How Does the Discover it® Miles Credit Card Work?

Last Updated: October 7, 2022

6 min read

Key Points About: How Discover it Credit Card Miles Work

Credit card miles are rewards that are earned by shopping with a travel credit card
You can redeem Miles for cash in any amount to pay your bill.
The Discover Miles Credit Card earns 1.5 Miles for every dollar you spend on purchases

Discover it® Miles is an innovative credit card designed for users who want to earn unlimited rewards on everyday purchases with a flat 1.5x Miles reward rate for everyday purchases.

Some travel credit cards are only beneficial when booking travel arrangements with that card. Not so with the Discover it® Miles card, which allows you to earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on everyday purchases and redeem them conveniently, beyond just basic travel categories. Consider all of the benefits of the Discover it® Miles card here:

How Do Credit Card Miles Work?

Credit card miles are a customer loyalty benefit some credit card issuers give their customers to reward them for using the card to make purchases. Some credit card companies, like Discover, call them Miles; others call them points, but it all amounts to the same thing – a rewards program.

Typically, the more you spend on your credit card, the more miles or points you earn. Once you accumulate a certain amount, you can then redeem them for specific items or rewards. The value of the points or miles and how you can use them depends on the credit card and the rewards program it offers. Read on to learn more about how to make the most of the unique perks of the Discover it® Miles card.

How Does the Discover it® Miles Card Work?

The Discover it® Miles travel credit card is a personal credit card, not a business credit card, that earns Miles on every purchase, every day. Unlike a specific airline credit card, you can redeem Miles for travel or cash.¹ Unlike some other travel credit cards, the Discover it® Miles travel credit card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee. And with Discover Match, you get an unlimited Mile-for-Mile match of all the Miles you earn at the end of your first year, automatically. There is no limit to how much we’ll match.²

More Than Just Airline Miles

Even though the Discover it® Miles card has the word “Miles” in it, that doesn’t mean that you can only use them for airlines. It’s essentially a flat-rate card that earns 1.5 Miles on every dollar spent on purchases – which can be redeemed as a statement credit for recent travel purchases, cash, or at Amazon.com³ checkout and with PayPal.⁴

With the Discover it® Miles card, your redemption rate is one cent per Mile, and you can redeem your Miles as a statement credit toward your Discover bill.⁵ You can also redeem Miles for cash whenever you want and deposit the cash into your bank account.

Here’s how it works: Let’s say you spend $10,000 on the card. Since you earn 1.5 Miles on every dollar you spend on purchases, your $10,000 purchase will earn you 15,000 Miles. You can redeem these 15,000 Miles for $150 at a redemption rate of one cent per Mile. If you make a travel-related purchase, you can get a $150 statement credit; if not, you can deposit $150 into your bank account. In your first year, Discover will match all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year, so your $10,000 purchase will actually earn you 30,000 Miles, which you can redeem for $300 instead of $150.²

What are Discover it® Miles worth?

Every Mile you earn with Discover is equal to $.01 in rewards. So, if you’ve earned 1,000 Miles from Discover, that’s equal to $10.00 to redeem toward your monthly bill, even your minimum payment. You can also redeem Miles directly at Amazon.com checkout³ or when you pay using PayPal.⁴

How do Discover Miles Redemptions Work?

Another great feature of the Discover it® Miles card is that you can redeem Miles to pay your Discover bill in any amount, with as little as 1 Mile.¹ This gives you more flexibility than rewards programs that have minimum amounts for redemption.

Redeeming at Amazon.com

It’s easy to redeem Discover Miles at Amazon.com.³ Link your Discover Card with your Amazon.com account to use Miles at checkout. You can use as many or as few Discover Miles as you’d like, there’s no minimum. To link your Discover Card with your Amazon.com account, visit Amazon Account Linking.

Redeeming on PayPal

You can use your rewards when you pay with PayPal⁴. Just visit the PayPal website to link your Discover Card to your account with PayPal.

Is there a limit to the number of Miles I can earn?

There is NO limit to the number of Miles you can earn.

Will my Miles expire?

Rewards have no expiration. We will credit your account with your rewards balance if your account is closed or if you have not yet used it within 18 months.⁵ See Miles Terms and Conditions for details.

Where do I find the number of Miles I have available to redeem?

You can always find your available Miles balance under “Miles Available to Redeem” on the first page of your monthly statement. You can also see your available Miles on Account Center when you redeem online.

When will I see the Miles I’ve earned on my statement?

Discover will calculate the Miles you’ve earned in each billing cycle to your account at the end of each billing period, and you will see the total on your monthly statement. If you have questions about Miles which have not posted to your Miles account, call our 100% U.S. based service team at the number on the back of your card.

Can I transfer Miles from another card or frequent flier program to my Miles Card account?

No, you can’t transfer Miles from another program.

If my card is lost or stolen, will my Miles be transferred to my new account?

