Discover it Miles card review: Earn 1.5x miles everywhere and have all your rewards matched in the first year

Review: Is the Discover it Miles the best credit card for you?

There are plenty of travel credit cards that offer big welcome bonuses, fancy perks, and the opportunity to get outsized value from your points. But in some cases, you'll have to navigate complicated bonus categories or award charts to squeeze the most value from your rewards.

The Discover it® Miles does things a little differently. While it doesn't come packed with benefits, cardholders earn a straightforward 1.5 miles per dollar on all purchases, with no caps or earning categories to worry about. Even better, the Discover it® Miles doesn't charge an annual fee or foreign transaction fees, making it an easy pick for international travelers who don't want to pay a yearly fee.

Read more: The best rewards credit cards in 2021

This no-fuss approach extends to redemptions, as well. Discover miles are worth a flat 1 cent apiece when you redeem them toward statement credits or for straight cash back into your bank account. Because of this, you can consider the Discover it® Miles card as earning 1.5% back on everything (1.5 miles per dollar x 1 cent per mile).

While there are other no-annual-fee cash-back cards— like the Citi® Double Cash Card— that earn a higher cash-back rate across the board, the Discover it® Miles comes with a feature that gives it a big edge over similar cards for the first year.

Discover it Miles Unlimited Bonus

Discover cards don't come with a traditional welcome bonus. Instead, through its Cashback Match program (referred to as Unlimited Bonus on the Discover it® Miles), Discover will match all the rewards you earn at the end of your first year of opening the card.

So, for example, if you earned 30,000 miles (worth $300) in the first 12 months, Discover would match an additional 30,000 miles, for a total of 60,000 miles (worth $600). This effectively makes your earnings on the Discover it® Miles equivalent to 3% back (3x miles) for the first year of account opening.

Read more: Discover Cashback Match is a unique program that matches your credit card rewards after your first year, and it couldn't be easier to use

That's an excellent deal for big spenders because there's no limit to what Discover will match. Whether you've earned 5,000 miles or 50,000 miles, you'll get the same amount back with the Unlimited Bonus program.

That said, if you won't spend enough on the card to make the match worthwhile, you could look at a no-annual-fee rewards card that offers a solid upfront bonus instead. The Chase Freedom Unlimited®, for instance, offers a bonus of Chase Freedom Unlimited®. Cardholders earn 5% cash back (5x points) on travel purchased through Chase, 3% cash back (3x points) on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash back (1.5x points) on everything else. 

Comparison: Discover it Miles vs other Discover cards

Comparison: Discover it Miles vs other no-annual-fee rewards credit cards

How to use rewards from the Discover it Miles card

While Discover frames the Discover it® Miles as a travel card by calling the rewards it earns "miles," these aren't miles in the usual sense.

Read more: The best Discover credit cards in 2021

You can't transfer Discover miles to airline or hotel partners or use them to book travel directly — instead, your miles have a fixed cash value no matter how you use them. You can redeem miles at a rate of 1 cent apiece, with several redemption options:

• A credit toward travel purchases made with your card in the past 180 days 
• A statement credit to pay off all or part of your bill
• Cash as an electronic deposit to your bank account
• Pay at checkout for Amazon or PayPal purchases

There's no minimum redemption amount, so you could cash in as little as 1 mile (1 cent). You won't have to worry about expiration, either — Discover miles don't expire, and if your account is closed or you haven't used it in 18 months, you'll get a credit in the amount of your rewards balance.

Read more: The best Discover credit cards in 2021

Discover it Miles card benefits and features

As you might expect from a no-annual-fee card, the Discover it® Miles doesn't come with a ton of extra benefits. However, there are a handful of features that might come in handy.

Introductory 0% APR

If you have big purchases coming up that you want to pay for over time, the Discover it® Miles could save you money on interest. New cardholders receive an introductory 0% APR on purchases for the first 14 months, followed by a Discover it® Miles APR.

Read more: The best low-interest and 0% APR credit cards in 2021

Taking advantage of a 0% APR offer only makes sense if you have a plan and the means to pay off your account balance before the introductory period ends. Otherwise, you might end up getting stung by high interest charges— which would wipe out the value of any rewards you'd earn, and make it hard to get out of debt.

No foreign transaction fees

Paying an extra 3% or more when you use your credit card abroad can take the fun out of a vacation very quickly! That's why travelers should always pack a card with no foreign transaction fees to avoid these pricey charges when they're overseas.

Read more: The best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees in 2021

The Discover it® Miles is one of the few no-annual-fee cards that doesn't charge a fee for international purchases. Just be aware that Discover cards aren't accepted everywhere (although acceptance has increased greatly in recent years), so you might want to bring a backup card just in case.

Colorful card designs

To go with the travel theme, the Discover it® Miles offers several card designs from which you can choose during the application process. I'm particularly fond of the palm tree motif, but there are also bright blue, pink, and lime green options if that's more your style.

Security features

Discover offers free fraud and security monitoring, and will alert you if your Social Security Number is found on the Dark Web or if new accounts appear on your credit report.

Read more: Someone charged hundreds of dollars to my wife's credit card, but we weren't on the hook because we didn't pay with debit

As with most cards, there's $0 fraud liability, so you won't be on the hook for unauthorized charges. If needed — such as if you've misplaced your card — you can freeze your account at any time.

Free FICO score

Cardholders get complimentary access to a credit scorecard, including a free FICO score that updates monthly. 

Read more: 5 ways opening a credit card and using it responsibly can boost your credit score

Discover it Miles card fees and costs

The Discover it® Miles doesn't charge an annual fee or foreign transaction fees, and there are no late fees on your first late payment (after that, up to $40).

Like most cards, the Discover it® Miles charges fees for cash advances and balance transfers. And, as mentioned, after the introductory 0% APR on purchases for the first 14 months, you'll pay a Discover it® Miles APR.

Jasmin Baron is an associate editor at Personal Finance Insider, where she helps readers maximize rewards and find the best credit cards to fit their lifestyles. She has covered credit cards, points and miles, and loyalty programs for over seven years, and she's a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF).

SEE ALSO: The 8 best no-fee credit cards to open in 2018

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