What's the minimum credit score needed for Discover cards?

The best Discover card for fair credit is Discover it® Student chrome because it has a $0 annual fee and gives 1 - 2% cash back in rewards, depending on the purchase category. Discover it Student chrome, which is available to students with limited or fair credit, also doubles the rewards cardholders earn the first year. … read full answer

Similarly, Discover it® Student Cash Back is another good choice for students with fair credit. It has a lot of the same features, but gives up to 5% cash back on purchases in bonus categories that change each quarter and require quarterly activation. There’s a quarterly limit applied to those bonus rewards, too.

Finally, as a fallback option, there’s the Discover it® Secured Credit Card. It’s intended for people with limited or bad credit, but it still offers good rewards and low fees. Discover does not offer any general-purpose credit cards for people with fair credit specifically.

The Discover it Miles credit score requirement is 700 or higher. That means an applicant will need at least good credit to have high odds of approval. The Miles card’s credit score requirement is the same as that of most other Discover cards, including Discover it Cash Back and Discover it Chrome.… read full answer

Some cardholders report getting Discover it Miles and other Discover cards with scores below 700, but take such testimonials with a grain of salt. Not all applicants’ situations are the same. Also, understand that a credit score of 700 or higher won’t guarantee you approval for the Discover it Miles card. It is a crucial component that carries significant weight when an application is under review, but Discover will also take several other factors into account. Those include annual income (and sources of that income), employment status and your monthly housing payment. Discover also evaluates applicants’ current debt level, payment history and more.

If you’re approved for Discover it Miles, you’ll have access to a great travel credit card. It gives 1.5 miles per $1 spent on all purchases, and you can redeem those miles for one cent apiece toward travel purchases with no blackout dates. There’s also an introductory APR of 0% for 14 months on purchases.

Plus, Discover it Miles offers some perks common to all Discover cards, including a $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee. Discover will also match all the miles you earn during the first year on your first account anniversary. Not bad for a travel card that requires good credit.

If you don’t qualify for Discover it Miles, you can always apply for the Discover it Secured Card. You’ll have high odds of being approved, even with bad credit. The card comes with all the standard Discover card features, including a first-year cash back match.