Discover it Miles travel card: 2021 review

Travel credit cards can be useful tools both to manage your money and earn rewards while you spend. If you’re a frequent traveler, choose a card which offers bonus points, discounts and perks for tickets, hotels and trips so you can do more and still save money.

This guide covers everything you should know about the Discover it Miles travel card. We’ll also touch on another smart way to save money when you travel — the Wise Multi-currency Account and card.

Read more about saving money abroad

Overview: the Discover it Miles travel card

The Discover it Miles card¹ has no annual fee and some great bonus earning opportunities for new card holders. For the first year or so, you’ll get both an unbeatable APR on new spending, and an effective reward rate of 3 points per dollar spent. However, on an ongoing basis the reward rate per dollar spent isn’t the best out there. The Discover it Miles card is a good no-fee option — but if you’re expecting to spend frequently with your travel card and don’t mind paying an annual service charge you might find better options out there.

Pros & Cons

Compare the Discover it Miles travel card with other providers

There’s a broad range of different travel card options out there, so doing a bit of research will help you find the best one for you. Don’t forget to check out the features and fees of different card providers, and pick one which balances costs with the opportunity to maximize your rewards.

We’ll take a full look at the way the Discover it card works in just a moment, but as a starting point, here’s a side by side comparison of the travel cards on offer from some major card providers.

Another alternative for international travel: meet Wise

While you’re looking for the best card for your international travel, check out the Wise Multi-currency Account as a smart, simple way to manage your money across borders.

Open your Wise account online, and order your linked debit card for easy spending and cash withdrawals at home and abroad. Because it’s a Multi-currency Account you can top up your balance in dollars and then convert to the currency you need for traveling, using the real mid-market exchange rate.

Create your free Wise account now

Discover it Miles travel credit card card full review

If you’re not sure if the Discover it Miles card is your perfect match. Here are the features, fees and benefits you need to know about.

Features

• Earn 1.5 reward miles for every dollar you spend
• Redeem your reward miles as a cash payment to your bank account, or to offset against travel spending using your card
• Discover will match your first year’s reward points, doubling your earning potential in year one
• No annual fee
• No foreign transaction fee
• Variable APR — you’ll have a 0% APR for 14 months but will then be offered an APR which is based on your credit score

Advantages of the Discover it Miles credit card

• Good opening offers for new card holders
• Unlimited point earning opportunity
• Points don’t expire and can be redeemed flexibly as cash or credit
• No annual fee

Disadvantages of the Discover it Miles credit card

• After the initial period you may find there are better APRs available depending on your credit score
• Relatively high fees and APR for cash advances
• Discover network is not accepted as widely as Visa or MasterCard
• Reward earn rate isn’t as high as some other cards on the market

Rewards

How to earn rewards

You’ll earn 1.5 miles for every dollar you spend on the Discover it Miles card. This doesn’t apply to cash advances or balance transfers⁵.

At the end of your first year, Discover will match the points you’ve earned in the preceding 12 statement periods — so you double the amount of reward miles you have.

How to redeem rewards

1 mile can be redeemed at the value of 1 penny. You can redeem your reward miles as a cash deposit to your bank account, or as a statement credit against travel purchases made with your card. Travel spending credit can be applied to purchases made in the preceding 180 days, and includes vacation packages, travel tickets, suburban travel and more.

Fees and charges

The Discover it Miles card doesn’t have any annual fee, but that doesn’t mean there are no costs at all. You’ll need to pay off your balance every statement period to avoid interest, and there are extra charges for services such as cash advances and balance transfers. Here’s what you need to know.

International spending: coverage and exchange rate

You can use your Discover card when you’re abroad with merchants who accept the Discover network. There’s no international transaction fee to pay — although you’ll want to avoid making ATM withdrawals if you can because there are steep cash advance costs.

It’s important to check coverage levels in your destination country before you travel⁷, as Discover cards aren’t as widely accepted outside of the US compared with other networks like Visa and MasterCard. You’ll also need to register your travel plans with Discover in advance to ensure you have uninterrupted use of your card as you travel.

When you spend in a foreign currency, your purchases will be converted back into dollars using the Discover exchange rate — as long as you avoid dynamic currency conversion (DCC). DCC is where you’re asked by a merchant or when making a withdrawal if you’d rather pay in dollars instead of the currency wherever you are. That might seem like a great service, but actually DCC is a headache for travelers. The exchange rate and fee structure used for DCC is set by the merchant, and can mean you’re paying more than you need to for international spending. Always opt to pay in the local currency to avoid excessive DCC fees.

With a bit of research you’ll be able to find the perfect travel card for your personal needs and preferences. The Discover it Miles card could be a good fit if you want a low cost card for occasional use, although there are other cards out there which offer higher redemption rates if you’re planning on charging high ticket items to the card. Take a look through the range of travel credit and debit cards on the market, including modern alternatives like the Wise Multi-currency Account and card to get the right one for you.