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If you’re already daydreaming about next year’s vacation, take notice: the Discover it Miles credit card could help you make it happen. Discover’s flexible rewards program and impressive sign-up bonus can take a big bite out of your travel expenses.
Here’s how you can use the Discover it Miles card to splurge on an epic vacation next year.
All Purchases Earn Miles
To save on your trip, you’ll need to earn miles, which can be redeemed for travel expenses.
All purchases automatically earn 1.5 miles per dollar, with no confusing restrictions or spending categories to keep tabs on.
Miles are unlimited and don’t expire as long as your account stays open. You can even earn miles using mobile wallets, as the card is compatible with Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay.
If you begin earning miles now, you’ll have a head start saving up for your vacation.
The First-Year Matching Bonus
Here’s how Discover can really make a big difference on your next trip.
After the first 12 consecutive billing periods, Discover will match all the miles you’ve accrued, posting them to your account within a month or two. This automatically doubles the miles you earn. Essentially, you’ll be earning three miles per dollar (rather than 1.5) for a full year.
After you make a year’s worth of purchases and receive your first-year matching bonus, you should have a sizeable stockpile of miles to redeem for your trip.
Redeeming Miles for Your Vacation
Redeeming miles is simple and flexible. You won’t have to deal with special travel booking platforms, and you aren’t limited to certain travel providers.
You can redeem miles at any time for travel purchases made on your card within the past 180 days. Simply select the desired purchase(s) you wish to redeem for, and your miles will be posted in the form of a statement credit.
Qualifying travel purchases include airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, cruises, local and public transportation, and more. There are no blackout dates.
One mile has a cash value of one cent, so every 100 miles is worth $1 in travel redemption.
The Costs
The card has no annual fee. There’s an introductory 0% annual percentage rate (APR) on purchases for 14 months, and balance transfers get an introductory 10.99% APR for 14 months, after which the standard purchase APR of applies.
Balance transfer fees are 3% of the transfer amount, and there are no foreign transaction fees.
How to Use the Card to Your Advantage
The quickest way to earn miles is to use your card for all your everyday purchases. That way, you’ll earn miles as you spend and get rewarded with a big sign-up bonus after a year.
Of course, you should always try to pay down your balance in full each month. Miles are great, but they aren’t much help if you can’t afford to make timely payments. And even though you won’t incur interest on purchases for 14 months, you don’t want your balance to become unmanageable.
When booking your next vacation, timing is important. You don’t want to make travel purchases too early, as your miles can only be redeemed for purchases made in the last 180 days. If you plan on making travel purchases ahead of time and redeeming miles later, make sure to check your calendar first. Keep in mind that the first-year matching bonus may take a month or two to show up.
If the Discover it Miles card isn’t right for you, review our other featured travel rewards credit cards. But before you apply for any credit card, you should be reasonably confident that you will be approved, as hard inquiries can lower your credit score. Review your credit report for free on Credit.com for the best chance of successful approvals.
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