Discover it Miles review: Simple earnings for beginners
Editor's Note
Discover it Miles card overview
The Discover it® Miles Credit Card 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. Additionally, 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 using the Discover it Miles card at a cafe. Though this card isn't on our list of best cards for dining purchases, I understand why he has and uses it.
The Discover it Miles is for anyone who wants to earn rewards on their spending but doesn't want to worry about maximizing redemptions or remembering which purchases earn bonus miles.
This is a great starter card, and we recommend applicants have a credit score of 670 or higher to increase their chances of approval. 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 welcome offer, but it does feature a solid match offer: Discover automatically matches all the miles you've earned in your first year as a new cardholder.
Specifically, Discover will match all of the miles you earn at the end of 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.
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 your family may want 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 made on your statement within the last 180 days, 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, step-by-step
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 (see rates and fees) earns up to 2% back, 1% cash back when you buy and 1% when you pay, all while having no annual fee. 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 statement 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® (see rates and fees) 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. 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 the best credit card for you
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
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month