Discover it Miles review: Full details
Discover it Miles card overview
The Discover it® Miles provides 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all purchases. Your miles are worth one cent each, regardless of how you decide to redeem them. Plus, Discover will match the miles you earned during your first year, so you’ll earn an effective 3% return on purchases you make in your first year. The Discover it Miles card doesn’t charge an annual fee or foreign transaction fees and even waives the late fee on your first late payment. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
I tend to look at the cards my friends and family use, and I recently noticed a relative use the Discover it Miles card at a cafe. The Discover it Miles card isn’t on our list of best cards for dining purchases, but I understand why he has and uses the Discover it Miles card.
The Discover it Miles is for anyone who is looking to earn rewards on their spending but doesn’t want to worry about maximizing redemptions or remembering which purchases earn bonus miles. This is because the Discover it Miles card earns 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all purchases and offers 1 cent per mile regardless of how you decide to redeem your miles.
This card is a great starter card, and the recommended credit score is 670. However, users with lower credit scores may have a better chance of being accepted for this card than for similar cards offered by other issuers.
The Discover it Miles card is a good fit for many people, so in this Discover it Miles review, let’s consider whether you should add it to your wallet.
The information for the Discover it Miles has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Discover it Miles pros and cons
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Discover it Miles welcome offer
The Discover it Miles doesn’t offer a standard sign-up bonus, but it does offer a few introductory offers to new cardholders.
New cardholders will get all of the miles they earn during their first year matched in what is known as a mile-for-mile matching. Specifically, Discover will match all of the miles you earn during the first 12 consecutive billing periods that your new account is open. The match occurs at the end of the 12th consecutive billing period, as opposed to throughout your first year.
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Related: The best balance transfer credit cards
Discover it Miles benefits
The Discover it Miles has benefits and perks that are well suited for first-time or less-experienced cardholders. The card’s most appealing benefit is the ease and simplicity of earning and redeeming — but since earning and redeeming will be discussed in detail in subsequent sections, let’s focus on the card’s other benefits in this section.
One key benefit of the Discover it Miles card that can especially benefit new cardholders is that you won’t be charged a late fee on your first late payment. So, if you accidentally forget to pay your bill on time or have an issue with auto-pay, you can avoid paying a late fee once. Plus, paying late won’t raise your annual percentage rate.
Other benefits and perks of the Discover it Miles card include:
- No foreign transaction fees
- No over-limit fee
- No pay-by-phone fee
- The ability to pick the color and style of your card with no fees
- Free alerts notify you if your social security number is found on any of thousands of dark websites
- Free alerts that notify you when any new credit card, mortgage, car loan or other account shows up on your credit report
- Free overnight shipping for card replacement to any U.S. street address at your request
- Freeze your account in seconds to prevent new purchases with an on/off switch available on both the mobile app and website
- Get a free credit scorecard with your FICO credit score, number of recent inquiries and more
- 100% U.S.-based customer service available at any time
These benefits pale in comparison to what you’ll find on our favorite travel cards, but they aren’t bad for a no-annual-fee card.
Related: Your ultimate guide to Discover cards
Earning miles on the Discover it Miles
The Discover it Miles has a straightforward earning structure: You’ll earn 1.5 miles for every dollar spent on all purchases. There’s no cap to the miles you can earn. Plus, your miles will never expire (although Discover will credit your account with your miles balance if your account is closed or has not been used in 18 months).
However, note that you will not earn miles immediately after each purchase. Instead, miles are calculated at the end of each billing period based on your purchases made during that billing period. Discover will then round the miles you earned during that billing period to the nearest whole mile before adding the miles to your account.
Related: 5 reasons why families need a Discover it Miles card
Redeeming miles on the Discover it Miles
Redeeming miles with the Discover it Miles is easy and straightforward. You don’t need to worry about selecting the best or most valuable redemption since your miles are worth 1 cent each, regardless of which redemption method you choose.
You can choose from the following redemption options:
- Redeem miles for travel purchases; miles can be used to cover all or part of a travel expense, and Discover defines travel purchases as “airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, travel agents, online travel sites, commuter transportation, restaurants and gas stations.”
- Electronic deposit into a bank account
- Check out with miles at Amazon
- Redeem miles at PayPal
It’s nice that you don’t have to worry about choosing the most valuable redemption option, but many cash-back cards offer the ability to redeem rewards for a statement credit with no limitations.
Related: How to redeem Discover it Miles
Which cards compete with the Discover it Miles?
There are other cards that earn a 1.5% return (or better) on all purchases, and some of these cards provide multiple redemption options.
- If you want to earn more on non-bonus spending: The Citi Double Cash® Card earns up to 2% back, 1% cash back when you buy and 1% when you pay, all while having no annual fee (see rates and fees). Plus, this card earns $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. For more details, check out our full review of the Citi Double Cash card.
- If you want access to transfer partners: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a great option for beginners and earns 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases. With these miles, you have access to Capital One’s impressive roster of 15-plus transfer partners. This card also comes with a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit to make navigating airport security a breeze. For more details, check out our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards card.
- If you prefer bonus earnings in multiple categories: The Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns 5% back on Chase Travel℠ purchases, 3% back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and drugstores and 1.5% back on all other purchases, all while having no annual fee. Plus, in the first year, you’ll earn an extra 1.5% back on all purchases (up to $300), meaning you’ll earn at least 3% back on all purchases. For more details, check out our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
For more details, read our guide on the best credit cards for everyday spending.
Related: How to choose a credit card
Is the Discover it Miles worth it?
If you’re a beginner looking for a card with no annual fee and a simple earnings structure, the Discover it Miles is a great choice. However, if you’re looking for more consistent bonus categories or a longer list of benefits, you’ll want to opt for a different card.
Bottom line
The Discover it Miles provides 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all purchases and allows you to redeem your miles for 1 cent apiece, regardless of how you choose to use them. So, you don’t have to worry about maximizing your miles when redeeming them or remembering to use a particular card for certain types of purchases.
The Discover it Miles card is a particularly good choice if you don’t want to pay an annual fee or foreign transaction fees and prefer earning cash back instead of transferable points or miles.
Related: The best cash-back cards
