Discover Financial Services Reviews 322

I rarely write reviews, but my recent experience with Discover Bank was unnecessarily stressful and disappointing.

I’m a Registered Nurse working in the U.S. and a Canadian resident as well. I already have accounts with other U.S. banks, so I thought opening a Discover account especially for savings, would be straightforward. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

I started the process on Friday and by Monday, after several verification steps and “security processes,” I found the entire process hectic, repetitive, and confusing. After going through all their identity verification and security checks, I was finally given an account number, but when I tried to activate it, the system required an authentication code that could not be sent to my number just because it’s a Canadian-based number.

What makes this even more frustrating is that my phone plan fully supports both U.S. and Canadian networks, I even pay extra for that. Yet, Discover’s system automatically disqualified me after everything was completed, with the response that I “cannot have a Discover account.”

That makes absolutely no sense. I live, work, and bank in the U.S., and all my information was verified. To be denied access only because of the type of phone number, after hours of effort and sharing sensitive personal details, shows how outdated and inflexible Discover’s system is.

Discover Bank really needs to modernize its security process and support cross-border professionals who legally live and work in both countries. Other U.S. banks handle this without issue, so there’s no excuse.

I won’t recommend Discover to anyone who lives or works across Canada and the U.S. The experience was disappointing and a waste of time.

I have been a Discover Credit Card holder for over 13 years and recently forgot a payment. I contacted discover since the late fee was 100% of my balance (only $25 but still the principle). The customer service agent was extremely snarky and rude who I contacted and demeaning. Being on time for YEARS of payments to be met as a loyal customer with such rude customer service and zero willingness to waive the late fee has me assuming that if you had larger credit issues you would be in major trouble with this company. They claimed that I had a previous waive of payment but when I went through all statements it is shown nowhere. They also said their system determines who gets to have their late fees waived or not but would not tell me what factors go into determining whether or not an individual gets the waive on their account. The agents seem very irritable and unhelpful so I will steer clear of recommendations for this card for individuals in the future.

Discover failed to protect me in a clear case of overcharging. The vendor delivered fewer items, some damaged, and still charged me for unavailable products — yet Discover sided with them. Very disappointing customer protection.
Discover does not protect customers in disputes — don’t go for it!!

If I were able to give this card a negative star I would. I have had this Discover Miles card for long over 3 years and I had thought I paid in full and deactivated, but it seems that some purchases were still pending and now I have to pay more than double of what my personal purchase total was on fees. I tried to see if I could get some of the charges revoked but it seems they say there is nothing that can be done. Even through hardships that I mentioned such as being unable to work and not making money and on top of that on getting my car totaled, it seems as they cant do anything and aren't helpful at all. They suggest a payment plan where you do a minimum payment, however extra fees will keep piling up afterwards. They do not care for loyalty or their customers at all.

95% of the time I am unable to login to my online account. Don't believe tech support when you are told that it is due to a VPN service. I am able to login to my account through my IPhone and IPad - both of which have strict VPN services.

Take my advice do not apply for a Discover credit card. You will have issues after issues after issues! Save your sanity!

This has been the most disappointing experience I have ever encountered. I purchased a lifetime subscription, and after being charged, I discovered that the service provided did not match the description advertised. The quality of the service was extremely poor, which was the opposite of what was promised at the time of purchase.

When I attempted to dispute the transaction, the dispute team informed me that they could not assist because the merchant had provided terms and conditions that I had agreed to during sign-up. However, there were no terms or conditions stating that I would be required to pay for services that did not match the advertised description.

This experience was truly frustrating, as I have never previously been denied a chargeback by other banks when the quality of a purchase failed to meet reasonable expectations. This will be my last interaction with this organization. If you value your consumer rights and expect fair treatment, I strongly recommend considering a different bank for your financial needs.

A primary reason for my establishment of a bank account with Discover was to utilize Zelle. I consistently receive a message stating my account is ineligible for Zelle because it’s less than 90 days old or for some reason that is confidential. Zelle has been contacted and relates no issues on their side and that Discover is the only one of their 2000+ customers that utilizes these business practices. Discover seems to be keeping some esoteric information inaccessible to customers which denies them access to this service and email exchanges with their customer service personnel ended with them saying they were sorry but they couldn't share why I couldn't use Zelle inside their account. What an insane business decision based on some obscure and unaccountable matrix! Maybe the new bosses at Capitol One will "discover" the policies and make the necessary changes.

