Discover it Miles Review

discover_it_milesThe Discover it Miles card was added to the already established duo of “it” cards offered by Discover – the Discover it and the Discover it For Students – in early 2015.  It is a good choice for people who want a simple way to earn travel rewards on purchases without having to deal with rotating categories or spending caps.  The Discover it Miles card currently has no signup bonus available but it does offer an introductory APR to new members.  There is no annual for this card.

Cardholders earn 1.5X Miles per dollar spent on net purchases.  (Net purchases are the total amount of transactions minus any credits, returns or fees.)  There is no limit on the amount of Miles you can earn and your earned rewards never expire.  Plus when you shop for deals from popular retailers through Discover Deals, you can earn additional Miles on your purchases.

Members can redeem Miles in any amount for a travel credit to your statement that covers travel purchases.  Miles can also be redeemed for cash and direct deposited into your bank account.  The rate of redemption is always 1:1 – 100 Miles equals $1.00 in rewards.  There are no blackout dates and members can choose any airline, at any time.

New members receive a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 billing cycles of your account.  After this, the variable APR will be 11.24% to 23.24% based on your creditworthiness at the time of approval.

New account holders can take advantage of an introductory Balance Transfer APR of 10.99% for 12 months from the date of the first transfer. Note:  Balance transfers must post to your account by April 10, 2016, to qualify for the promotional APR.  After this time, the variable APR will be 11.24% to 23.24% depending on your creditworthiness at the time of approval.  In addition, a balance transfer fee of 3% of the total amount of the transfer is applied to any completed balance transfer.  This fee is not waived during the promotional time period.

Also for new members, Discover will automatically double the amount of Miles you’ve earned on the card at the end of your first year.  Depending on how much you spend in the first year, this can be a great way to accumulate a lot of rewards Miles quickly.

Members receive an In-Flight Wi-Fi Credit of up to $30 per year when you purchase your in-flight Wi-Fi using your Discover it Miles card.  Reimbursement is in the form of automatic statement credits.

Cardholders receive these additional benefits with the Discover it Miles card:

  • No penalty APR
  • Zero liability for unauthorized purchases
  • Freeze It
  • 100% U.S. based call center service
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Free overnight card replacement
  • Free monthly access to your FICO credit score

The card comes with smart chip technology for enhanced security when making purchases at a chip-enabled terminal.

The Discover it Miles card has no annual fee.

The Facts

Below we have broken the specific details of the Discover it Miles card to help you determine if it’s a good choice for you.

The Good:

Double miles offer:

Discover will double all the miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year.  This means if you plan to use the card for most of your everyday purchases during your initial year of membership, you can accumulate a lot of Miles really quickly.  Note: This offer is available to new members only.

Uncomplicated rewards program:

Members earn unlimited 1.5X Miles per dollar spent on net purchases.  There are no rotating categories and Miles do not expire.

Easy to redeem Miles:

Members can redeem Miles in any amount for a travel credit to your statement that covers travel purchases.  Miles can also be redeemed for cash and direct deposited into your bank account.  The rate of redemption is always 1:1 – 100 Miles equals $1.00 in rewards.  There are no blackout dates and members can choose any airline, at any time.

Introductory APR on purchases:

New members receive a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 billing cycles of your account.  After this, the variable APR will be 11.24% to 23.24% based on your creditworthiness at the time of approval.

Low introductory APR on balance transfers:

New account holders can take advantage of an introductory Balance Transfer APR of 10.99% for 12 months from the date of the first transfer. Note:  Balance transfers must post to your account by April 10, 2016, to qualify for the promotional APR.  After this time, your variable APR will be 11.24% to 23.24% depending on your creditworthiness at the time of approval.  A balance transfer fee of 3% of the total amount of the transfer is applied to any completed balance transfer.  This fee is not waived during the promotional time period.

In-Flight Wi-Fi credit:

The Discover it Miles card will reimburse up to $30 of your in-flight Wi-Fi purchases each Anniversary year.  (An Anniversary year is considered twelve consecutive months from the date your account is opened.)  Reimbursement is in the form of an automatic statement credit and is made within seven business days from the date of purchase.

Freeze It feature:

If you ever misplace your card, simply use the Discover Freeze It app or website.  In seconds, you will prevent new purchases, cash advances or balance transfers on your account until you unfreeze your card.

No foreign transaction fees:

Members are not charged a foreign transaction fee on purchases made with the card while traveling internationally.

Additional benefits:

  • No penalty APR
  • Zero liability for unauthorized purchases
  • 100% U.S. based call center service
  • Free overnight card replacement
  • Free monthly access to your FICO credit score

No annual fee:

There is no annual fee associated with this card.

The Bad:

No signup bonus:

There is no signup bonus offered with this card so new members do not earn bonus Miles upon approval.

Limited travel benefits:

The Discover it Miles card does not offer more exclusive travel privileges such as trip cancellation and interruption coverage, priority boarding or primary auto rental coverage.

Wide range of APRs:

Once the introductory APR offers on purchases and balance transfers expire, the standard APR is a variable rate of 11.24% to 23.24%.  Your specific APR is determined by your creditworthiness at the time of approval so if your credit is less than excellent, you could be looking at a very high APR.

The Ugly:

Double Miles bonus not immediately available:

Cardholders have to wait until the end of the first year of membership to receive the double Miles from Discover.  If you want to have a large amount of rewards to use right away (as with a signup bonus), this card may not be the best option for you.

Miles do not transfer to travel partners:

Even though the Discover it Miles card is marketed as a travel rewards credit card, it does not offer a 1:1 frequent travel program conversion (for airlines or hotels) like Chase Sapphire or Citi ThankYou Premier.

Limited acceptance internationally:

Discover is continually expanding its global presence but it is still not as widely accepted as Visa or MasterCard.  If you frequently travel overseas you may want to take this fact into consideration.

The Discover it Miles card is a good choice if you want an easy way to earn unlimited 1.5X Miles on every purchase – and since Discover will double the amount of miles you earn in your first year, you are basically earning 3X Miles on your purchases for the first 12 months.  Plus you get a 0% introductory APR on purchases for a year and a low APR of 10.99% on balance transfers for this same amount of time.  Add in no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee and what you have is a simple travel rewards card that delivers solid value.