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If you’re looking for a budget-friendly travel rewards credit card that makes it easy to redeem miles for travel, past purchases or cash back, and that charges a $0 annual fee, take a look at the Discover it® Miles card.
The Discover it® Miles earns a competitive flat rate on every purchase, and unlike the Discover it® Cash Back, cardholders don’t have to activate rotating bonus categories every quarter.
Those who travel more frequently may benefit from a higher-end travel rewards card that offers more travel-related benefits and a higher rewards rate, but know that those cards typically charge an annual fee.
We break down where the Discover it® Miles stands out and where it falls short, as well as compare it with a competing travel card — the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
Intro Purchase APR
0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases
Regular Purchase APR
14.99% - 25.99% Variable APR
Intro BT APR
0% Intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers
Regular BT APR
14.99% - 25.99% Variable APR
Annual Fee
$0
Cash Advance Fee
see terms
Foreign Transaction Fee
None
Balance Transfer Fee
3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
Competitive flat-rate rewards
The Discover it® Miles lets cardholders 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 and even more for travel purchases, but 1.5% is still solid. Your miles won’t expire as long as your account is in good standing, and there’s no cap on how many you can earn. And Discover makes redeeming miles easy:
When redeeming miles for travel purchases, you must make the redemption within 180 days of the purchase date. Travel purchases that qualify include:
Rewards match the first year
This card comes with a unique sign-up bonus for new cardmembers: 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.
Intro APR
Need time to pay off a big purchase? The Discover it® Miles offers a break on interest charges with an introductory rate on purchases of 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases. After, a 14.99% - 25.99% Variable APR applies.
$0 annual fee
With an annual fee of $0, it doesn’t cost you anything to carry the Discover it® Miles.
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.
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.
Can't book travel through the issuer
While some issuers of travel cards offer a portal — such as the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal — where cardholders can book travel, Discover doesn’t provide that option.
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.
Not always accepted abroad
While Discover has made rapid strides in the United States and is widely accepted at most locations that take credit cards, that’s not always the case in other countries. You may want to have a Visa or Mastercard credit card in your wallet when traveling abroad.
Another top travel card with a $0 annual fee is the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
Cardholders with the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card can earn 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 miles on hotels and rental cars booked through capital one travel.
Plus, new cardholders can earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel.
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is ideal for those new to travel rewards cards and who want a simple approach to earning and redeeming rewards miles, much like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ($95 annual fee), but without having to pay to carry the card.
Plus, 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. The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is a Visa card.
The beauty of the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is that cardholders can transfer the miles they earn to multiple airline and hotel partners, plus the card comes with more travel benefits, such as travel accident insurance and no blackout or expirations dates.
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| Discover it® Miles | Discover it® Cash Back | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | |
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Apply Now on Discover's secure site
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Apply Now on Discover's secure site
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Apply Now on Capital One's secure site
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Apply Now |
| Annual Fee | |||
| $0 | $0 | $95 | N/A |
| 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. | Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300. | Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel | N/A |
| Rewards Rate | |||
| Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase - with no annual fee. | 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and when you pay using PayPal, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases - automatically | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 5 Miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world’s largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023 | N/A |
| Intro Purchase APR | |||
| 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases | 0% Intro APR for 15 months | N/A | N/A |
| Regular APR | |||
| 14.99% - 25.99% Variable APR | 14.99% - 25.99% Variable APR | 18.99% - 26.99% (Variable) | N/A |
| Recommended Credit | |||
| Excellent/Good | Excellent/Good | Excellent/Good | N/A |
| Card Details | |||
| Discover it® Miles | Discover it® Cash Back | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | |
The Discover it® Miles with its $0 annual fee is an overall good choice for the occasional traveler. 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.
