What earns 5%
Restaurants, entertainment (such as movies, concerts and live sports) and utilities. Reporting says this is the first time entertainment has been a Discover category.
Some purchases inside these categories may not qualify, for example some internet and phone services, so check Discover's terms.
Activate before you spend
Activation opens before the quarter starts (reported as early as September 1) and is not retroactive. A purchase made before you activate does not earn the 5%.
You can activate in the Discover app or on the website.
The cap
5% applies to up to $1,500 in combined purchases across the quarter's categories. All other purchases, and spending past the cap, earn 1%.
About these categories
Discover's own rewards calendar could not be read when we checked, so these categories come from several independent reports that agree. Confirm them in your Discover app.
How Rune helps
Rune shows what the card earns now and after you activate, and reminds you to activate at the start of the quarter and halfway through. It marks this card's categories as from third-party reports. Your cards stay on your phone.
See which card to use for restaurants and utilities
Based on public reporting as of 2026-10. Categories, caps and activation rules change; confirm with Discover.