Discover it® Miles review: The card for beginner travelers
The ideal card for people new to the world of travel benefits
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Snapshot
3.9
Bottom line
The Discover it® Miles card is a flexible no-annual-fee travel card that offers a number of benefits that can help make traveling less expensive. However, frequent travelers seeking premium perks may not receive a ton of long-term value.
Intro offer
Discover Match®
Rewards rate
1.5X
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
17.74% - 27.74% Variable APR
Bankrate Score
Rewards value
APR
Rewards flexibility
Features
Why you'll like this: Discover’s first-year rewards match could carry more value than the bonuses you’ll find on even the best no-annual-fee travel cards.
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Discover it® Miles overview
The Discover it® Miles credit card stands apart from every other Discover card as the only travel card in the issuer’s portfolio. Yet, it still works remarkably similar to its cash back siblings. Rather than using your miles to book travel, you can redeem them for statement credits that can cover various travel purchases.
While the Discover it® Miles is a solid low-cost travel card option, its 1:1 value for all redemption options, including cash back, is what gives it a competitive edge over rival cards. If you want a backup plan for your rewards for when your future travel plans are uncertain, this card’s rewards program would be perfect for you.
However, frequent travelers may find that the Discover it® Miles’ streamlined structure can’t make up for the card’s lackluster travel perks.
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Rewards
- Unlimited 1.5X miles on all purchases
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis -
Welcome offer
- Discover Match®: All miles earned at the end of the first year are matched.
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
0% intro APR offer
- 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 15 months
- 0 percent intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months
- 17.74% - 27.74% Variable APR
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- $0 annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- No penalty APR
- No first late payment fee (none the first time you pay late; after that, up to $41).
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis -
Other cardholder perks
- Online privacy protection
- Miles never expire as long as account is in good standing
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis
Discover it® Miles pros and cons
Pros
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Because there is no annual fee, there's no cost to carry this card.
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It offers unlimited, flat-rate miles and remarkable redemption flexibility for travel purchases.
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You have the option to redeem miles for cash back at a 1:1 rate, so none of the reward’s value is lost.
Cons
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You can’t transfer its reward miles to airline frequent-flier programs, which limits your travel redemption options.
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The Discover credit card network has fewer international acceptance partners and perks compared to Visa and Mastercard.
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The card lacks some travel benefits found on other no-annual-fee travel cards, like trip interruption insurance.
Why you might want the Discover it® Miles
While the best perks might come on cards with high annual fees, some competitive no-annual-fee cards like the Discover it® Miles carry a great deal of value beyond rewards earned through card spending.
Welcome offer: Limitless earning potential
Instead of a traditional sign-up bonus, Discover will match all the miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. So cardholders who spend highly in their first year could potentially get more value out of this offer than with a traditional sign-up bonus.
For instance, spending just over $13,000 by the end of your first year with your Discover it® Miles card would earn you about 20,000 bonus miles, worth at least $200 in rewards. Discover would match those miles, giving you a total of 40,000 miles in your first year, worth $400 in travel.
Rewards rates: Slow but steady earning rate
Given that the Discover it® Miles is a no-annual-fee travel card, its 1.5X bonus mile rate could be hard to beat if you’re sticking to flat-rate rewards. One of Discover it® Miles’ closest rivals is the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card (See Rates & Fees), since it doesn’t have an annual fee, but it only earns a flat 1.25X miles. Although other flat-rate rewards cards earn at slightly higher rates, the Discover it® Miles stacks up pretty well as a middle-of-the-road option.
Rates & fees: Card’s versatility comes with minimal cost
There's no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, no penalty APR and no first late payment fee (none the first time you pay late; after that, up to $41). You’ll also be able to keep interest at bay with a 15-month 0 percent intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, which can be great if you’re planning a big trip you need extra time to pay off.
You won’t have to worry about the ongoing APR much either since the lower end is below the current average interest rate — clocking in at 17.74% - 27.74% Variable APR. This is a great deal considering comparable cards sometimes have these charges or higher rates.
Why you might want a different travel credit card
Unfortunately, the Discover it® Miles card’s versatility comes without much added benefits. Discover uses its own credit card network, so you won’t receive basic perks — like rental car damage insurance or travel and purchase protections — typically available to Visa and Mastercard members.
Perks: Slim beyond security features
Many of the Discover it® Miles’ benefits focus on card security. Discover it® Miles allows cardholders to opt into free online privacy protection. Approximately every 90 days, Discover searches 10 of the most popular people search sites for your personal information and submits opt-out requests on your behalf.
You're also protected if you ever lose your Discover it® Miles card. Freeze it® is a feature available within the Discover mobile app or online account. With Freeze it, you can lock your card account instantly with an on/off switch. No one is able to use your card unless you turn it back on, rendering it useless if stolen.
However, coveted travel perks like lost baggage or trip delay insurance won't be found on this card.
Redemption: Consistent but not flexible
Rather than using your miles to book travel accommodations such as flights, hotels, vacation packages or rental cars, you use miles to reimburse yourself for travel purchases via statement credits.
According to Bankrate's latest valuations, Discover miles are worth roughly 1.0 cents apiece across all redemption options, including cash back. This is a great perk since it’s rare to find a travel card that lets you opt for non-travel redemptions without sacrificing point value. However, the Discover it® Miles card may not measure up to other cards that let you transfer points to partnering airlines or hotels to achieve a boosted point value (depending on the issuer and travel partner). The maximum point value you can expect with travel redemptions through Discover is 1.0 cents per mile.
How the Discover it® Miles card compares to other travel cards
The Discover it® Miles card is hard to beat when it comes to versatile and competitive flat-rate miles. However, even though it's accessible to newcomers with a good to excellent credit score (a FICO score of 670 or higher), this card’s major drawback is its lack of cardholder benefits. Other travel cards bring more value to the table, like travel and shopping protections, annual credits or upgrades that make traveling a bit smoother.
Annual fee
Intro offer
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.
Rewards rate
Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
Rewards rate
Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards rate
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries. 2x on all other travel purchases. 1x on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Best cards to pair with the Discover it® Miles
The Discover it® Miles card is a great option, but other cards may offer ways to earn more rewards in specific spending categories or offer more flexible redemptions and better benefits. Pairing several cards together gives you more flexibility and allows you to enjoy the perks of each card.
Who is the Discover it® Miles right for?
This may not be the best card for experienced travelers, but for those starting out or who don’t travel often, this can be a great fit.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the Discover it® Miles card worth it?
If you are considering getting your first travel card, then the Discover it® Miles card has the basics to get you started in the rewards scene. Its low rates and fees plus its 1:1 cash back redemption rate make it easy for people to learn the ropes of travel rewards without annual fees or a complicated rewards structure. However, its lack of travel perks might make it a no-go for jet setters and frequent flyers who prefer luxury travel.
How we rated this card
We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.
Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).
We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:
Frequently asked questions
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.