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Card vs Card Comparison

Chase Freedom Unlimited
vs
Discover it Miles.

Updated

Two cards, head-to-head. We break down earning rates, perks, transfer partners, and the real scenarios where each one wins.

Chase

Chase Freedom Unlimited

Annual fee

Free

Points

Ultimate Rewards

Signup bonus

$200 cash back plus 5% on grocery for the first year (up to $12K)

Top earning rates

  • →5% on travel booked through Chase Travel
  • →3% on dining and drugstores
  • →1.5% on everything else

Top perks

  • →No annual fee
  • →Purchase protection and extended warranty
  • →Trip cancellation and delay insurance on travel charged to the card
See Chase Freedom Unlimited detailsarrow_forward

Discover

Discover it Miles

Annual fee

Free

Points

Discover Miles

Signup bonus

Miles Match doubles every mile earned in your first year

Top earning rates

  • →1.5x miles on every purchase
  • →Miles redeem for travel as a statement credit or for cash at the same rate

Top perks

  • →No annual fee
  • →No foreign transaction fee
  • →Miles Match in year one effectively doubles all earnings
See Discover it Miles detailsarrow_forward

The verdict

When each card wins.

Chase Freedom Unlimited wins if

Pick this if you want a no-fee everyday earner that can sit alongside a Sapphire card and feed it points.

Honest downside: On its own the points are cashback only. You need a Sapphire to unlock the travel value.

Discover it Miles wins if

Pick this in year one to double-up on a flat 3% effective rate without any category tracking.

Honest downside: Discover is not accepted at many merchants outside the US. After year one the earn rate drops to a flat 1.5%.

At a glance

Side-by-side spec sheet.

SpecChase Freedom UnlimitedDiscover it Miles
Annual feeFreeFree
Points currencyUltimate RewardsDiscover Miles
Signup bonus$200 cash back plus 5% on grocery for the first year (up to $12K)Miles Match doubles every mile earned in your first year
Top earn category5% on travel booked through Chase Travel1.5x miles on every purchase
Second earn category3% on dining and drugstoresMiles redeem for travel as a statement credit or for cash at the same rate
Third earn category1.5% on everything elseStandard 1x earn
Signature perkNo annual feeNo annual fee
IssuerChaseDiscover

Questions

Frequently asked.

Which is better, Chase Freedom Unlimited or Discover it Miles?

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Chase Freedom Unlimited wins if you want a no-fee everyday earner that can sit alongside a Sapphire card and feed it points. Discover it Miles wins if pick this in year one to double-up on a flat 3% effective rate without any category tracking.

Can I have both the Chase Freedom Unlimited and the Discover it Miles?

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Yes. These are issued by different banks (Chase and Discover), so they don't conflict on application rules. Many travelers carry both to stack the strongest benefits from each card's ecosystem.

Which has the higher annual fee, Chase Freedom Unlimited or Discover it Miles?

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Both cards charge a $0 annual fee. The right pick comes down to which earning categories and perks you'll actually use.