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- Discover it® Miles Review
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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 is the lone travel card in the card issuer's lineup. As a bonus, its Miles can also be redeemed as cash back without any loss in value. There's a lot to like about this card -- find out if it fits your needs in our Discover it® Miles review.
Great for: Travel card with no annual fee
Rating image, 4.5 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.
Bottom Line
A no-nonsense, no-annual-fee travel rewards card built for occasional travelers. The unlimited 1.5 Miles takes the hassle out of tracking categories and all of your miles get matched in the first year.
Rewards
Miles per dollar on all purchases
Annual Fee
$0
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 14 months
Balance Transfers: 10.99%, 14 months
Ongoing APR
11.99% - 22.99% Variable APR
Welcome Bonus
Mile-for-Mile match of all Miles earned the first year
Highlights
- UNLIMITED BONUS: Only Discover will automatically match 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.
- Earn unlimited 1.5x Miles for every dollar spent on all purchases - with no annual fee.
- 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.
- New! Redeem Miles for cash in any amount to pay your bill, including your minimum payment.
- 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.
Full Discover it® Miles review
Top perks
Unlimited 1.5 Miles per $1: The Discover it® Miles earns this rate on every purchase. 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.
Double Miles in the first year: Discover will match the number of Miles you earn in the first year that you have this card. 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 expenses for the first 14 months, allowing you to fund purchases without incurring interest. Keep in mind that after 14 months, the APR will increase to the variable rate, meaning you should 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%, so you should always have a credit card without this fee when you're traveling internationally.
Free FICO® Score: 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, and it's also printed in every statement.
What could be improved
Miles redemption options: 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.
0% intro APR for balance transfers: The card could benefit by rounding out its 0% intro APR offer for purchases by also including the same for balance transfers.
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/damaged luggage. The Discover it® Miles lacks many of these extras.
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.
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 a $95 annual fee, but it also has one of the biggest sign-up bonuses on the market and earns an unlimited 2 points per $1 on travel and dining purchases.
- If you want to earn lots of bonus cash back: The Discover it® Cash Back earns 5% cash back in rotating bonus categories you activate quarterly (on up to $1,500 in quarterly spending). A long 0% intro APR offer and double rewards the first year also make this one of the more compelling cash back options in Discover's lineup.
As of Jan. 05, 2021
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| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Discover it® Cash Back |
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Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
5.0 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, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
5.0 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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Welcome Bonus: 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within 3 months |
Welcome Bonus: Dollar-for-dollar match of all cash back earned the first year |
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Rewards Program: 2x points on travel and dining, 1x points on all other purchases. 25% more points for travel booked through Chase's portal. |
Rewards Program: 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 when you activate. Unlimited cash back on all other purchases - automatically |
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Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: Purchases: 0%, 14 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 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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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.
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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