Discover it Miles Review
This article was last updated Jul 28, 2020. Terms and conditions may have changed. For the most accurate information, please consult the issuer website.
If you’re looking for a credit card that makes it easy to redeem miles for past purchases or cash back, and that charges a $0 annual fee, take a look at the Discover it® Miles card.
We break down where it stands out and where it falls short, as well as compare it with a competing travel card, the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card.
- Discover it® Miles pros
- Discover it® Miles cons
- Compare it with the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
- Is the Discover it® Miles right for you?
Discover it® Miles pros
Rewards. The Discover it® Miles offers automatically earn unlimited 1.5x miles on every dollar of every purchase - with no annual fee. Each mile is worth 1 cent, meaning this is a 1.5% rewards rate.
There are cards that earn 2% on all purchases, but 1.5% is still solid. Your miles won’t expire, and there’s no cap on how many you can earn. And Discover makes redeeming miles easy:
- Get cash back via an electronic deposit to your bank account.
- Redeem miles for travel purchases you’ve already made with the card.
When redeeming miles for travel purchases, you must make the redemption within 180 days of the purchase date. Travel purchases that qualify include:
- Airline tickets
- Hotel rooms
- Car rentals
- Ride-sharing services
- Commuter transportation
- Travel agents
- Online travel sites
Sign-up bonus. For new cardmembers, Only Discover will automatically match all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.
Intro APR. Need time to pay off a big purchase? The Discover it® Miles offers a break on APR charges with an introductory 0% Intro APR for 14 months on purchases. After, a 11.99% - 22.99% Variable APR applies.
No annual fee. With an annual fee of $0, it doesn’t cost you anything to carry this card.
No foreign transaction fee. Don’t worry about paying an extra fee on each transaction you make outside of the United States, because with this card there is none.
Additional benefits include:
- Free FICO® Score access. Check your credit score as calculated from your TransUnion credit report. You can check online, on the mobile app or on your credit card statements.
- Social Security number (SSN) monitoring. When you sign up for this benefit, Discover will monitor thousands of sites on the dark web for your SSN and alert you if it’s found.
- Customer service based 100% in the U.S. Get assistance with your account 24/7.
- Freeze and unfreeze your card online. If you’ve misplaced your card, you can freeze it online or in the app to prevent new purchases, balance transfers and cash advances.
- No late fee on your first late payment. Unlike with many other credit cards, you won’t be charged a late fee the first time you pay late with the Discover it® Miles. After that, Discover will assess late fees of up to $40 on any late payments. However, paying late should be avoided even with this benefit — your credit score will still suffer even if you aren’t charged a fee.
- No penalty APR. Many cards increase your APR after a late payment. This one won’t.
- $0 fraud liability. You won’t be held liable for unauthorized purchases on your card.
Discover it® Miles cons
Can’t transfer miles. Some travel cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, let cardholders transfer miles to airline and hotel loyalty programs – this card doesn’t.
No travel benefits. While the most robust travel benefits come with premium travel cards that have expensive annual fees, it’s possible to find benefits such as lost luggage coverage even on cards with no annual fee. However, the Discover it® Miles doesn’t offer travel benefits.
Compare it with the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
Another top travel card with a $0 annual fee is the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card. Here’s how the two cards stack up against each other:
Discover it® Miles vs. Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
| Discover it® Miles | Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up bonus | For new cardmembers, Only Discover will automatically match all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match. | Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value |
| Rewards | Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase - with no annual fee. | Earn 3X points on eating out, ordering in and popular streaming services, 3X points on gas stations, rideshares and transit, and 3X points on travel including flights, hotels, homestays and car rentals. Earn 1X points on other purchases. |
| Annual fee | $0 | $0 |
| Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
| Intro purchase APR | 0% Intro APR for 14 months | 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening |
| Regular purchase APR | 11.99% - 22.99% variable apr | 14.49%-24.99% (variable) |
Consumers who spend heavily on gas, dining and other 3X categories offered by the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card will likely be able to earn more rewards with this card. Rewards are in the form of Wells Fargo Go Far points, which are worth 1 cent each. However, those who want to earn flat-rate rewards on every purchase will likely prefer the Discover it® Miles.
One area where the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card stands out is its benefits:
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Car rental loss and damage insurance
- Roadside assistance
- 24/7 travel and emergency assistance, and emergency cash advances
- Cellphone protection of up to $600 with a $25 deductible
- Retail protection against damage or theft
- Extended warranty on original warranties of one year or less
Read our review of the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card.
However, if you’re looking for a travel card to use frequently outside the U.S., you might want to consider a Visa or Mastercard, which tend to have wider acceptance abroad than Discover and Amex. One option for a Visa travel card with a $0 annual fee is the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
Is the Discover it® Miles right for you?
The Discover it® Miles is an overall good choice for a travel credit card with a $0 annual fee. It offers a solid flat-rate rewards program and makes it easy to redeem miles for cash back or past travel purchases. However, due to the lack of travel benefits on this card, consumers who would like to have protections such as lost luggage coverage will likely want to consider other credit cards.
Read: Best Travel Credit Cards
The information related to Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card has been independently collected by CompareCards and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.