Yes, we will automatically transfer your Miles to your new Discover it® Miles account. Redemption may not be available for approximately 24-48 hours if your card is lost or stolen.

More Discover it Miles Benefits

Discover will match all the Miles that you’ve earned at the end of the first year for new cardmembers.² There is no limit to how much is matched, so the more you earn, the more is matched.

Get a free Credit Scorecard with your updated FICO® Score every month and important information like credit utilization, number of missed payments, number of recent inquiries, length of credit history and total number of accounts.⁶

You can freeze your account in seconds with an on/off switch either on the mobile app or website to prevent new purchases, cash advances and balance transfers.⁷

Not only do frequent travelers benefit from the flexibility of the Discover it® Miles card, but those who don’t travel often can still reap the benefits of redeeming their Miles for cash in any amount to help pay their bills.¹ Stopping overnight at a hotel? Redeem for a statement credit for that purchase. You’ve earned a bunch of Miles, but don’t have any travel planned? Redeem your Miles for cash as equivalent value and spend it however you like.

What credit score do you need for Discover it® Miles?

The Discover it® Miles credit card is generally for people with good to excellent credit. You can see if you’re pre-approved for an offer with no harm to your credit.

How do I apply for Discover it® Miles?

Apply for Discover it® Miles online or by calling 1-800-DISCOVER (1-800-347-2683).

Can you switch your Discover it® Card to Discover it® Miles?

If you already have a Discover Card and want to switch to Discover it® Miles, call our customer service team to ask about converting your account to Miles. If your account is eligible to switch, you will keep your rewards balance and you’ll start to earn 1.5x Miles on every purchase with your new rewards program.

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Redeem Miles: Starting at 1 Mile, you can redeem your Miles as a credit to your account to pay for all or part of your bill, for cash as an electronic deposit to your bank account, or for a credit for Travel Purchases made on your statement within the last 180 days. Travel Purchases include airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, travel agents, online travel sites, commuter transportation, restaurants and gas stations. Restaurant purchases include those made at merchants classified as full-service restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, fast-food locations, and restaurant delivery services. Gas Station purchases include those made at merchants classified as places that sell automotive gasoline that can be bought at the pump or inside the station. Gas Stations affiliated with supermarkets, supercenters, and wholesale clubs may not be eligible.

Even if a travel purchase on your statement appears to fit in a Travel Purchase category, the merchant may not have a merchant category code (MCC) in a Travel Purchase category. Merchants and payment processors are assigned an MCC based on their typical products and services. Discover Card does not assign MCCs to merchants. Certain third-party payment accounts and digital wallet transactions may not be eligible for credit redemption if the technology does not provide sufficient transaction details or a qualifying MCC. See Terms and Conditions for more information.

Discover Match^®: We’ll match all the Miles rewards you’ve earned on your credit card from the day your new account is approved through your first 12 consecutive billing periods or 365 days, whichever is longer, and add it to your rewards account within two billing periods. You’ve earned Miles rewards only when they’re processed, which may be after the transaction date. We will not match: rewards that are processed after your match period ends; statement credits; rewards transfers from Discover checking or other deposit accounts; or rewards for accounts that are closed. This promotional offer may not be available in the future and is exclusively for new cardmembers. No purchase minimums.

Use Rewards at Amazon.com: For complete details on how to Pay with Rewards at Amazon.com see Amazon.com/DiscoverRewards. Amazon is not a sponsor of this promotion. Amazon, the Amazon.com logo, the smile logo and all related marks are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Use Rewards with PayPal: For complete details on how to Pay with Rewards with PayPal see PayPal.com/Discover. Pay with Rewards will be available for eligible credit cards on eligible purchases or can be donated to support a charitable cause with PayPal Giving Fund. To learn more about Pay with Rewards, see terms and conditions. All reward redemptions are subject to Discover’s reward program terms.

PayPal, the PayPal logo are trademarks of PayPal or its Affiliates.

Rewards Redemption: Your rewards never expire. We will credit your account or send you a check with your rewards balance if your account is closed or if it has not been used within 18 months.

FICO® Credit Score Terms: FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation of the United States and other countries.

Discover Financial Services and Fair Isaac are not credit repair organizations as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. Discover Financial Services and Fair Isaac do not provide “credit repair” services or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history or credit rating.

Freeze It®: When you freeze your account, Discover will not authorize new purchases, cash advances or balance transfers. However, some activity will continue, including merchant-indicated recurring bill payment, as well as returns, credits, dispute adjustments, delayed authorizations (such as some transit purchases), payments, Discover protection product fees, other account fees, interest, rewards redemptions and certain other exempted transactions.

Legal Disclaimer: This site is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice. The material on this site is not intended to provide legal, investment, or financial advice and does not indicate the availability of any Discover product or service. It does not guarantee that Discover offers or endorses a product or service. For specific advice about your unique circumstances, you may wish to consult a qualified professional.

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