# Discover card acceptance? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 27, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879 "2014-01-27T20:49:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/21 "2014-01-28T07:52:21Z")
> [@sugar\_and\_spice](#): > > I’d say I run into this maybe once every other month, and it’s usually smaller businesses like non-chain restaurants. The sort of business where I wouldn’t be too surprised if they didn’t take credit cards at all. It doesn’t really bother me because I have other cards, but that said, the main reason I keep my MasterCard is for the few times a year that i can’t use my Discover. That’s about what I’ve found, and I’ve been using Discover as my main card for about 25 years, since it was owned by Sears. However, if you go to Europe you might as well leave it home, since no one there takes it. (Or almost no one.) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/22 "2014-01-28T14:57:08Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > That’s about what I’ve found, and I’ve been using Discover as my main card for about 25 years, since it was owned by Sears. I guess I’m not sure what the advantage is to having any second-tier card (Discover, Amex or the much less common ones like Diner’s Club, JCB, etc.) The number of places that won’t take Visa/MC, globally, is vanishingly small… so why not just go with what works? The only advantage Discover has ever had is that it’s marginally more available and a little cheaper if you’re in a lower personal economics stratum. (That is, you can get it without fees etc. before you can qualify for a premium-tier Visa/MC.) > [@](#): > > However, if you go to Europe you might as well leave it home, since no one there takes it. (Or almost no one.) Unless it’s changed recently, France as a whole does not take Visa - only MasterCard. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/23 "2014-01-28T15:02:08Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I guess I’m not sure what the advantage is to having any second-tier card (Discover, Amex or the much less common ones like Diner’s Club, JCB, etc.) The number of places that won’t take Visa/MC, globally, is vanishingly small… so why not just go with what works? The only advantage Discover has ever had is that it’s marginally more available and a little cheaper if you’re in a lower personal economics stratum. (That is, you can get it without fees etc. before you can qualify for a premium-tier Visa/MC.) > Unless it’s changed recently, France as a whole does not take Visa - only MasterCard. The number of places that won’t take Discover is also vanishingly small, so those who have Discover cards _are_ going with what works. The days of Discover being considered “second-tier” are long gone. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/24 "2014-01-30T14:28:34Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Yup; it was developed originally by Sears in the 1980s, when they were trying to build a financial-services group (they also owned Coldwell Banker and Dean Witter at that time). They spun Discover off, along with Dean Witter, in '93. Did they own Allstate as well, or was that just a working agreement? ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/25 "2014-01-30T14:45:43Z")
I run across mechants all the time who don’t take Discover. It used to be more common but even today I’m not surprised when a small restaurant or a website doesn’t take it. That is why I have a Visa card in my wallet too. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/26 "2014-01-30T15:29:32Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I guess I’m not sure what the advantage is to having any second-tier card (Discover, Amex or the much less common ones like Diner’s Club, JCB, etc.) The number of places that won’t take Visa/MC, globally, is vanishingly small… so why not just go with what works? The only advantage Discover has ever had is that it’s marginally more available and a little cheaper if you’re in a lower personal economics stratum. (That is, you can get it without fees etc. before you can qualify for a premium-tier Visa/MC.) In a word, rewards - Amex especially. Discover is a good starter card that has 5% cash back for restaurants, online, etc. (though I think it rotates quarter to quarter). Amex also has legendary customer service as well as social cache for their top-tier card members. > [@Doug\_K](#): > > The number of places that won’t take Discover is also vanishingly small, so those who have Discover cards _are_ going with what works. The days of Discover being considered “second-tier” are long gone. The deli in my office building doesn’t accept Discover. Neither do a lot of family owned restaurants. Dry cleaners, barber shops, liquor stores… it comes up. Not EVERY dry cleaner, barber shop, or liquor store but enough to still be noticeable. Not trying to knock it - I have a Discover Card fwiw. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/27 "2014-01-30T15:32:57Z")
I’ve never had any problems with Discover either. I like the cashback and I like their website. All in all a good company to do business with. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/28 "2014-01-30T18:10:04Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I guess I’m not sure what the advantage is to having any second-tier card (Discover, Amex or the much less common ones like Diner’s Club, JCB, etc.) The number of places that won’t take Visa/MC, globally, is vanishingly small… so why not just go with what works? The only advantage Discover has ever had is that it’s marginally more available and a little cheaper if you’re in a lower personal economics stratum. (That is, you can get it without fees etc. before you can qualify for a premium-tier Visa/MC.) I have premium Visa and MasterCard cards, which they send me. I pay no fee on any and never carry a balance, so I have no idea what interest rates are. While some of them have rewards, Discover is the simplest to use. We apply our cashback to our bill each December for Christmas. The other cards we have seem to give Visa cash card, which are a pain to use, or cards for vendors which I don’t want. They also have nice extra cashback deals for things I actually use, like the grocery. Now they automatically enroll you, which is even better. We put most of our house remodel on Discover and made a ton of money on it. I’ve got plenty of other cards, but I see no reason to use them unless someone does not take Discover. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/29 "2014-01-30T19:44:25Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I guess I’m not sure what the advantage is to having any second-tier card (Discover, Amex or the much less common ones like Diner’s Club, JCB, etc.) The number of places that won’t take Visa/MC, globally, is vanishingly small… so why not just go with what works? The only advantage Discover has ever had is that it’s marginally more available and a little cheaper if you’re in a lower personal economics stratum. (That is, you can get it without fees etc. before you can qualify for a premium-tier Visa/MC.) > Unless it’s changed recently, France as a whole does not take Visa - only MasterCard. Way better rewards. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/30 "2014-01-30T21:57:54Z")
Discover is not accepted anywhere in Australia, as far as I can tell - is it the States only? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/31 "2014-01-30T23:43:00Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Also, I remember a few years ago someone asking a similar question about this [Family Guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePT9Ed1pk4w) clip. Futurama had a joke, too: Fry: Do you take Visa? Clerk: Visa hasn’t existed for 500 years. Fry: American Express? Clerk: 600 years. Fry: Discover Card? Clerk: Sorry, we don’t take Discover. This is one of my favorite Futurama jokes. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/32 "2014-01-31T00:37:50Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Futurama had a joke, too: > > Fry: Do you take Visa? > Clerk: Visa hasn’t existed for 500 years. > Fry: American Express? > Clerk: 600 years. > Fry: Discover Card? > Clerk: Sorry, we don’t take Discover. > > This is one of my favorite Futurama jokes. That’s great, and much more clever (if not funnier) than the family guy example. I love both shows but when Futurama is witty, it’s really amazing. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/33 "2014-01-31T00:42:53Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Did they own Allstate as well, or was that just a working agreement? They did. In fact, Allstate Insurance was started by Sears in 1931 (they’d been using the name “Allstate” for a line of auto tires for several years before that). It, too, was spun off in the early 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/34 "2014-01-31T01:13:00Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Way better rewards. France or MasterCard? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/35 "2014-01-31T01:25:19Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > I read this in another thread, and decided to start new discussion instead of potentially derailing that one. > > I’ve heard this a million times, but I’ve never had a problem with anyone not taking my Discover Card. How big of an issue is this? I try to use my discover all the time. I get asked for another card about once every six months. Maybe 1 in 50 unique locations. I don’t fuss about it, I simply use another card, but it does annoy me slightly. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879/36 "2014-01-31T01:34:26Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Unless it’s changed recently, France as a whole does not take Visa - only MasterCard. I’ve never had any trouble using Visa in France. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discover-card-acceptance/679879.md?page=1)