 2% back on all Apple Pay purchases No foreign transaction fees	Cashback Match doubles ALL rewards earned in first year - unlimited 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1,500 spend/quarter) No annual fee ever No foreign transaction fees (rare for no-AF cards) 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Cons	Only 1% back when using physical card (non-Apple Pay) Requires iPhone to apply and manage the card No sign-up bonus No travel-related benefits or protections Limited 3% merchant list compared to category cards	Discover network has lower acceptance than Visa/Mastercard, especially internationally Must activate 5% categories each quarter or earn only 1% $1,500 quarterly cap on 5% categories limits high spenders After year one, effective earn rate drops significantly Base rate of 1% on non-bonus spending is below flat-rate alternatives
	Card details	Card details

Apple Card
Goldman Sachs · No annual fee
Discover it Cash Back
Discover · No annual fee

Overview

Annual fee: Apple Card
$0
Discover it Cash Back
$0
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Apple Card
—
Discover it Cash Back
—
Rewards: Apple Card
Cash back
Discover it Cash Back
Cash back
Foreign transaction fee: Apple Card
None
Discover it Cash Back
None
Network: Apple Card
Mastercard
Discover it Cash Back
Discover

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Rotating Quarterly: Apple Card
1%
Discover it Cash Back
5%
Highest
Everything else: Apple Card
1%
Discover it Cash Back
1%

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Travel: Apple Card
Extra 2% Booking.com Travel Credits · $2 per transaction
Discover it Cash Back
—
Rideshare & transit: Apple Card
$60 Uber One trial · $60 one-time
Discover it Cash Back
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Car rental: Apple Card
5%+ off Hertz rentals + perks
Discover it Cash Back
—
Other perks: Apple Card
Share card with family and teens
Interest-free payments on Apple gear
Color-coded spending insights
Discover it Cash Back
Talk to a real person anytime, 24/7
Save 3% on international purchases with no foreign fees

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Purchase & returns: Apple Card
Zero Liability on unauthorized transactions
No fees on international purchases
Biometric security on every purchase
Discover it Cash Back
—
Other protections: Apple Card
No late fees or penalty APR
24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
Discover it Cash Back
Freeze your account instantly from your phone
FICO score monitoring
First late payment fee is waived automatically
Free daily monitoring for your credit and Social Security nu
Start using your card instantly after approval
Zero liability for any unauthorized charges

Pros & cons

Pros: Apple Card
No annual fee, no late fees, and no penalty APR
Daily Cash deposited immediately rather than monthly
3% back at Apple and select merchants (Uber, Walgreens, Nike, etc.)
2% back on all Apple Pay purchases
No foreign transaction fees
Discover it Cash Back
Cashback Match doubles ALL rewards earned in first year - unlimited
5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories (up to $1,500 spend/quarter)
No annual fee ever
No foreign transaction fees (rare for no-AF cards)
0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
Cons: Apple Card
Only 1% back when using physical card (non-Apple Pay)
Requires iPhone to apply and manage the card
No sign-up bonus
No travel-related benefits or protections
Limited 3% merchant list compared to category cards
Discover it Cash Back
Discover network has lower acceptance than Visa/Mastercard, especially internationally
Must activate 5% categories each quarter or earn only 1%
$1,500 quarterly cap on 5% categories limits high spenders
After year one, effective earn rate drops significantly
Base rate of 1% on non-bonus spending is below flat-rate alternatives

Card details

Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

No unconditional category winner — 1 category depend on how you earn.

Rotating Quarterly

Depends: up to $1,500/quarter; Must activate each quarter

Discover it Cash Back earns 5X when conditions are met; Apple Card earns 1X (1X without restrictions)

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

Both scenarios favor the Apple Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Scenario	Apple Card	Discover it Cash Back	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $120 Credits (our usable estimate): $35 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $155 Year one: $185	Rewards: $120 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $120 Year one: $120	Apple Card	Apple Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $35 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $515 Year one: $545	Rewards: $480 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $480 Year one: $480	Apple Card	Apple Card

The Bottom Line

Both scenarios favor the Apple Card on net value (rewards, usable credits, fees, and welcome offer).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which card earns more rewards, the Apple Card or Discover it Cash Back?: Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
What benefits does the Apple Card have that the Discover it Cash Back doesn't?: The Apple Card offers travel credits. The Discover it Cash Back focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
Should I get the Apple Card or the Discover it Cash Back?: Both cards have the same $0/yr fee. Choose based on which bonus categories match your spending — check the earn rate comparison above.

Related Comparisons

Prime Visa vs Apple Card Prime Visa vs Discover it Cash Back Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express vs Apple Card Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express vs Discover it Cash Back

Explore More

Apple Card — Full Review All Goldman Sachs Cards

Discover it Cash Back — Full Review All Discover Cards

Browse all comparisons →Browse all card categories →

Official issuer pages: Goldman Sachs cards · Discover cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.