If I can write 0 in review, I am ready to do that. Worst experience with discover loan. Uncompetent staff, bad communication and never remember service.

Discover sent me two emails: the first, saying I'd get my card within 3-9 business days. The second, saying I'd get my card within 1-5 business days. It is now 9:48 pm on the 10th business day since the first one was sent, or 6 business days since the second one was sent. I called customer service on Friday (the 9th or 5th business day, depending on which email you base the time off) and was told that if it wasn't here by the end of tonight, to call customer service again. I called customer service again, they told me that I should have received a cardmember agreement in the mail and only AFTER I signed that, would the card ship out. They said that since that has not arrived, I'm still within the time frame.

So, they originally promised I'd get the *card* within 9 business days, and yet I haven't even received the precursor *before* the card within 10.
I live in a very safe neighborhood, where not a single instance of porch thievery has happened to me or my neighbors since we moved here 5 years ago. I also double-checked with three different customer service representatives that my address is correct. If I were told 3-11 business days, this wouldn't be an issue, but the false promise makes me distrustful of this company. Since the card was approved but not activated yet, I may just apply to a different bank that I can trust more than this.

Our horse had an emergency vet bill so we used my wifes Discover card for the charges and it triggered something. The very next day we received a phone call from discover questioning our finances and identity. We've never had a missed payment even though our business was destroyed by hurricane Hellene. And we got no help from FEMA or the SBA, or anybody.....
They told us we needed to send them notorized copies of our bank statements of they will close her account. I don't think we need to kiss a credit card companies ass to have their card. So I let them close it. Then A week later Capital one bought them. I can see a lot folks on here talking about retaliation and I can believe it. So I canceled my card and I will no longer accept Discover at my business. You treat customers like the enemy, eventually you run out of customers.

BEWARE - I canceled my credit card after DiscoverCard refused to back me after Meetup.com fraudulently billed my card for services they didn't provide. DiscoverCard RETALIATED against me by not billing me for my last bill (and I believe they also canceled my payment) JUST SO they could charge me late fees & interest (I have paid my bill EVERY time for the last 30 years). I used to trust this company, but now I think they're VILE.

‼️ ALERT!‼️

If I can give a zero.
We reported a fraudulent use of our credit card DISCOVER the same day that happens, for over $4,000 US dollars but the fraud department believed the scammers and gave our money to them. They didn’t want to take out the transactions, now we have to pay from our package this amount bcs DISCOVER don’t have any protection to the customers. They rather like to get the benefits to the scammers. PLEASE DONT USE THIS CREDIT CARD COMPANY IF YOU DONT WANT TO REGRET LATER.

Two years ago, we secured a home equity loan from Discover Financial Services. There were some wonky things that happened getting the loan, which should have been my first red flag. The major contract I was working on ended and for a year as I've rebuilt my business, there has been no income. I was proactive about the cash flow decrease and called to set up arrangements for forbearance or some kind of reduced payment plan.

I don't have the patience to write all the repetitive times I had to submit the SAME information, or the lack of communication or response from them. The people who field the calls at loss mitigation save for one, have been great, and helpful with information. But the loan processing side doesn't communicate what's going on, what stage of the process you're in, or even do the basics of responding to an email.

We made the trial payments arranged while they are restructuring the loan, and were told after those payments, they would send us the new payment plan. We did not make May's payment because we had no direction on how much to pay. No plan, no communication. THEN, we got a bill for $1224 with an overdue amount of $444. I'm no math major, but NONE of these numbers added up. The loss mitigation dept. had no record of this communication or those amounts. Apparently, that letter came from collections. But I was told that collections doesn't talk to loss mitigation. WHAT?! The statement does not reflect the partial payments or that a plan is even in place. Ridiculous.

