Discover Credit Cards Mobile App Review: Account Management Made Easy

A man looks at his phone while holding an apple in his other hand.

At Experian, one of our priorities is consumer credit and finance education. This post may contain links and references to one or more of our partners, but we provide an objective view to help you make the best decisions. For more information, see our Editorial Policy.

The Discover Mobile app helps you manage your account, set up reminders and freeze or unfreeze your card from your mobile device. Check your account balance and transactions, make payments and even redeem Cashback Bonus rewards from your iPhone, Android, iPad, Apple Watch or Android Wear device.

Key Features of the Discover Credit Card Mobile App

The Discover Mobile app packs a lot of power into a simple, easy-to-navigate format. The usual suspects are here—current account balance, available credit, recent transactions, access to your FICO® Score —but the Discover Mobile app offers enough function and detail to make its features genuinely useful. Here's a quick rundown of features available on the Discover Mobile app.

Login and Security

A Quick View screen shows your account summary with current balance, available credit and next payment due without requiring you to sign into the app. To log in, you'll use a unique four-digit passcode or fingerprint or facial recognition biometrics. Whenever you log in from an unfamiliar device or attempt to change account settings, Discover sends a one-time passcode by text, email or phone to verify your identity for enhanced security.

If you've misplaced your card, you can use the Freeze It feature to lock your card temporarily. New purchases, cash advances and balance transfers will be temporarily blocked until you use the app to unfreeze your card. Looking for maximum security? Freeze It works instantly, so you can keep your card frozen between uses and unfreeze it at checkout. Authorized recurring payments will still go through when Freeze It is activated.

Account Alerts

The app's text and push alerts help you manage your card in two main areas:

  • Payment alerts: Stay on top of your account more effectively with alerts that notify you when a payment is due or when one has posted. Transaction and balance alerts help you monitor your budget and credit limit.
  • Security alerts: Stay ahead of fraud by using alerts to confirm transactions and other activity. Look for the "Security" tab under "More" to receive alerts when your Social Security number is detected on the dark web, and to have Discover monitor your Experian credit report daily for new accounts and credit pulls—all signs that your identity may be at risk. As long as frequent notifications don't bother you, consider setting up alerts for all transactions and balance transfers. Receiving a notification for every transaction allows you to effectively monitor your account for fraudulent activity in near-real time.

Payment Options

Tap the "Payments" tab to see scheduled and posted payments, set up and manage automatic payments, change your payment due date and manage your linked bank accounts. You can also manage recurring charges using a shortcut on the home screen. Add your Discover card to Apple Pay, Amazon and PayPal on the "Manage Cards and Devices" tab under "Services."

Reward Redemptions

The Discover mobile app does a great job of helping you track, redeem and apply your Cashback Bonus rewards from the app. For example, you can sign up to redeem your cash back rewards automatically every month, either as a statement credit or an electronic deposit to your bank account. You can also choose to apply your entire rewards balance or just a preset portion of it.

The app offers several additional ways to help you manage your rewards:

  • View your available Cashback Bonus balance.
  • Choose a redemption option.
  • Redeem rewards as statement credits, electronic deposits to your bank account, rewards at checkout, charity donations or gift cards.
  • Review your redemption history and monthly rewards earned.
  • Activate bonus categories that enable you to earn 5% cash back on spending within certain merchant categories during a two-month period. Recent examples include gas stations, wholesale clubs and streaming services.

Credit Score Access

The Discover app's FICO Credit Scorecard shows your current FICO® Score, updated monthly by TransUnion, as well as your score history and a breakdown of key factors that may be helping or hurting your credit. It also lists some of the factors that go into calculating your scores, including your total number of accounts, length of credit, revolving utilization and missed payments.

Spend Tracking

Spend Analyzer breaks down your purchases by category and shows you monthly trends to help you see how you're meeting your budget. Spending Insights accounts for returns, balance transfers, pending transactions and other account activity that may not appear in the Spend Analyzer.

Account Management

The Discover Mobile app makes quick work of administrative tasks that might otherwise require a call to customer service or a dedicated online session. A few examples:

  • Adding an authorized user
  • Requesting a credit line increase
  • Viewing statements
  • Creating or changing your card's PIN

Need live help? The app has multiple ways to contact Discover, including in-app direct messaging.

Ratings

The Discover Mobile app generally earns high marks from both Apple and Android users:

Apple App Store: 4.9 out of 5 stars (September 2021)

Google Play: 4.6 out of 5 stars (September 2021)

Making the Most of Your Discover Account

Using the Discover Mobile app can help you get more out of your Discover account and provide help managing your finances by way of more timely payments, greater awareness of your credit usage and available credit, and fast, easy access to your Cashback Bonus rewards. If you're considering a new Discover account, check your Experian credit score and report for free to help you figure out which Discover card is right for you based on your credit.

Note: The iOS version of the Discover mobile app was used for this review. Features and capabilities of the app's Android version may differ slightly from what is described here.