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The Discover it® Miles is a simple, no annual fee travel credit card that offers 1.5X miles per dollar for every purchase you make, no matter where you shop. That will be the equivalent of 1.5% cash back.
It doesn’t have a lot of extra perks and benefits, though it’s quite flexible compared to most travel cards because it provides the full value of 1 cent per mile no matter how you redeem your rewards.
Discover makes this card more rewarding by doubling the total number of miles you earn in the first year to 3X miles per dollar, or 3% cash back, a unique offer that will scale up to fit however much you spend. You can take advantage of the introductory interest rate on purchases to help fund a trip, a nice feature that not all travel cards share.
The Discover it Miles is a solid offer when it comes to travel cards with no annual fee. Read on to learn more and see what makes it so good.
Although the Discover it Miles card doesn’t have a lot of flashy features and a bevy of luxurious travel benefits, like some travel credit cards, it’s a good offer overall.
With this travel rewards card you’ll earn 1.5X miles per dollar for every purchase, which is the equivalent of 1.5% cash back.
After your first year of card use Discover will double the rewards you earned, so you would get 3X miles per dollar in that first year— equal to 3% cash back.
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You can earn an unlimited number of miles, and they won’t expire as long as your account is open.
The regular rate of 1.5X miles per dollar is pretty good but Discover will double the miles you earn after one year, meaning you’ll effectively be earning 3X miles per dollar for that first year after account opening. That’s a great deal!
You’ll always get a value of 1 cent per mile, no matter how you redeem. This is a handy feature compared to many cards, where you’ll only get the best rate for one or two redemption methods.
Miles can be redeemed in three different ways:
The simplest method would be to designate a bank account, and have the rewards redeemed directly into it on a periodic basis. This is a nice feature to have on a travel credit card, because it means you can access your rewards even if you don’t happen to have any travel expenses in a given year.
We recommend that you avoid the Pay With Miles option because you won’t earn any miles when you pay with rewards. Instead, pay with your Discover card as normal to earn miles, and then redeem your miles with a different method.
You can also redeem your miles for statement credits to pay for past travel, restaurant, and gas purchases, which will reduce the balance of your account.
Eligible travel purchases include:
Hotel Rooms | Commercial Airline Tickets | Car Rentals |
Taxis and Limousines | Cruises | Vacation Packages |
Passenger Railways | Local and Suburban Commuter Transportation | Charter Tours, Bus Lines |
Purchase APR | Balance Transfer APR | Cash Advance APR |
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This is a pretty affordable card, with no annual fee to worry about. It can be completely free to use as long as you avoid interest and fees by always paying off your balance in full each billing cycle.
Take note that the introductory offers for purchases and balance transfers are different with this card. Most cards will have the same offer for both, but not here.
The Discover it Miles has no foreign transaction fee, which is a great feature to have on travel credit cards. This means you can bring it with you anywhere in the world and you won’t have to worry about an extra charge, as long as Discover is accepted.
The Discover it® Miles is a contender if you’re looking for a simple credit card that will reward you for traveling. While not the most rewarding card for travelers, its simplicity can be attractive to some.
It’s a general-use travel card, offering its 1.5 miles per dollar for every purchase you make no matter what type. This means you can earn miles at a pretty fast rate, especially because Discover will double the total miles you earn at the end of your first year.
Overall, it’s not the most rewarding travel card but it has no annual fee, and Discover makes it easy to redeem your rewards either for travel expenses or otherwise. This means it’s a good option if you want to optimize your rewards with multiple cards because you can easily earn the equivalent of 1.5% cash back for every purchase with this card, making it good for any spending when you would otherwise only earn 1% cash back.
You can apply for the Discover it Miles securely on Discover’s website. Discover will check your credit reports from the major credit reporting bureaus. Keep in mind your credit might take a small hit from the hard credit check.
Good credit scores will give you the best shot at approval, though credit decisions rely on more than just credit scores.
Not crazy about the Discover it Miles? Here are some other cards that you may like better.
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card (Review) is very similar to the Discover it Miles card.
One of the differences between the two, however, is in their introductory APR periods. The Discover card offers an intro period for both purchases and balance transfers, while the VentureOne only features a purchase APR period.
The VentureOne credit card offers a welcome bonus of 20,000 bonus miles for spending $500 in the first 3 months after account opening, which is pretty good.
