Discover it Miles review: Straightforward rewards and simple redemption choices

The Discover it® Miles is a solid choice for less-frequent travelers who value simplicity and want a card with no annual fee.

Discover it® Miles

BLUEPRINT RATING

Our ratings are based on specific use cases for each card. We compared this card to others in the same category and developed our rankings based on this criteria, along with our editorial input. Note that although we chose this card as the best in its category, the right card for you will depend on your own financial circumstances.

Rates & fees / Terms apply

Rates & fees / Terms apply

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BLUEPRINT RATING

Our ratings are based on specific use cases for each card. We compared this card to others in the same category and developed our rankings based on this criteria, along with our editorial input. Note that although we chose this card as the best in its category, the right card for you will depend on your own financial circumstances.

Welcome bonus

UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers—only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. You could turn 35,000 Miles to 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match

Discover Match®

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

18.24% – 28.24% Variable APR

Credit score

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

(700 – 749) Good, Excellent

Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase.

Editor’s take

Pros

• 1.5 miles per $1 on purchases.
• Discover matches the miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year.
• No annual fee or foreign transaction fees.

Cons

• Doesn’t come with meaningful travel perks, like lounge access or travel insurances.
• Some other travel cards earn more miles per $1.

Discover’s no-annual-fee travel card earns “miles” you can redeem for travel on every dollar spent on purchases with no limit. At the end of your first year with the card, Discover will automatically match all the miles you’ve earned.

Card details

• UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers—only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. You could turn 35,000 Miles to 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
• No annual fee
• Turn Miles into cash. Or redeem as a statement credit for your travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants and more.
• 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 18.24% – 28.24% 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.
• Terms and conditions apply.

About the Discover it® Miles 

The Discover it® Miles is a dependable card for low spenders who want a straightforward, easy-to-use travel rewards card. You earn an unlimited 1.5 miles per $1 on purchases, which you can redeem for a penny per mile. Those seeking flexibility will like that you can redeem miles for cash back or as statement credits to cover travel purchases, both at the same redemption rate. You can also use miles to pay with PayPal or check out with Amazon. 

The biggest drawback is that Discover might not be as widely accepted internationally as Visa and Mastercard credit cards, so if you spend a lot of time traveling outside of the United States, you should bring a backup card with you. The Discover it® Miles also doesn’t provide the travel protections and perks many mid-tier and premium travel cards do.

There’s a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. After that, a variable APR of 18.24% to 28.24% applies. There's a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms). There isn’t a traditional welcome bonus, but Discover will automatically match all miles earned at the end of the first cardmember year.

All in all, this is a solid — but basic — travel card designed for someone who wants a simple, no-fuss rewards program that allows you to earn and redeem miles with little effort. 

Discover it® Miles basics

• Annual fee: $0.
• Welcome bonus: Discover will automatically match all miles earned at the end of the first cardmember year. 
• Rewards: 1.5 miles per $1 on purchases. 
• APR: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. After that, a variable APR of 18.24% to 28.24% applies. There's a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms).
• Other perks and benefits: Online privacy protection, view your FICO Score for free. 
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? Yes.
• Recommended credit score: Good to excellent. 

Discover it® Miles details

Discover it® Miles rewards

The Discover it® Miles rewards program is quite simple — cardholders earn a flat 1.5 miles per $1 on purchases. You can then redeem your rewards as a credit to your account toward your bill, as a cash deposit into your bank account, or as a credit toward eligible travel purchases made on your account in the past 180 days. 

The definition of travel on this card is broad, ranging from flights and hotels to car rentals, restaurants, gas stations, travel agents, online travel sites and commuter transportation. 

Cardholders can also use miles at checkout with Amazon or to pay via PayPal. 

You will enjoy a flat rate of 1 cent per mile no matter how you redeem miles earned with this card. That’s good for travelers who value simplicity above all else. But unlike some more robust travel cards, there aren’t opportunities to maximize the value of rewards with the Discover it® Miles by transferring them to airline or hotel partners or booking travel via an issuer portal.

Currently, Discover will automatically match all miles earned at the end of the first cardmember year. There’s no limit to how much you can earn, but you must wait an entire year to enjoy your bonus. With each mile worth 1 cent, this rewards match means the card effectively functions as a flat-rate 3% cash-back card for your first year. If you’re a big spender, or have upcoming expenses, this could be an excellent opportunity to rack up additional rewards. 

Discover it® Miles rewards potential

Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card has an annual income of $84,352 and $25,087 in expenses they are likely to be able to charge to a credit card.

So, for a card that earns 1.5 miles per $1 on purchases, the household would earn about 37,630 miles annually. With the Discover Match® welcome offer, that balance would automatically be matched in the first year, resulting in a total balance of 75,260 miles in rewards after one year of spending. 

Discover miles are worth 1 cent each, so that balance is worth $752.60 toward travel purchases or directly into your bank account. This is a solid rewards potential for a card with no annual fee.

After the first year, our example household would earn rewards worth about $376.30 per year. 

Discover it® Miles APR

The Discover it® Miles offers a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. After that, a variable APR of 18.24% to 28.24% applies. There's a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms).

