Millions of Discover credit card accounts will soon be moved to Capital One’s systems, the latest step in the $35 billion merger of the two companies. For some, the switch is imminent: Although the FAQ page says Discover card accounts will go “throughout 2026 and early 2027,” many customers have been told to mark July 27 as the transition date.
A Capital One spokesperson confirms to Money that the migration will happen in waves, adding that “all Discover consumer card accounts will gradually be transferred to Capital One for management.” The company did not confirm which cards will go first.
This is because Capital One completed its acquisition of Discover in May 2025. Merging these two financial behemoths is as complicated as it sounds.
Capital One is keeping the Discover brand but folding Discover accounts into Capital One’s existing credit card systems. This means that the Discover website and app will no longer be the access point for customer accounts. The company, however, will continue to market credit cards on Discover.com.
Current Discover cardholders can continue to use their physical cards with the same 16-digit numbers throughout this transition. The credit card brand names will not change, and Discover credit card customers will keep their $0 annual fees, APRs and credit limits. Prize earning rates and redemption options will also remain largely unchanged.
Capital One has published a series of FAQs that guide customers on what’s changing – and what’s not. So if you have an affected Discover card, here are five things you should do now:
1. Download the Capital One app
The biggest change when switching cards has to do with logistics: Instead of logging into Discover’s website and account services mobile app, customers will use Capital One to manage their accounts.
Find cardholders who are not yet able to sign in with Capital One. While they wait for access, they can prepare for the transition by downloading the Capital One mobile app.
“Customers will receive contact information about when and how they can get started with Capital One. Until then, there is nothing they need to do,” said a Capital One spokesperson. “But we encourage customers to make sure their contact information – including address, phone number and email – is up to date in their Discover account, along with their other settings and account options.”
That information will be migrated to the Capital One system when the time comes.
2. Confirm your payment date
Do you know your Discover card payment deadline, meaning the deadline you must meet each month to avoid payments? If not, write it down.
When the cards move to the Capital One system, most payment dates will remain the same. However, Capital One said on its website that some due dates will be adjusted “to avoid technical issues,” and that affected customers will be notified.
The good news: A Capital One spokesperson confirms that due dates are only being rolled out, not extended.
“Switching to Capital One’s systems will not negatively affect Discover cardholders’ credit scores,” a spokesperson said. “The move will not be reported as a new account, and the account opening date will appear as the date reported on the cardholder’s credit file.”
Automatic credit card payments will not be interrupted in most cases, according to Capital One. However, customers using automatic payments should double-check their settings before and after the move to make sure the payment is proceeding correctly.
“If we are unable to transfer your automatic payments to Capital One, we will notify you by email or letter,” the FAQ reads.
3. Notice the disappearing features
Find cardholders may lose access to a few small features when their accounts move.
For example, customers will no longer be able to use rewards on their minimum payments. Rewards will still be used to reduce your statement balance, but that option will not satisfy minimum payment requirements.
Although cardholders can continue to redeem gift card rewards, spending will be limited to a maximum gift card minimum of $25, up from $5 previously with Discover.
Also, the “Pay with Rewards” feature in Apple Pay will no longer be an option after moving to Capital One, and recurring Apple Pay subscriptions may be affected.
4. Analyze your new benefits
For the most part, credit card terms and rewards structures remain the same. Capital One is touting several features that will be available to Discover cardholders, including access to Capital One Travel (with 5% cash back or 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through the portal), Capital One Entertainment (the ticketing platform), and Capital One Offers (its shopping rewards program).
Cardholders who use Discover credit monitoring will have access to Capital One’s CreditWise, which offers similar functionality.
Other changes are intended to give cardholders more flexibility. For example, Discover It Miles accounts will have access to the use of gift cards. Discover cardholders will also have access to additional features such as Capital One virtual card numbers and spending management tools, the company said.
5. Be aware of new cards for authorized users
Unlike Discover primary cardholders, authorized users and joint account holders will receive new physical cards with unique 16-digit numbers. (Previously, Discover authorized users shared the primary cardholder’s card number.)
New cards will be mailed to the primary account manager.
“We will notify the primary cardholder when new cards are on the way,” reads the FAQ. “Until then, authorized users and joint account holders can continue to use their current card.”
When the new cards arrive, those additional users will be able to create their own online Capital One accounts.