Capital One also has a selection of airline partners to which you can transfer miles, giving you a way to earn a higher return on spend. With Discover, you’re stuck with 1 cent per mile.
The VentureOne has stronger benefits, especially if you qualify for the Visa Signature version of the card.
These cards are alike in most ways. If you’re wondering between them, the main question to ask yourself would be if you want to earn miles at a slightly higher rate with the Discover it Miles, or get better benefits and transfer opportunities with the Capital One VentureOne Rewards.
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The information related to Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has been collected by Credit Card Insider and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Review) is one of the more popular travel credit cards, coming with a $95 annual fee.
For that price you’ll be able to earn 5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides and 2X points on travel and dining purchases. That’s more rewarding than the Discover it Miles, but only for those purchases.
You’ll get a nice bonus of 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. To earn that much with the Discover it Miles in your first year, when Discover will double your earnings to 3 miles per dollar, you’d need to spend a whole lot of money.
The Sapphire Preferred has the definite edge on extra benefits, and also provides extra points at select retailers through the Shop Through Chase program, along with more discounts through Chase Offers.
This card will cost more annually, but it provides a more lucrative rewards program along with flexible redemption options. You’ll have to choose which card best suits your spending habits.
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The travel category includes the types of expenses you’d expect, along with some others you might not expect. In all, it covers:
Airfare | Hotels | Car Rental Agencies | Taxis | Buses |
Toll Roads | Parking Lots | Garages | Travel Agencies | Discount Travel Sites |
The Sapphire Preferred has a few redemption options, one of which allows you to transfer points at a 1:1 rate to a variety of frequent traveler programs, like the British Airways Executive Club or Marriott Bonvoy. This is one of the best ways to use your points because you can often get the equivalent of upwards of 4%, 5%, or even 6% cash back. The Discover it Miles does not allow you to transfer rewards to other programs.
securely on the issuer's website
The JetBlue Plus Card is a JetBlue co-branded travel card issued by Barclays.
While it does have an annual fee of $99, it comes with a higher rewards rate than the Discover it Miles. You’ll earn 2X points on groceries and at restaurants, and a far superior 9X points on JetBlue airfare (6X from the card, 3X or more from the flight).
You’ll also receive 10% of the points you redeem back, along with a few extra perks. These include a 50% in-flight discount on purchases, a yearly credit when you purchase a JetBlue Getaways vacation package, and your first checked bag will be free.
So if you enjoy flying with JetBlue, you’ll earn quite a bit for your loyalty and get a few extra traveling perks over the Discover it Miles.
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The Platinum Card® from American Express (Review) is a luxury travel credit card, coming with an annual fee of $550.
If the Discover it Miles is on the low end of travel cards, it’s good to see what the high end looks like.
Some of the elite benefits include awesome lounge access, a $200 annual airline fee credit through 2021, good for expenses like checked bags and in-flight meals, $200 in yearly Uber credits (limited to $15 per month and $35 in December), and an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. You’ll also have access to a wide variety of discounts and special offers at hotels through the Fine Hotels & Resorts program, coming to an average value of $550 per year.
And that’s not even all of the perks and benefits. The Discover it Miles really can’t compete with a high-end card like this, and while it costs quite a bit more, it has plenty to offer in recompense.
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You’ll be earning rewards at a pretty fast rate as long as you travel often enough, and those points can be transferred to a variety of frequent traveler programs where they might be even more valuable. The value of your points will vary quite a bit when you transfer them, depending on where and how you use them, but if you can get 2 cents per point you’ll be getting the equivalent of 10% cash back (when earning at the 5X rate).
American Express is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
Have you used the Discover it Miles credit card? How do you like it? Let us know by leaving a comment below, we’d love to hear from you!
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
The Discover it Miles provides 1.5X miles per dollar on all your purchases. While not the most rewarding option, it is fairly simple, and Discover will double what you earn in your first year to make it a bit more lucrative.
Credit Card Insider receives compensation from advertisers whose products may be mentioned on this page. Advertiser relationships do not affect card evaluations. Advertising partners do not edit or endorse our editorial content. Content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when it's published. Learn more in our Editorial Guidelines.
The information related to Discover it® Miles and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card have been collected by Credit Card Insider and have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of these products.
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