Discover it® Miles pros

• Redemption flexibility: You can redeem for a statement credit on any travel purchase on your account or for cash back at the same rate. 
• No annual or foreign transaction fees: More money can stay in your bank account when you do not have to pay these fees. 
• Intro APR period: If you need to finance a big purchase and pay it off over time, or transfer debt you’re carrying on a high-interest card from a different issuer, the Discover it® Miles could save you money on interest charges with its 15-month intro period.

Discover it® Miles cons

• No category bonuses: This card earns 1.5 miles per $1 on purchases, but you won’t get bonus miles for purchases in specific categories like other cards may offer. 
• No luxury perks and no transfer partners: You only get very minimal additional perks and benefits. It would be great to see protections such as trip delay reimbursement or cellphone insurance to add value to this card. Plus, unlike the best travel cards on the market, you can’t transfer points to travel loyalty programs.
• Requires good-to-excellent credit: If you’re looking to rebuild from poor or fair credit, this probably isn’t the right card. But if you already have good or better credit and are looking to earn rewards or take advantage of the intro APR offer, it’s a solid choice.

How the Discover it® Miles compares to other travel cards 

Discover it® Miles vs. Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card * The information for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. also earns 1.5 points per $1 on purchases. Points can be redeemed for a travel or dining credit or cash back starting at 2,500 points. We recommend the first option, because you get a value of 1 cent per point that way. Redeeming points for cash back nets a lesser value of 0.6 cents per point.

There is a 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases and any balance transfers made in the first 60 days, followed by a 19.24% to 29.24% variable APR. A 3% intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days; then a 4% fee applies to future balance transfers.

For the welcome bonus, you can earn 25,000 points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. 

Which one is right for you will come down to your individual needs. The Bank of America Travel Rewards card is a Visa, which means merchants abroad will likely accept it more widely than a Discover credit card. However, you must book through the issuer’s travel center to earn bonus points. And the redemption flexibility of the Discover it® Miles is hard to beat. 

Discover it® Miles vs. Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card * The information for the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Capital One VentureOne earns 5 miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.25 miles per $1 on other purchases. 

There’s a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then a variable APR of 19.99% to 29.99%. There is a 3% fee on each balance transfer in the first 15 months but no fee for amounts transferred at the purchase APR after the first 15 months. It is important to note that there is no time limit on when you need to make that transfer — it can be any time within those first 15 months. 

The VentureOne also provides some basic protections, including travel accident insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver (secondary coverage) and extended warranty.¹

You also get the opportunity to transfer miles, mostly with a 1:1 ratio, to numerous travel partners — which can potentially net you greater value from each mile as you book award travel directly with your preferred airline or hotel. There’s no annual fee to carry the card, which is ideal for occasional travelers or those who already have a few cards with annual fees in their wallets. 

If you like to spend time optimizing your award travel potential, it could be worth looking into the VentureOne. The lineup of transfer partners might compensate for the card’s slightly lower base earning rate. 

Discover it® Miles vs. IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card * The information for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The Discover it® Miles is a general travel card with a cash-back option. If that type of card is not for you, look into the IHG One Rewards Premier Card. This co-branded hotel card from Chase is offering five Free Nights (worth up to 60,000 points each) after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. 

For ongoing rewards, you will earn 10 points per $1 at IHG Hotels and Resorts, another 10 points per $1 as an IHG One Rewards member, 6 points per $1 from IHG with Platinum Elite Status (a benefit of this card), 5 points per $1 on travel, dining and gas stations and 3 points per $1 on all other purchases. 

For just a $99 annual fee, the IHG One Rewards Premier Card offers a slew of perks. On top of the massive earning potential, you also get an anniversary free night after each account anniversary, your fourth consecutive night free on award stays, and automatic Platinum Elite status. The IHG Hotels and Resorts group includes brands like Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo and Regent. 

Should you get the Discover it® Miles?

This card is best for the infrequent traveler who wants the option to either get cash back or redeem rewards for past travel purchases. It might not give you the best redemption rate or earning potential of any card on the market, but it can provide value if you are new to the points and miles arena and want a starter card that’s easy to use. 

Whether you should get this card will depend on what your needs are. If you want simplicity, then this card provides it. However, if you care about added perks — like the ability to transfer your miles to airlines — and you don’t mind adding in an annual fee, you could get more value from a travel card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card * The information for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. 

For those who want a couple of extra perks but would still like to avoid an annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne is a strong competitor. 

Note that Discover isn’t as widely accepted in some international destinations as cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks. Thus, the Discover it® Miles is a fine choice for domestic travel, but might not be ideal if you’re headed outside the U.S.

Discover it® Miles summary

DISCOVER IT® MILES DETAILS
Annual fee	$0
Rewards	1.5 miles per $1 on purchases
Welcome bonus	Discover will automatically match all miles earned at the end of the first cardmember year
APR	0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. After that, a variable APR of 18.24% to 28.24% applies. There's a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)
Foreign transaction fees	None
Major perks and benefits	View your FICO Score for free; Online privacy protection; Freeze your card online or in the mobile app

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

^{¹For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.}