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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Reviews
Discover it Miles review: Simple earnings for beginners
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
Chris Nelson is a credit cards writer for TPG. He specializes in budget travel, hotels, earning elite status through minimal spending and redeeming points for maximum value.
also contributed to this story
March 21, 2025 • 8 min read
VIKTORIYA DIKAREVA/GETTY IMAGES
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Editorial note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Quick summary
This travel rewards card offers a flat earning rate on all purchases, with miles valued at a consistent rate across all redemption options.
There are no annual or foreign transaction fees, and the card waives the late fee for your first missed payment.
Redemption is flexible, including travel purchases, electronic deposits, and select online merchants, with no need to optimize for maximum value.
The card is well-suited for beginners or those seeking simplicity rather than complex reward structures.
What to consider
No bonus categories or transfer partners are available, limiting opportunities to maximize rewards.
Miles are credited at the end of each billing period and rounded to the nearest whole mile before posting.
Miles do not expire unless the account is closed or inactive for 18 months.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison with other flat-rate and bonus-category rewards cards, including pros and cons for different user profiles.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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
Pros
Cons
No annual fee
Strong customer service
Earns unlimited flat cash back
Equal redemption value across all methods
No bonus categories
No transfer partners or ways to maximize redemption value
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.
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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.
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.
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Other benefits and perks of the Discover it Miles card include:
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).
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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.
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.
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 (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 prefer bonus earnings in multiple categories: The (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.
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.
