How Much Are Discover it Miles Worth?

Discover's credit card lineup includes cash back and rewards options, but the Discover it Miles credit card is unique in offering mile earnings. With this card, you earn a consistent 1.5 miles per dollar spent and, upon redemption, get 1 cent per mile. These miles maintain their value regardless of how they are redeemed. The program is straightforward, providing a simple way to accumulate and use miles without complex strategies. Compared with reward programs run by other credit card issuers, the value you get for your Discover it Miles is about average.

One of the key Discover it benefits when it comes to redeeming the miles you earn is that their value remains the same. As a result, you may redeem them through any of the available methods and still get 1 cent per mile. Your options include:

• Use them to pay your credit card bill, partially or completely
• Redeem them as an electronic deposit into a bank account
• Redeem them as a statement credit for a travel purchase
• Use them to shop online

The value you get for your Discover it Miles is on par with what you can expect through most other credit card rewards programs. However, Discover provides just one credit card with miles, and there is no option to earn bonus miles through category-based spending. In addition, it’s not possible to transfer Discover it Miles to an airline or hotel loyalty program. However, for those who value simplicity, one key selling point is that the value of your miles does not change based on how you redeem them.

You may redeem your miles as an electronic deposit into an eligible bank account, as a credit to pay all or part of your credit card bill or as a credit toward travel purchases that have appeared on your account in the last 180 days. In all cases, you get 1 cent per mile. So, if you redeem 20,000 miles, you receive a value of $200.

If you wish to redeem your miles for cash back in the form of an electronic deposit, you need to log in to Discover. Once you do, navigate to the rewards section and select Electronic Deposit. Then, enter the number of miles you wish to redeem and select the bank account to which you want Discover to transfer the cash.

Discover lets you use your miles to cover travel purchases that have appeared on your statement in the last 180 days. All eligible redemptions come with a value of one cent per mile. Travel purchases include flight tickets, hotel stays, rental cars, commuter transportation, online travel portals, travel agents, restaurants and gas stations.

Purchases at fast food locations, full-service restaurants, cafeterias, cafes and restaurant delivery services qualify as restaurant purchases. Purchases made at establishments that let you buy automotive fuel at a pump or inside a station qualify as gas station purchases. However, gas stations linked with wholesale clubs, supercenters and supermarkets might not make the cut.

How to redeem Discover it Miles for a statement credit to cover travel purchases is fairly simple. All you need to do is log in to your Discover account and select Travel Credit on the redemption page. Then, you can select the eligible purchases for which you wish to receive a statement credit.

You may use your Discover it Miles to shop at Amazon.com or make payments via PayPal. In both cases, you get a value of one cent per mile. Compared with shopping using points/miles through other rewards programs, this is as good as it gets.

If you wish to use your miles to shop at Amazon.com, you need to enroll your Discover it Miles card in Shop with Points by visiting Amazon.com. During checkout, select your Miles card as the payment method, and use your miles to pay for all or part of the purchase.

With PayPal, you need to link your Discover it Miles to your PayPal wallet. Then, when you wish to make payments via PayPal, simply select your Discover it Miles card as the payment method.

Discover does not allow you to redeem your miles for gift cards. However, if you have a Discover it credit card that earns cash back, you may redeem the cash back for gift cards. In this case, the value you receive depends on the merchant you select, and you stand to receive bonuses. For example, $45 worth of cash back will get you a $50 Red Lobster gift card. Similarly, you may redeem $85 cash back for a $100 gift card from Sephora, $40 for an $80 gift card from Universal Studios or $20 for a $30 gift card from Sunglass Hut.

To redeem the cash back you earn through a Discover it card for a gift card, you need to log in to your Discover account. Then, on the page where you can view ways to redeem your cash back, select Gift Cards. Go through the various gift cards on offer by using different search filters. Once you choose which gift card to get, add it to your cart. Then, pay for it using your cash back.

There are no Discover it transfer partners linked to the miles program. However, you may fly with any airline or stay at any hotel and then use your miles to cover the charges in the form of a statement credit.

As with other credit card programs that let you transfer your points or miles to airline/hotel loyalty programs, the value you ultimately get depends on multiple factors. These include the loyalty program you’re part of — that is, the program to which you wish to transfer your points/miles — and your travel itinerary.

While the Discover it Miles card allows you to earn miles, it does not come with a welcome bonus. However, it matches the miles you earn through the first 365 days or 12 billing cycles (the longer of the two), and you get this bonus at the end of the first year. As a result, if you earn 50,000 miles in the first 12 billing cycles, you will receive a bonus of 50,000 miles.

Note that you cannot buy Discover it Miles, and since Discover does not have transfer partners, the only way you can earn miles is through using Discover it Miles Credit Card. However, the Discover it Cash Back Credit Card, the Discover it Student Cash Back Credit Card and the NHL Discover it Credit Card give you opportunities to earn more cash back through revolving bonus categories. These include spending on Amazon.com, via digital wallets and at grocery stores and restaurants.

Looking at answers to other commonly asked questions about the Discover membership program, the miles you earn and their worth might help you determine if this reward program might be worth your while.