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

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.

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.

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.

Read more: Best Business Credit Cards for Travel

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.

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.