Discover it^® Miles vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card [2024]: Which Card Is Better?

We recommend the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card for increased earning potential and access to more travel benefits.

However, if you want to earn travel rewards with a $0 annual fee, the Discover it^® Miles card is also a strong option.

Let’s jump into our Discover it Miles vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review to see which card makes the most sense for you.

Key takeaways

• We recommend the Capital One Venture Rewards, even though it has a $95 annual fee, because it provides a better earning rate and plenty of travel benefits. Some of the travel perks include being able to transfer rewards to travel partners and receiving up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years.
• Both the Discover it Miles and Capital One Venture Rewards earn travel rewards, but they’re vastly different cards.
• The Discover it Miles makes sense if you want a $0 annual fee but still want the opportunity to earn and redeem travel rewards. It doesn’t offer much in terms of travel benefits, but it has intro APR offers and it’s an easy card to use.

Discover it Miles vs. Capital One Venture comparison

	Discover it® Miles 4.0 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card 4.7 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Card type	Travel	Travel
Credit card issuer	Discover	Capital One
Credit card network	Discover	Mastercard
Annual fee	$0	$95
Welcome offer	Discover will match all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year.	Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Earning rate	Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase	2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25
Redemption methods	Statement credit Bank account deposit Cover past travel purchases Pay with miles at select merchants (Amazon and PayPal)	Travel through Capital One Travel Cover past travel purchases Transfer miles to travel partners Account credits Mailed checks Gift cards Paying for Amazon purchases Making eligible purchases with PayPal
Intro APR	0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 18.74% - 27.74% Variable) 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 18.74% - 27.74% Variable)	None
Annual credits	None	None
Travel perks	None	Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years Two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges (use by 12/31/24)
Other benefits	Online privacy protection	Rental car insurance Travel assistance services1
Foreign transaction fee	0%	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Read full review	Read full review

Our verdict

• We recommend the Capital One Venture for a better rewards rate and more travel benefits. We think the Discover it Miles Card makes sense if you want a travel rewards card with a $0 annual fee.

Discover it Miles benefits and drawbacks

The Discover it Miles has a $0 annual fee and 0% foreign transaction fees. With this card, you can automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase.

The Discover it Miles doesn’t provide much in terms of travel benefits other than being able to cover past travel purchases with your rewards. But you can take advantage of these intro APR offers.

• Intro APR on purchases: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 18.74% - 27.74% Variable)
• Intro APR on balance transfers: 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 18.74% - 27.74% Variable) (Note that there is a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*)

Read our Discover it Miles review

Capital One Venture benefits and drawbacks

The Capital One Venture has a $95 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. Cardholders can earn two 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25.

The Capital One Venture doesn’t provide intro APR offers, but you can take advantage of these travel perks and benefits.

• Reward transfers to travel partner loyalty programs
• Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years
• Two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium airport lounges (use by 12/31/24)

Read our Capital One Venture review

Where both cards excel

• Travel rewards: As travel credit cards, both the Discover it Miles and Capital One Venture provide opportunities to earn travel rewards on eligible purchases.
• Welcome offers: You can earn a generous welcome offer with either card as a new cardholder.
• No foreign transaction fees: You don’t have to worry about foreign transaction fees with either the Discover it Miles or Capital One Venture.

7 important differences between Discover it Miles and Capital One Venture

1. Earning potential

With the Discover it Miles, you can automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase.

The Capital One Venture provides two 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25.

The Capital One Venture Rewards has a higher rewards rate, which can result in more rewards for the same purchases. In general, many Capital One credit cards provide excellent rewards rates to card members.

Winner: Capital One Venture wins because it has a better rewards rate.

2. Annual fees

The Discover it Miles has a $0 annual fee, while the Capital One Venture has a $95 annual fee. On annual costs alone, the Discover it Miles is the better option.

Winner: Discover it Miles because it has a $0 annual fee.

3. Redemption options

The Discover it Miles has these redemption options.

• Statement credit
• Bank deposit
• Cover past travel purchases
• Pay with miles at select merchants (Amazon and PayPal)

The Capital One Venture has these redemption options.

