Discover it Student Cash Back vs USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Card

Side-by-side comparison of Discover it Student Cash Back and USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Card. Compare rewards, fees, APR, benefits, and transfer partners.

Snapshot

	Discover it Student Cash Back	USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express Card
Issuer	Discover	USAA
Network	Discover	American Express
Card Material	Plastic	Plastic
Annual Fee	$0.00	$0.00
Base Rate	1.00%	1.00%
Travel Rewards	0.00x	0.00x
Auth. User Fee	$0.00	$0.00
Foreign Txn Fee	0%	0%
Lifecycle	Available	Available

Welcome Offer

Bonus	None	None
Spend Requirement	—	—
Timeline	—	—

Rewards Breakdown

Base Rate	1.0% (base)	1.0% (base)
Rotating Categories (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)	5.0%	1.0% (base)
Gas Stations	1.0% (base)	5.0%
military base purchases	1.0% (base)	5.0%
Supermarket purchases (up to $3,000/year)	1.0% (base)	2.0%
Anniversary Bonus	None	None
Portal Boost	1x	1x

Benefits & Partners

Transfer Partners	None	None
Annual Credits	None	None

Transfer Partners

Pricing Details

Purchase APR	18.24% - 27.24%	17.15% - 31.15%
Cash Advance APR	29.99%	31.15%
Penalty APR	N/A	32.4%
Late Fee	$41	$35
Balance Transfer Fee	undefined% (min $0)	undefined% (min $0)

Insurance & Protections

Auto Rental	—	Secondary
Baggage Delay	—	Up to $100 per day for 3 days
Baggage Loss	—	—
Cell Phone Protection	—	—
Extended Warranty	—	Doubles original warranty up to 1 additional year
Purchase Protection	—	—
Return Protection	—	—
Trip Cancellation Interruption	—	Up to $1,500 per covered person
Trip Delay	—	—
Tsa Precheck Global Entry	—	—

Usability & Experience

Digital Wallet	N/A	N/A
Instant Card Number	—	—
Credit Bureaus	N/A	N/A

Strategy & Eligibility

Recommended Credit	N/A	N/A
Application Rules	Standard	Standard