Chase Freedom Unlimited Vs Discover It Miles: Credit Card Comparison
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Chase Freedom Unlimited vs Discover it Miles: Which rewards credit card is best for you?
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Opening a credit card that earns more than 1x rewards on all purchases is a smart move, especially if you spend a lot in categories that don't typically earn a bonus with other cards. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Discover it® Miles fit this bill, earning at least 1.5x rewards on spending — and neither charges an annual fee.
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Chase Freedom Unlimited®
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Discover it® Miles
That's about where the similarities end. While the Discover it® Miles earns a flat 1.5x miles on all spending, with no bonus categories to keep track of, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers the opportunity to earn higher rewards on dining, drugstores, travel, and rideshares — along with 1.5x points (1.5% back) on all other purchases.
The way these cards are advertised might seem a little confusing, too. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is framed as a cash-back credit card, but it actually earns rewards in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which you can redeem for cash back, travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more.
Meanwhile, the Discover it® Miles is marketed as a travel card, earning "miles" that really are just a fancy way of saying cash back. These aren't like airline miles or even transferable rewards (like Capital One miles), and your redemption options are all variations on the cash-back theme — with 1 Discover mile equal to 1 cent (or 1% back).
Here's what to know to help decide whether the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Discover it® Miles is a better fit for your wallet.
We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.
Chase Freedom Unlimited and Discover it Miles welcome bonuses
- Solid flat cash-back rate
- You can combine cash-back rewards with Ultimate Rewards points if you have an eligible card
- No annual fee
- Some other cards offer a higher rate of cash back on certain types of purchases
- INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
- Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
- After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 17.24% - 25.99%.
- No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.
- Unlimited 1.5x miles on all purchases
- Discover matches all the miles you've earned at the end of your first year
- Limited benefits compared to other travel rewards cards
- Unlimited Bonus: Only Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you've earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There's no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.
- Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase - with no annual fee.
- Redeem Miles to pay any part of your monthly bill, including your minimum payment.
- Turn Miles into cash in any amount, any time. Or redeem as a statement credit for travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants and more with no blackout dates. However you redeem, Miles keep the same value. And Miles never expire.
- 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 14.24% - 25.24% Standard Variable Purchase APR will apply.
- New! Discover helps remove your personal information from select people-search websites. Activate by mobile app for free.
- Discover is accepted nationwide by 99% of the places that take credit cards.
- 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.
- Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on any of thousands of Dark Web sites.* Activate for free.
- Click "Apply Now" to see terms and conditions.
If you're looking for an upfront bonus without having to meet a high minimum spending requirement, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a better choice. You'll earn a welcome bonus of 1.5% cash back in addition to regular earning on everything you buy up to $20,000 spent in the first year (worth up to $300 cash back) (and remember, you'll actually earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points which are worth 1 cent each toward cash back, travel, and more).
The Discover it® Miles doesn't come with a standard welcome bonus, but — if you're a big spender — the card has the potential to be a lot more lucrative in the first year. Discover's Cashback Match program extends to the Discover it® Miles card (it's just called Unlimited Bonus instead), and after your first year, Discover will match all of the miles you've earned with no limit.
For example, if you spent $2,000 a month on your Discover card in the first year (a total of $24,000), you'd earn 36,000 miles. Discover would match another 36,000 miles, for a total of 72,000 miles in the first year (worth $720 in cash back). This effectively makes the Discover it® Miles a 3% cash back on everything card for the first 12 months.
You won't find any no-annual-fee cards that can match a 3% rate of return on all purchases, but keep in mind you'll only get this turbocharged earning from the Discover it® Miles for the first 12 months — then it effectively becomes a 1.5% back card on everything.
Earning rates
Chase Freedom Unlimited® cardholders earn 5x points (5% cash back) on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, 5x points (5% cash back) on Lyft purchases through March 2025, 3x points (3% cash back) on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), and 3x points (3% cash back) at drugstores. On everything else, you'll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back (1.5x).
If you spend a lot at restaurants and drugstores, earning 3x points on those purchases with the Chase Freedom Unlimited® can add up very quickly — and you'll earn even more if you book your flights, hotels, and rental cars through the Chase portal to earn 5x points.
For this reason, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® has an advantage over the Discover it® Miles, which doesn't offer any extra categories or ways to boost earning — you'll earn a straight 1.5x on all purchases, with no caps.