• Travel through Capital One Travel
• Cover past travel purchases
• Transfer partners
• Account credits
• Mailed checks
• Gift cards
• Paying for Amazon purchases
• Making eligible purchases with PayPal

The Capital One Venture Rewards provides a lot more flexibility with its rewards program because you can choose from various redemption options. The Discover it Miles has a decent rewards structure, but it can’t quite match the Capital One Venture for redeeming miles toward travel.

Winner: Capital One Venture because it provides more redemption options, including more travel-related redemptions.

4. Travel benefits

The Discover it Miles doesn’t provide many travel benefits. You can earn travel rewards on purchases, and you can redeem your rewards to cover past travel purchases. There are also no foreign transaction fees. But there’s not much else beyond these common benefits.

With the Capital One Venture, you get the same things and these additional benefits.

• Transfers to travel partners as a redemption option
• Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years
• Two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges (use by 12/31/24)

If you want more travel benefits, the Capital One Venture is the better option.

Winner: Capital One Venture because it has more travel benefits.

5. Card protections

The Discover it Miles provides very little in terms of card protections, basically only providing online privacy protection. This is a benefit for removing your personal information from certain websites that could sell your data.

It’s an interesting benefit, but not completely necessary since it’s something you could do on your own if you wanted to.

With the Capital One Venture, you could be eligible for these protection and insurance benefits.

• Purchase Assurance
• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Travel accident insurance
• 24-hour travel assistance services¹

Winner: Capital One Venture comes out on top because you could be eligible for more protection benefits.

6. Introductory APR offers

The Discover it Miles, similar to many other Discover credit cards, has multiple intro APR offers. They include:

• Intro APR on purchases: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases (then 18.74% - 27.74% Variable)
• Intro APR on balance transfers: 0% intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers (then 18.74% - 27.74% Variable) (Note that there is a 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*.)

The Capital One Venture Rewards doesn’t provide intro APR offers.

Winner: Discover it Miles because it has excellent intro APR offers.

7. Card networks

The Discover it Miles uses the Discover card network to process payments. Discover is widely accepted in the U.S., but it doesn’t have as much international acceptance.

The Capital One Venture uses the MasterCard network, which is accepted just about everywhere credit cards are welcomed worldwide. 

The card network isn’t too important if you don’t plan on traveling abroad. But if you do, MasterCard is better than Discover.

Winner: Capital One Venture wins because it has more worldwide acceptance on the MasterCard network.

Which credit card should you choose?

When you should choose Discover it Miles

• You already have a relationship with Discover
• You want a $0 annual fee
• You want to take advantage of intro APR offers

When you should choose Capital One Venture

• You already have a relationship with Capital One
• You want a better rewards rate
• You want more travel benefits

Factors to consider before choosing

Choosing between the Discover it Miles and Capital One Venture primarily comes down to answering a few questions.

• Are you concerned about annual fees? The Discover it Miles has a $0 annual fee.
• Do you want introductory APR offers? The Discover it Miles is the better option.
• Do you want an excellent and simple rewards rate? The Capital One Venture is the better option.
• Do you want multiple travel benefits? The Capital One Venture is the better option.

FAQ

Discover it Miles vs. Capital One Venture: bottom line

We recommend the Capital One Venture Rewards over the Discover it Miles as it has more earning potential and additional travel benefits. But the Discover it Miles is a solid option if you prefer a $0 annual fee and intro APR offers.

For more of our top recommendations, compare credit cards to find the right credit card offer for you.

Earn 2 Times the Miles in Your 1st Year

Discover it^® Miles

4.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Discover it^® Miles

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Rates and fees

Current Offer

Discover will match all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year.

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Simple, flat-rate Miles make it easy to know how much you’re earning in rewards
• Discover will forgive your first late payment (late payment fee of None the first time you pay late. After that, up to $41. if you miss a subsequent payment)
• No foreign transaction fees

Drawbacks

• No bonus categories
• No travel perks

Card Details

• UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers—only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. You could turn 35,000 Miles to 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
• No annual fee
• Turn Miles into cash. Or redeem as a statement credit for your travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants and more.
• 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 18.74% - 27.74% Standard Variable Purchase APR will apply.
• Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
• Discover is accepted nationwide by 99% of the places that take credit cards.
• Terms and conditions apply.