Discover it vs. Discover it Miles: Which is Better?

A Discover card is accepted in 200 countries and territories internationally. That includes India, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates and most other popular destinations for American business and vacation travelers. But just because a Discover card is accepted by at least some merchants in a given country does not mean you should rely on it exclusively. Even Discover classifies its acceptance as low in places like France and Russia. So, you may want to bring a … read full answerVisa or Mastercard along, too. Those two networks are accepted worldwide.

Here’s where Discover cards are most & least likely to be accepted internationally:

• High Merchant Acceptance: Argentina, Dominican Republic, India, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Puerto Rico, Chile, Spain
• Moderate Merchant Acceptance: Brazil, China, Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom
• Low Merchant Acceptance: Australia, Egypt, France, Russia
• No Merchant Acceptance: Bolivia, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, most of Africa and the Middle East

There are more countries in each of these groups. And you can check out Discover’s international acceptance map for a complete breakdown. But this list will give you a good idea of what to expect in the most popular international travel destinations.

If Discover is widely accepted in your international destination of choice, you should definitely consider getting a Discover card to bring with you. Discover credit cards are well-suited to the task in the sense that none of them charge foreign transaction fees. The Discover it® Miles card is an especially good choice, giving you 1.5 miles per $1 spent and doubling the rewards you earn the first year, all with a $0 annual fee.

You will need 100 Discover miles for every $1 of the flight’s cost. Discover miles are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for airfare. So, if a flight costs $500, you will need to redeem 50,000 points to cover the entire cost of the ticket. You can only earn Discover miles when you use the Discover it Miles card. It offers 1.5 miles per $1 spent on all purchases.… read full answer

Keep in mind that you can redeem miles toward part of the cost of a flight and pay the rest in cash. To redeem miles for a credit toward a flight, log in to your online account and select “Rewards”, and then click on “Redeem Miles”. After that, select “Reimburse Travel”. You’ll see the number of miles you’ve earned and their value in U.S. dollars. The number of miles you apply will be deducted from the cost of the purchase. To redeem by phone, call the number on the back of your Discover it® Miles card. Follow the voice prompts to redeem or tell a customer service agent you want to redeem miles. You can redeem miles to pay for any travel purchase from the past 180 days. But keep in mind that you can only redeem miles in 10,000 increments.

In addition to flights, other redemption options include hotel rooms, bus tours, cruises, car rentals and more. You can also redeem miles for a statement credit or Amazon.com and PayPal purchases. Miles are always worth 1 cent, regardless of which redemption method you choose.