Discover it Miles review

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The Discover it® Miles card is another option for those looking for a cash-back credit card. It doesn’t make the cut when it comes to our list of the top credit cards for travel because it doesn’t offer premium perks like lounge access or free-checked-bag benefits. It does offer a solid and simple rewards-earning structure with no annual fee.

Here’s our in-depth review of the Discover it® Miles card.

Current offer

There’s no sign-up bonus with the Discover it® Miles card, but it earns 1.5 miles (or 1.5% back) on everything — and there is no limit to the number of miles you can earn. Plus, Discover will match the miles you’ve earned at the end of the first year.

Benefits and perks

The Discover it® Miles card is considered a basic rewards card and therefore doesn’t offer many of the extra perks of the top credit cards for travel. At the same time, the card doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees and offers cardholders free access to their FICO credit score.

How to redeem rewards

You can redeem miles (worth 1 cent per mile) for statement credits toward travel expenses made within the past 180 days including:

• Airline tickets
• Hotel rooms
• Car rentals
• Travel agents
• Online travel sites
• Commuter transportation

If you prefer to get cash, you can redeem miles at the same rate for a direct deposit into your bank account. So although this is called a travel rewards card, it’s really a 1.5% back card (or 3% in the first year because Discover matches the rewards you earn during this time period).

Is the annual fee worth it?

The Discover it Miles card doesn’t have an annual fee, so you can keep it for a long time at no cost, paying you 1.5% back and helping to improve your credit score.

Other cards to consider

The card that most closely matches the Discover it® Miles card is the Chase Freedom Unlimited. With the Freedom Unlimited, you won’t pay an annual fee and you’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back (1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) on purchases. In addition, you’ll earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening. So if you’re looking for a card with a welcome offer, the Freedom Unlimited is the better choice.

There’s also the Chase Freedom that offers a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This card offers 5% back in quarterly rotating categories and 1% back on everything else. But the earnings in quarterly bonus categories are capped at $1,500 in spending per quarter. So again, you’ll have to review your own spending habits to decide which card is best for you.

You can read our review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom here.

The information for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

You’ll earn 1.5 miles per $1 you spend (1.5% back) on all purchases with the new Discover it Miles card and there’s no limit to the number of miles you can earn.

Even better, after the first 12 months of card membership, Discover will double the miles you’ve earned — so it’s effectively a 3% back card on everything for the first year. Which is great for a no-annual-fee card.