With the holiday shopping season rushing toward the finish, credit card issuer Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) offers up a potentially juicy earnings trade this week. The company reports on Thursday before the open.

The past two quarters have been very kind to DFS. The company has blown out the consensus earnings estimates, and the stock has done well after these reports. What’s more, DFS’ primary competitors – American Express Company (NYSE: AXP), MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) and Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) – all beat their earnings estimates this quarter. In fact, all four companies traded at multi-month highs on Monday.

DFS has been on a solid run higher since late August, gaining nearly 40% along the support of its 10-day and 20-day moving averages. The shares are currently sitting at a two-and-a-half-year high. Next up is the $20 level, the site of the April 2008 high. Helping matters is the fact that 6,200 DSF Dec 20 Calls will expire this week, which takes away potential option-related resistance.

Sentiment toward DFS is mixed, with the shorts and options players liking the shares more than analysts. With just 9 of 17 analysts rating DFS a “buy,” the stock could benefit from upgrades, particularly if the holiday season rings up solid sales numbers.

Give both earnings and holiday buying a chance to give DFS a boost by going out to the January series with the DFS Jan 19 Calls.