Only have a minute? Here’s why we recommend this card:
- Earn 3 miles for every $1 spent in your first year as a cardholder
- Flexible rewards – fly any airline, stay at any hotel
- No annual fee
It’s easier than you might think to find a travel card that checks all the right boxes, from a flexible miles redemption program to an astronomical points multiplier, added value from travel discounts and more besides. But while a given travel card may look like a slam-dunk on paper, there’s one thing that many are missing: flexibility.
That’s why the Discover it® Miles card is so notable – unlike other travel cards, Miles offers a flat rewards rate no matter where you use it and sports a $0 annual fee, making it an eye-catching entry in a travel space dominated by triple-digit fees and restrictive rewards.
Interested in learning more about how you can jump-start your travel season with Discover it® Miles? Continue on to find out.
Discover Unlimited Rewards
From jump, the Discover it® Miles card has a rewards program unlike nearly anything else in the travel space. It couldn’t be simpler:
- Cardholders automatically earn unlimited 1.5x miles on every dollar of every purchase – with no annual fee.
There’s a couple of things to unpack there. First, no matter where you use your card, you’ll be earning 1.5 miles every time you swipe, insert or tap. Cardholders can redeem those miles for 1 cent per mile for statement credit on travel purchases made in the last 180 days, fairly standard for travel rewards cards.
However, what sets this card apart is that cardholders can also redeem those miles as cash at the exact same rate, which can lend an incredible amount of flexibility when deciding where and how to use rewards. That dedication to flexibility continues when considering that the Discover it® Miles card has no redemption minimums. Cardholders can redeem their miles in any amount and at any time.
The second important thing to note in this card’s baseline rewards program is that all that rewards goodness comes with a $0 annual fee. Many other travel cards – even ones with rewards programs like Miles – charge annual fees approaching $100 or more. This makes the Discover it® Miles card ideal for occasional travelers or those looking for a more well-rounded card. While it can be relatively easy to offset the annual fees of premium travel cards by diving deep into their multi-layered rewards programs, there’s something to be said for not having to worry about spending enough to offset a fee in the first place.
A Breakout Bonus
That well-roundedness continues into the Discover it® Miles card’s welcome offer. Only Discover gives you an unlimited match of 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.
This welcome offer is a feature of many of Discover’s most popular cards for a very good reason: it just works. Think of it this way – rather than just earning 1.5 miles for all your purchases, you’ll be earning 3 miles for every purchase in the first 12 months. For a no annual fee card, this is a substantial benefit and is something to plan around when thinking about your next vacation or big-ticket purchase.
Forget Foreign Fees
Another big travel benefit offered by the Discover it® Miles card is the lack of foreign transaction fees. No matter where you are in the world, you won’t have to pay extra to use your Miles card. This ensures that you’ll be able to maximize your travel rewards without having to worry about fees eating into your earnings.
Notably, No Interest
It should be clear by now that the Discover it® Miles card is a travel powerhouse, but there’s more to this card than just racking up the miles. Miles offers over a year of 0% intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers, which can give you an incredible amount of flexibility (sensing a theme?) and breathing room when it comes to paying down a large purchase or balance. Here are the details:
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For purchases: Cardholders will enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases, with an ongoing 13.49% – 24.49% Variable APRonce that intro period is up.
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For balance transfers: If you’re looking to transfer a balance from a high-interest credit card, you’ll get the benefits available on purchases: discover-it-miles.BalanceTransferIntroRate}, followed by discover-it-miles.BalanceTransferGoToRate}
Wrapping Up
If there’s one word to describe the Discover it® Miles card, it would be versatile. With this card you’ll not only have access to powerful travel rewards and an incredibly enticing welcome offer, but also flexibility with extended periods of 0% intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers and no annual fee.
While this offer may not immediately knock your socks off like other premium travel cards, its ease of use absolutely makes it a solid choice for almost anyone.
Methodology
Each month, the CompareCards team reviews over 100 credit card offers examining the features most valuable to consumers including rewards, sign-up bonus, the interest rate, fees and other features to identify the best offers shown here.
