Discover’s 5% Bonus Categories for Q1 2025: Restaurants, Home Improvement, Streaming

As you plan for the season to come, Discover’s bonus categories for the first quarter of 2025 can help you start off the new year with savings. From Jan. 1 through March 31, 2025, if you have a qualifying card like the Discover it® Cash Back or the Discover it® Student Cash Back, you can earn 5% cash back at restaurants, home improvement stores and select streaming services on up to $1,500 in combined quarterly spending.

Note that you must activate bonus categories to start earning 5% back and that all other purchases will earn 1% back. If you have an eligible card, you can activate this quarter’s bonus categories through your Discover account online, the Discover app or by calling the number on the back of your card. You’ll start earning bonus rewards from the date you activate them.

Restaurants and home improvement stores were bonus categories in 2024 — in the first and second quarters, respectively. But streaming hasn’t been offered as a bonus category since the first quarter of 2023. Here’s what Discover previously offered in 2024:

Here’s what’s included in each bonus category and how to make the most of them in the first quarter of 2025. Remember to track how much you’re spending in each category so that you know when you’ve hit the $1,500 combined category limit.

Restaurant purchases are those made at full-service restaurants, cafes and fast-food locations, including eligible takeout or delivery services. This means that staying in and dining out can both get you bonus rewards.

To help you earn rewards easier, add your eligible Discover card to your digital wallet and as your default payment method on your favorite food-delivery service account.

Consider tackling any planned home projects at the beginning of the year to take advantage of this bonus category. Home improvement purchases include those made both online and in-store at lumber, paint and hardware stores in addition to lawn, nursery and garden supply stores.

Keep in mind that purchases made through contractors or any other third parties may not qualify and that those made at furniture, applicant or floor covering stores won’t count for this category.

This category includes a wide and varying breadth of streaming services:

To make the most out of this bonus category, you can use your qualifying Discover card to make automatic payments for recurring streaming subscriptions. Don’t forget to pay off your card balance in full every month, if you can, to avoid interest charges.

Streaming add-ons not listed and products or services billed by third parties won’t qualify for this bonus category.