Pros Explained 

• Cash-back bonus on debit card purchases. Cash back on credit cards is pretty standard, but Discover rather uniquely offers a 1% cash-back bonus on anything you buy with your debit card, up to $3,000 in purchases a month. You could potentially earn up to $360 annually. 
• No fees. Discover Bank's checking account boasts no fees—no monthly minimum fees or fees for insufficient funds. Plus, you won’t get dinged with a charge for returned items, or should you close your account.
• Large ATM network. The Discover debit card is accepted at 415,000 ATMs in the U.S overall. Account-holders can make withdrawals at no charge at some 60,000 ATMs belonging to the Allpoint and MoneyPass networks. Using a machine outside these networks might incur a surcharge imposed by the third-party ATM owner. Discover itself, however, never charges a fee for ATM use.

Cons Explained 

• One brick-and-mortar location. True to its name, Discover Online Banking has but one actual branch, in Greenwood, Delaware. So if you like face-to-face contact, this isn't the institution for you.
• High minimum CD deposits. While Discover Bank's interest rates for its certificate of deposit stack up nicely against the competition's, you'll need at least $2,500 to get started. Other online banks allow you to open a CD with as little as $500 or $1,000.

What Is Discover Online Banking Best For? 

 should be a good fit for those seeking a digital bank that offers a suite of different services. It might be a particularly good fit for those who:

• Prefer paperless, digital transactions
• Hate paying fees
• Typically use their debit card for day-to-day transactions 
• Prefer to bank with an established "name" financial institution 

What Does Discover Online Banking Offer? 

As you might expect from the banking division of a major financial services company, Discover Bank offers an array of products and services:

• Checking account
• Savings account
• Money market account  
• Certificates of Deposit
• IRAs

Discover Checking Account

A major feature of the Discover Checking Account is its cash-back debit card. The 1% cash-back reward strictly applies to purchases, though. ATM transactions, money orders, loan payments made with your debit card, and payments using peer-to-peer platforms aren’t eligible for cash-back rewards.  Besides cash-back on your cards, there are no monthly maintenance fees, insufficient funds, or a fee for returned items or stop payment orders. There’s no minimum to open an account, and there’s no monthly minimum balance to keep the account open.  Other perks include free checks.

Discover Savings Account

Like the checking account, Discover Savings Account doesn't require any minimum to open or maintain the account. As of March 2024, the annual percentage yield (APY) is 4.25%, which is higher than the average national savings rate of 0.46%.

Discover Bank’s no-fees features apply here too: The account is free of no monthly maintenance or insufficient funds charges.

Discover Money Market Account

While there’s no ongoing minimum required to maintain a Discover Money Market account, you’ll need at least $2,500 minimum to open it. There are two interest rates: If your balance is less than $100,000, you’ll earn an APY of 4.00%. If it’s more than $100,000, you’ll get a slight bump of 4.05%.

Once opened, the account generates no monthly maintenance fees, no fees for insufficient funds, or if you make more than six withdrawals or transfers in a given month.

Discover Certificate of Deposit (CD)

Discover’s high-yield certificates of deposit (CD) give you the option of tucking away a sum of money for a set amount of time. CDs usually earn a higher interest rate than a standard savings or checking account. And the longer your term, the more you can earn. The minimum amount for an opening deposit is $2,500. Discover’s high-yield CDs range from three months to 10 years, and the interest rates are as follows:

Discover Bank CD Rates
Term	APY
3 Months	2.00%
6 Months	4.25%
9 Months	4.25%
12 Months	4.70%
18 Months	4.40%
24 Months	4.00%
30 Months	3.75%
36 Months	3.75%
48 Months	3.75%
60 Months	3.75%
7 Years	3.75%
10 Years	3.75%

Should you need to take your money out early, you’ll get hit with an early withdrawal penalty. How much you’ll get dinged depends on the term of the CD: 

Discover Bank CD Early Withdrawal Penalties
Term	Early Withdrawal Fee
Less than 1 year	3 months simple interest
1 year to less than 4 years	6 months simple interest
4 years to less than 5 years	9 months simple interest
5 years to less than 7 years	18 months simple interest
7 years to less than 10 years	24 months simple interest

Your CD needs to be open for at least eight days before you can pull money.

Discover IRAs

Discover offers both an Individual Retirement Account CD and an IRA Savings Account. The IRA CD requires a $2,500 minimum and offers APYs comparable to those of the regular CDs. The IRA Savings has no minimum and currently offers a 4.25% APY. The retirement accounts can be either traditional or Roth IRAs.

Discover Credit Cards

Cash-Back Cards

• Discover it Cash Back
• Discover it Chrome
• Discover it Chrome for Students
• NHL Discover it 

General Travel Rewards Cards

• Discover it Miles

Secured Credit Cards 

• Discover it Secured Credit Card

Other Financial Services Offered by Discover

• Home equity loans 
• Refinanced mortgages 
• Personal loans
• Student loans 
• Debt consolidation 

Discover Bank Customer Service 

Discover Online Banking offers 24/7 customer phone support, 365 days a year at 1-800-347-2683 —with reps based entirely in the U.S., as the company likes to emphasize. You can also reach out to customer support by chat. And like most banks, you can deposit a check and access your banking information and financial transactions through its mobile app. 

According to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, among credit card issuers, Discover has the second highest ranking with a score of 841. And per the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Banking Mobile App Satisfaction Study, Discover also ranked in first place in online credit card satisfaction. 

How to Bank With Discover Online Banking 

Opening an Online Bank account is a simple and straightforward process. Whether you’re an existing Discover customer (a card-holder, loan borrower) or are a new one, you can open an account online in minutes. 

Final Verdict

Discover Online Banking is an excellent option for those who feel comfortable with a completely digital financial platform. The generous cash-back bonus on its debit card, lack of fees, and around-the-clock service make it a standout in many ways. The interest rates offered on its accounts are competitive. However, Discover Online Banking's options are limited to the bare bones of banks: checking, savings, certificates of deposits, and money market accounts. Beyond that, there are a few IRA account options available. If you're looking for a financial institution that offers a full suite of products and services (i.e., credit cards, mortgages, personal loans, and wealth management), you might be better off looking elsewhere. While other Discover divisions do offer some of these options, it's not clear if there's much interaction among them—and if using one product benefits you with getting another. Likewise, if you like to do your banking in person, Discover Online Banking probably isn't for you. The company's customer reps are friendly and knowledgeable, but it's not the same as developing a relationship with the personnel at a physical branch.

Methodology

Investopedia is dedicated to providing consumers with unbiased, comprehensive reviews of banks. We collected more than 20 data points across more than 80 banks including products available, interest rates, fees, and accessibility to ensure that our content helps users make the right decision for their savings and banking needs.