Here's what is blatantly obvious: There is NO cross -communication between departments, their system doesn't show the front-line workers what's happening real-time with the account and the right hand simply doesn't know what the left hand is doing. AND unless it's the original payment, you cannot pay online - payment must be snail-mailed or by phone.

This company has provided me with the WORST customer experience EVER! As a comparison, when I called Wells Fargo about arrangements, they set me up on an 18-month forbearance within minutes. On the phone. No paperwork. DONE.

The Discover Card experience is 180 degrees different from the home loan division. Quick, helpful customer service, easy repayment plans, pay online.

By the way - they really don't care about the feedback, because if you check how they use Trust Pilot, they haven't claimed the company, and in a 12 month period, have never responded to ANY reviews. It validates the negative reviews they've received!

As for Discover Home Loans...RUN, FORREST, RUN!!!

Re: Discover Savings account:

I wanted a high yield savings account because my banks interest rate was lousy, and I wanted my money to work for me. Shortly after opening my Discover Savings account, I noticed my SSI disability money had disappeared. I need this money to pay my rent!
After some desperate investigation, I found out my money got transferred into my Discover Savings account without my consent. Obviously, some automatic transfer must have been set up accidentally. I certainly would never have done this to myself. I called their customer service line, and the agent fixed the error. Or so I thought.
Last month (April 2025- Can't recall the exact date), the same mistake was made, putting my bank account in the red. Thank goodness my husband was able to transfer me the $5 I needed to correct my balance.
After this SECOND oversight was made, I did the right thing to protect my money and my mental health by transferring my money from my Discover Savings account back to my bank. I won't be earning any spectacular interest, but at least it's somewhere safe until I can find another high-yield savings account. Unfortunately, this horrible experience makes me reluctant to do so again- understandably so.
I'm not going to bother saying how this company could improve their service. They KNOW what they need to do. But will they implement those changes? THAT is how they can demonstrate that they care about their present and future customers.

I wish I had read the reviews on trustpilot.com before doing business these lower financial life forms! They reported to the credit bureaus that I closed the account and omitted the fact that they wouldn't let me use the card they were going to give me. They also held my Security deposit 42 billing cycles even though the car was never activated. Steer. clear this place

Dealing with fraud on your account is hard enough, the last thing you expect is to be treated like a burden for seeking help. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened when I called Discover. While the fraudulent charges were addressed, the representative I spoke with delivered the kind of passive-aggressive, dismissive attitude that makes you question whether customer care still exists in customer service. When I inquired about updating my last name on the new card, a perfectly reasonable question, I was met with condescension, as though I had somehow inconvenienced her for not already knowing the process. It was unprofessional, unkind, and completely misaligned with the support Discover claims to offer. I’m giving two stars only because the fraud was resolved, but the experience left a lasting impression, and not a good one. If this representative is the standard, then perhaps it’s not just the card that needs replacing.

We used to be so happy with Discover customer service. My wife sang their praises for years and years - until tonight. My parents call me by my middle name and always have given me checks using that name. I also receive checks using my initials and using my full name (especially from insurance and the government). Discover never has had a problem depositing these checks. I have plenty of evidence of that - checks deposited for many years. (I always endorse them the same way.) All of a sudden, Discover has decided they won't deposit checks that don't match my name exactly as it appears on the account - like somehow I can control how checks are issued. That is beyond stupid.
Maybe this is something new because of the merger with Capital One. Whatever the reason, it's terrible customer service and is making us think seriously about switching banks. They rejected a large check we deposited over the weekend, and the only way we found out is because my father told me it hadn't cleared his account. We were counting on that money. Yes, it would have had a hold, but now we're going to wait at least 5 days longer because we have to take the check to another bank. Discover - you've REALLY, REALLY disappointed us and for no good reason.

I applied for mortgage from Discover Home Loans. They request one new document per day. It's up to 33 documents now. Today's request was for clarification on a mortgage that doesn't exist. You can't speak to the person who reviews the documents. If you have a month's time to close your mortgage, you can try this bank.

Discover had decreased credit limit making my utilization higher credit report even though paid off my balances other accounts and pay on time with this card. I try reinstated limit but wasn't told can be done one time was decline and representative refused let me talk supervisor said none in there department.