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For consumers who appreciate competitive perks, fewer annoying credit card fees, and ease of use, Discover credit cards are a popular choice -- and the Discover it® Miles card is solid travel credit card pick that offers unlimited miles. There's a lot to like about this card -- find out if it fits your needs in our Discover it® Miles review.
Discover it® Miles
Apply Now
On Discover's Secure Website.
Apply Now
On Discover's Secure Website.
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. 4.50/5
Apply Now
On Discover's Secure Website.
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A no-nonsense, no-annual-fee travel rewards card built for occasional travelers. The unlimited Miles and sign-up bonus are lucrative standout perks.
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- Earn miles on purchases
- Great sign-up bonus
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fee
- Great intro APR
- Limited ways to use miles
- No balance transfer offer
- No bonus categories
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- UNLIMITED BONUS: Only Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.
- Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase - with no annual fee.
- Redeem Miles to pay any part of your monthly bill, including your minimum payment.
- Turn Miles into cash in any amount, any time. Or redeem as a statement credit for travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants and more with no blackout dates. However you redeem, Miles keep the same value. And Miles never expire.
- No Blackout Dates. Simply pay for travel purchases like airlines, hotels, rental cars, and more with your Discover it® Miles card.
- Discover is accepted nationwide by 99% of the places that take credit cards.
- Freeze your account in seconds with an on/off switch either on the mobile app or website to prevent new purchases, cash advances, and balance transfers.
- Get your free Credit Scorecard with your FICO® Credit Score, number of recent inquiries and more.
- Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.* Activate for free.
- Click "APPLY NOW" to see rewards, FICO® Credit Score terms, Discover Match® details & other information.
Full Discover it® Miles review
This credit card is a good fit for: Rewards enthusiasts who want a straightforward travel card that cuts common credit card fees.
Top perks
Unlimited 1.5 Miles per $1
The Discover it® Miles earns 1.5 Miles per $1 on purchases. You can redeem miles as cash back, apply them to travel purchases, or use them to shop on Amazon. No matter the redemption method, they're worth $0.01 per Mile.
Sign-up bonus
Discover will match all of the Miles you earn in the first year that you have this card for new cardholders. For example, if you earn 30,000 Miles in that first year, Discover will give you another 30,000. This is one of the more valuable sign-up bonuses for consumers who put all their spending on a single credit card.
No annual fee
Many popular travel cards charge an annual fee. The Discover it® Miles isn't one of them.
0% intro APR
This intro rate applies to purchases for the first 14 months, allowing you to fund purchases without incurring interest during the intro period. Keep in mind that after 14 months, the intro APR will increase to the variable rate, meaning it may be best to charge only purchases you can afford to pay off within that time frame.
No foreign transaction fee
Like most travel credit cards, the Discover it® Miles doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee. The standard foreign transaction fee amount is 3% for many credit cards, so you should always have a credit card without this fee when you're traveling internationally.
FICO® Score for free
Discover makes it easy to monitor your credit score by including a free FICO® Score for every cardholder. This is accessible via Discover's app or online account management portal.
Alternatives to consider
- If you want more versatile travel rewards: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has points you can either transfer to over a dozen travel partners or redeem at a flat rate. It does carry an annual fee, but it also has a lucrative travel rewards sign-up bonuses and earns an unlimited rewards on dining and travel.
- If you want to earn lots of bonus cash back instead: The Discover it® Cash Back earns 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum of $1,500 on purchases and when you activate. Other eligible purchases earn 1% cash back.
As of Jan. 13, 2022
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| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Discover it® Cash Back |
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Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. |
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00 stars
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. |
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Apply Now
On Chase's Secure Website. |
Apply Now
On Discover's Secure Website. |
| Read Full Review | Read Full Review |
| Rates & Fees | |
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Credit Rating Requirement: |
Credit Rating Requirement: |
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60,000 points |
Cashback Match |
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1x - 5x points |
1% - 5% Cashback |
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Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: Purchases: 0% Intro APR, 14 months Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR, 14 months |
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Regular APR: 15.99% - 22.99% Variable |
Regular APR: 11.99% - 22.99% Variable APR |
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Annual Fee: $95 |
Annual Fee: $0 |
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Highlights:
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Highlights:
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Apply Now
On Chase's Secure Website. |
Apply Now
On Discover's Secure Website. |
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What could be improved
Miles redemption value
With the Discover it® Miles you always get $0.01 per mile. Many other travel credit cards also give you the option to transfer your rewards to travel partners, such as airlines and hotels. Since these transferable travel rewards give you more redemption options, you can often get more value from them.
Travel insurance
Cards from other brands, notably Visa and Mastercard, typically come with a set of travel perks and benefits like car insurance and coverage for lost or damaged luggage. The Discover it® Miles lacks many of these extras.
Find the best credit card for your needs
Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.
Suggested credit score
For high approval odds, you should have a FICO® Score of at least 670 when applying for the Discover it® Miles. Your credit score isn't the only factor that matters when applying for a credit card, but it is one of the most important.
This credit card is right for you if:
The Discover it® Miles is best suited to those who want easy-to-use credit card rewards and who don't spend that much. This card has a good earning rate, considering that it doesn’t charge an annual fee. However, if you spend more than $1,500 to $2,000 per month, you could get more value from travel cards with higher rewards rates.
The Miles this card offers are perfect if you want to keep it simple. And although this is technically a travel card, you could also use it as a cash back card, since you get the same $0.01 per Mile rate that way and can redeem miles for statement credits or cash back.
FAQs
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The minimum starting credit limit for the Discover it® Miles card is $500, but it's possible to get a much larger limit depending on your creditworthiness. Many cardholders have reported credit limits of $10,000 or more.
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The Discover it® Miles card works with all airlines. You can use miles as statement credits to reimburse travel purchases. Miles are also redeemable for cash back and to pay at checkout with Amazon and PayPal.
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Discover it® Miles are worth $0.01 per mile.
Apply Now
On Discover's Secure Website.
About the Author
Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. He writes for The Ascent and The Motley Fool, and his work has appeared in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.
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