Discover is a great credit card company that offers excellent customer service and rewards, but it has a reputation for not being widely accepted. As a result, some consumers have shied away from getting Discover credit cards. In the past, this may have been true. But Discover’s merchant acceptance has spread dramatically over the past couple years, and the idea that they are not widely accepted is simply no longer true.
Where is Discover accepted?
Data from Discover’s second quarter report in 2010 reported that Discover was accepted at over 90% of stores and merchants that also accepted Visa and MasterCard in the United States. And now that it’s 2014, that number is much higher with acceptances reaching 9 million merchants nationwide. According to Discover’s current website, Discover has the highest acceptance among the top 100 US retailers, and over 5000 new merchants start accepting Discover each day. In addition, Discover is accepted in over 185 countries and territories throughout the world and has partnerships with China Union Pay, JCB, and Diner’s Club International. Discover has over 900,000 Pulse ATMs worldwide, and is currently the most widely accepted card in China, even more so than Visa and MasterCard. Discover credit cards also have no foreign transaction fees, making it a great card to use overseas.
Why Should I get Discover?
Apart from the lack of foreign transaction fees, Discover leads the way in no annual fees, overlimit fees, or late fees on the first late payment. They offer a 0% intro APR for 14 months on purchases and balance transfers, and they are one of the only credit card companies to offer a free FICO score on each monthly statement. Plus, they have a generous cash back program where cardholders can get 5% cash back in categories that change each quarter and 1% cash back on all other purchases. In addition, Discover offers great customer service available at any time.
What are some top Discover Credit Cards?
So before you pass up a Discover card, know the truth. With over 50,000,000 cardmembers, 9 million merchants nationwide, and even more throughout the world, Discover is pretty close to being accepted anywhere.
