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Discover it® Miles Review: A Travel Card With No-Hassle Rewards

Review Updated
Lyle Daly
By: Lyle Daly

Our Credit Cards Expert

Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

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 for Discover it® Miles

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50 stars
Circle with letter I in it. 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. 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.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor

Credit Score:
Good/Excellent (670-850) Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Apply Now for Discover it® Miles

On Discover's Secure Website.

Intro APR

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular APR

16.99% - 27.99% Variable APR

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. Redeem for Travel or Cash. Easily redeem Miles as a statement credit for travel purchases or get cash

1.5 Miles per dollar on purchases

Annual Fee

$0

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. Discover will match all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year.

Miles match

  • A no-nonsense, no-annual-fee travel rewards card built for occasional travelers. The unlimited Miles and sign-up bonus are lucrative standout perks.

    • 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
    • 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.
    • 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 16.99% - 27.99% Standard Variable Purchase APR will apply.
    • Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
    • 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 an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites. Activate for free.
    • Click through to Discover’s website to see terms and conditions.

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 and balance transfers for the first 15 months, allowing you to fund purchases and complete balance transfers without incurring interest during the intro period. Keep in mind that after 15 months, the intro APR will increase to the variable rate. It may be best to charge only purchases you can afford to pay off within that time frame, in addition, making sure you transfer any balances as well.

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, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum of $1,500 on purchases and when you activate. Other eligible purchases earn 1% cash back.

Read more: Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards

As of Jun. 08, 2023
Image for
Image for
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Discover it® Cash Back
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50 stars
Circle with letter I in it. 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. 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.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00 stars
Circle with letter I in it. 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. 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.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees

Credit Rating Requirement:

Good/Excellent (670-850) Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Credit Rating Requirement:

Good/Excellent (670-850) Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

60,000 bonus points

Welcome Offer: Circle with letter I in it. Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.

Cashback Match

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.

1x - 5x points

Rewards Program: Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically.

1% - 5% Cashback

Intro APR: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Intro APR:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular APR:

21.24% - 28.24% Variable

Regular APR:

16.99% - 27.99% Variable APR

Annual Fee: Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$95

Annual Fee:

$0

Highlights:

  • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
  • Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
  • Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
  • Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
  • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
  • Member FDIC

Highlights:

  • INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
  • Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically.
  • Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
  • Every $1 you earn in cash back is $1 you can redeem.
  • Get a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 16.99% to 27.99% Standard Variable Purchase APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
  • No annual fee.
  • Click through to Discover’s website to see terms and conditions.
Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

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

The Discover it® Miles is intended for people with good to excellent credit, or a FICO® Score of at least 670. 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

Our Credit Cards Expert