Redemption options
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a solid choice if you want to earn cash back, but that's not the only way you can use your rewards. Along with redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points for cash back at a rate of 1 cent apiece, you'll also have these redemption options:
- Gift cards (1 cent per point)
- Airfare, hotels, car rentals, and more through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal (1 cent per point)
- Apple purchases (1 cent per point)
- Pay Yourself Back (more than 1 cent per point, categories and value vary)
- Amazon purchases (0.8 cents per point)
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® becomes even more valuable if you also carry certain other Chase cards, because you can combine points between your accounts. For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you'll unlock the ability to transfer points to Chase's airline and hotel partners. You'll also have more ways to redeem points through Chase's Pay Yourself Back program, and when you book travel through the Chase Travel Portal, your points have a higher value.
In fact, pairing a Freedom card with one of the Chase travel cards mentioned above is one of the best ways to increase the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points and maximize your rewards.
The Discover it® Miles doesn't offer as wide a range of redemption options, and there's no way to squeeze extra value from your rewards. You can redeem miles at rate of 1 cent each for:
- A credit toward travel purchases made with your card in the past 180 days
- An account statement credit (to lower your balance)
- Direct deposit to your bank account
- Check out at Amazon or PayPal
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth, on average, 1.8 cents apiece based on Insider's points and miles valuations— primarily because you can get outsized value when you transfer points to airline and hotel partners for award travel.
Benefits and features
Between the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Discover it® Miles, one card is a clear winner when it comes to benefits.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® comes with a decent range of travel and shopping protections — including a few you don't often see on a no-annual-fee card.
Chase Freedom Unlimited benefits
- Purchase protection: Coverage for damage or theft for 120 days, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account, when you pay for an eligible new purchase with your card
- Car rental insurance: Decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card, and you're covered for theft and collision damage on most cars (coverage is secondary in the US, primary otherwise)
- Extended warranty: Eligible items you purchase with your card, with a manufacturer's warranty of three years or less, can receive an additional year of extended warranty coverage
- Trip interruption/cancellation insurance: Pay with the card and you're covered for up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip if your trip is canceled or shortened because of illness, severe weather, or other eligible events
- Travel and emergency assistance services: Access an assistance hotline that can help arrange things like legal and medical referrals, prescriptions, translation services, and more (any third-party costs are your responsibility)
Meanwhile, the Discover it® Miles doesn't come with any flashy perks. Cardholders receive a few benefits that come standard with many cards, including access to a free FICO score and the ability to freeze their account in the event they misplace their card or suspect fraudulent use.
There's one advantage the Discover it® Miles has over the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. If you travel abroad, the Discover it® Miles is a better choice, because it doesn't add foreign transaction fees (the Chase Freedom Unlimited® adds a 3% fee to international purchases). The Discover it® Miles also waives the late payment fee for your first late payment (but afterward charges up to $41).
Both cards come with similar introductory 0% APR offers.
Taking advantage of a 0% introductory APR can save you a lot of money if you're making large purchases you need to pay for over time — but be sure you have a plan and the ability to pay off your balance before the introductory period expires. Otherwise, you could get stung with high interest charges.
Chase Freedom Unlimited and Discover it Miles comparison
Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Discover it® Miles | |
| Annual fee | $0 | |
| Welcome bonus | 1.5% cash back in addition to regular earning on everything you buy up to $20,000 spent in the first year (worth up to $300 cash back) | None, but Discover will automatically match all the Miles you've earned at the end of your first cardmember year |
| Rewards rate | 5% cash back (5x points) on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards 3% cash back (3x points) on dining and drugstore purchases 1.5% cash back (1.5x points) on everything else | 1.5x miles on all purchases |
| Card benefits | Purchase protection Extended warranty Secondary car rental insurance in the US (primary otherwise) Trip interruption/cancellation insurance Travel and emergency assistance services | Free FICO score No late payment fee on your first late payment (then up to $41) |
| Introductory 0% APR offer | 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months, then a 17.24% - 25.99% Variable | 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a 14.24% - 25.24% Variable APR |
| Foreign transaction fee? | No | |
| Review | Discover it Miles card review |
Bottom line
If you have to choose just one card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is the right pick for most people. It's got a great welcome bonus offer, better all-around earning, and more opportunities to redeem rewards — plus the option to combine points with other Chase Ultimate Rewards cards. It also offers substantial benefits for a no-annual-fee card which can save you a lot of money.
However, if you're a big spender, the Unlimited Bonus (Cashback Match) offered by the Discover it® Miles has the potential to get you more rewards in the first year. The card is also a better fit if you travel outside the US because it doesn't add foreign transaction fees.
Of course, there's no reason why you can't have both — and, in the first year (because of Discover's match), doing so is a great strategy for maximizing rewards on all of your everyday expenses.
For rates and fees of Discover it® Miles, please click here.
For rates and fees of Discover it® Miles, please click here.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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