Discover Open Road Credit Card Review

The Discover Open Road Card, as the name suggests, is for those credit cardholders who want to get cash back on gas and auto expenses.  Cardholders receive back a full 5% on gas and car maintenance purchases, as well as 1% cash back on other purchases, plus an additional .25% on purchases made at warehouses and discount stores.

Spending Rebates:  The rebate system changes depending on how much is spent on the card.  For the first $1500, cardholders will receive a .25% rebate.  Between $1500 and $3000, the rebate goes up to .5%, and all purchases after $3000 receive the full 1% rebate.  Alternately, the gas rebate plan is much more generous to start: for the first $1200, cardholders immediately receive the full 5% rebate.  Between $1200 and $1500, cardholders receive .25% and after $3000, the rebate stays at .5%.  There is no yearly limit on rebates and rebates do not expire.  Cardholders can also trade in rebates for a double Cashback Bonus® to be used at Discover partner merchants.

The Open Road APR: For a rebate card, the Discover Open Road card has a competitive APR, with a 0% introductory offer for both purchases and balance transfers.  The Open Road card is most recommended to applicants with good credit or better who are most likely to secure the card’s lower rate.  The card does use the two-cycle balance to calculate finance charges, which is more expensive than calculating based on average daily balance.

Downside to the Open Road: There’s one caveat to the 5% rebate for the first $1200.  It has a monthly minimum.  While there is no yearly limit on rebates, there is a monthly cap for gas purchases.  The card only offers 5% cash back on $100 in gas purchases a month.  For a real gas-guzzler, that could mean a tank and a half a month, or even less, so if you drive a lot that cap could be a problem.  What that means is the feasibility of the Discover Open Road depends on the type of car you drive and how much you use the card.  If you’re able to keep spending under $100 a month for gas purchases, the card still has good benefits.

How to Use the Open Road Card: The rebate plan on this card is fairly complicated, as rebates go up for general purchases and down for gas purchases.  The wisest way to use this card is purely for gas and auto maintenance expenses, as if you use the card for general purchases, your gas rebates will eventually go down.  So all told, the best way to use this card is in conjunction with another credit card – potentially with a rebate card that has a good rebate percentage for purchases under $3000.  In this day and age, having a gas rebate credit card is essential.

	Discover® Open Road(SM) Card
Card Features	Double Cashback Bonus at any gas station and any restaurant 5% to 20% Cashback Bonus at top retailers through our online shopping mall Up to 1% unlimited Cashback Bonus at top retailers through our online shopping mall Redeem for Partner gift cards, merchandise, Discover (R) gift cards, credit to your Discover card account or an electronic deposit to your bank account Turn your Cashback Bonus into bigger rewards by redeeming for gift cards or eCertificates from over 100 brand-name Partners *View Discover® Card Rates, Fees, Rewards, and Other Important Information
Best Feature	No annual fee.
Special Notes	Higher APR for less qualifying applicants.
Card Details	Through the Discover® Open Road(SM) Card cash reward program, you will earn a full 2% Cashback Bonus on your first $250 in combined gas and restaurant purchases each billing period. In addition, you'll earn a full 1% unlimited Cashback Bonus on all other purchases after your total annual purchases exceed $3,000, and other purchases that are part of your first $3,000 will earn .25%. You can also earn up to a double Cashback Bonus® for redeeming rebates for gift certificates from participating Discover Card Partners. The card provides an attractive 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for six months. There is no annual fee and a reasonable APR for those who qualify.