Thanks. Input much appreciated. I can use either Mastercard or Discover, but not Visa or American Express.
The Discover miles card, for the first year, seems to have a 3% reward. Other posters also are confirming this. That is 1.5% straightaway plus the Discover doubling deal after one year. 2 x 1.5% = 3%
So that looks better than the Citi Double Cash. No?
So what is the place? That may make a difference as to what card you get.
Itās a proprietary business deal, not really appropriate for discussion or revelation here. But for sure my counterparty has their terms. And I do not control their terms. I either do business on those terms or we do not do business.
Both of my ābestā existing credit cards are Visa cards. So when they hit me with the āno Visaā thing I had to scramble and reach out for help. My present stable of credit cards features only one or (at most) two Mastercards . . and no Discover Cards at all!
Gotta admit, though, that Discover miles deal, for the first year, is every bit as rewarding as my current Alliant ādaily spenderā Visa card. And I didnāt even know that Discover card existed!!
Yes, exactly. Sorry if I wasnāt clear. The net is that it is 3% cash reward for the first year. The reason you donāt find this card listed among the best for ongoing rewards is because it is a one-trick pony ā¦ first year only. But for the next year, it is exactly what you are asking for.
Nevermind, my fault. It does look like miles can be redeemed straight up for cash. So thereās your answer ā discover for 1 year, Citi DC for life.
Or you could do Discover for 1 year, cancel it, then use another card for a year or two, and then re-apply for the Discover deal again.
No problem whatsoever. Thanks.
The miles card, of which I had ZERO prior knowledge, was highly confusing to me at first. I appreciate the other posters encouraging me to dig deeper.
And, IMHO at least, you have to dig deep before you can realize what a great card it is for the first year. Discover certainly does not make everything obvious!!
At the same time, though, 3% credit cards across the board are surely not out there growing on trees. I am now well into my Alliant Visa Signature first year, and it has been a great money maker for me. But of course that is a Visa card and the miles card is a Discover card, which is what I need now.
After reading all the collected info on the Discovery CC, I decided to open one also.
Iām not interested in miles, but CASH, is what Iām always interested in. I have a Citi Business cc that I used to gain so many airline miles. Now Iām not flying much, so I am going to drop that card because of the yearly fee. I then opened the Alliant cc because I needed a Visa to buy at Costco.
But you guys have done all the leg work that shows me that Discovery cc is the way to go. I just filled out the application & got a response. (so quick) I was told that the card is in the mail. Thanks!!
Good for you, pattyb53. Appreciate your post. You are ahead of me because I have some ācleanup dutyā to perform first thatās probably going to take me ten days or so:
My objective at Discover is to obtain the highest possible credit line at 3%. So when I apply I want my FICO score to be as high as possible. Right now score is groaning a tad bit under the weight of several tens of thousands of dollars owed on other cards. Plan is to pay all that off, then wait a while, then finally apply to Discover beneath (I hope) more favorable circumstances owing to far lower utilization of existing credit. Itāll be worth paying everything off early if it means obtaining a higher credit line from Discover. We shall see if this all works out.
Iāll have to admit, Discovery didnāt offer the highest credit line. Itās ok for now, in fact higher than Alliant Visa offered when I open it a couple months ago. I really only needed a Visa cc for shopping at Costco.
My FICO score is not any thing to right about. Problem is I only had 1 credit card for years, Citi Business cc. My credit line with them is very high, but the yearly fee is outrageous. Credit Bureau doesnāt count Business credit cards on FICO. So in my older age I decided I needed more credit. Isnāt that ridiculous?
Discover. Discovery is a TV channel and a space shuttle.
Tens of thousands of dollars owed on cards? What are you doing? Do you pay interest or fees for that?
So during the year you get 1.5% cash back. Is that awarded on the statement after purchase or the next statement? At the end of 12 months, you get another 1.5% back of the total sum. How fast do they credit that?
The 1.5% is awarded each month for that monthās purchases. On the one year anniversary, they award a Discover Match of 1.5%.
I donāt see that this is offered with cards issued now, but for mine, I also get $30 rebate on onboard wi-fi purchases as well, which is a nice touch for an AF card. But again, may no longer apply to new issues.
As a frugal guy, it is killing me that I canāt post a referral link.
scripta, you caught me. It is Discover miles cc that I signed up for & I do watch Discovery TV channel.
Naaa. Never pay interest or fees. Itās just that I customarily wait as long as possible to pay my debts. This time I will be paying earlier because I want to āclear the decksā for my Discover miles card application.
Look, my thinking could be off base on this. Iām thinking I do not want the underwriter at Discover to think Iām borrowing a lot of money out of need. I am like so many other posters here. I do not borrow out of need, I instead borrow strategically in order to make money. However, it has been my experience that underwriters are unable to distinguish between people like us and people who are short funds and up to their necks in debt!
The only way I know to send the right message, and I hope to obtain a higher credit line, is to pay everything off before I apply.
I try not to be stupid but Iām a slow learner. I learned on the Alliant 3% deal the importance of having a high credit line when you have a great card. I learned that by starting off with a too-low credit line, which was my fault for making the error. One of my bosses years ago told me I was allowed to make any mistake once. I am trying here not to make the same mistake twice. 
Discover It Miles has 0% Intro APR for 14 months on purchases, so you donāt need to pay anything but the minimum payment for 13 months.
Also they have a referral bonus of $50 statement credit if you are referred by someone else with a Discover card (that person also receives a $50 credit).
I donāt wait long to pay debts. I usually pay my cards before the statement date, not the due date, because thatās the date they report to the credit bureaus so it always show zero or low debt. You will have a much higher credit score if you pay them off so the statement date shows a zero or low balance.
Argyll, thatās good info about the 0% intro for 14 months on the Discover 1 miles card. Since Iām just opening the acct & trying to build up my FICO score, I should pay off the debt early. Iām also trying to keep a 10% utilization rate on the card.
I have in the past 20 years used only my Citi Business card for all purchases. In my later years I donāt wish to pay the high yearly fee for that card. So now I need to raise that FICO score.
shinobi, I would never say you are stupid or a slow learner. IMHO, I would say you are the opposite. I have followed your dealings with money matters for a long time. Iāve picked up many good ideas from your postings. So donāt put yourself down!!!
Thank you, pattyb53. Very kind of you.
While I try to avoid putting myself down, I also strive always to tell the truth. So what I write reflects a combination of those things.
Now regarding Argyllās post about credit scores:
It seems to me Argyll knows more than I do about FiCO scores and credit in general. I am pretty new to this stuff. I never worried much about my FICO in the past because I did not see clearly any way to turn a high score into money. That error is on me.
My score is currently rated as excellent (highest range). Nevertheless it is circa 20-25 points lower than where it once was. I assume this is because I owe so much money, which is why Iām working on that problem.
With such a high score already another twenty points might not make any difference. Iām just trying to do the best I can and give myself the best opportunity for the highest credit line (C/L) I can obtain.
For whatever help it might be to others, I can relate my experience at Alliant:
I went in low out of ignorance . . . stupidity, really. I did not understand how the game is played so I did not request as high a C/L as I likely could have obtained. A month or two later, after I finally had realized what was going on, I requested a C/L increase and was politely told I needed to wait six months before they would even consider such a request. So like I wrote up thread, Iām trying this time not to make the same error twice.
Yes, live & learnā¦ Like you shinobi, I never thought about the FICO score. I had my old Citi Business card with a max credit line. I charged everything, farm equipment, chemicals, property taxes, groceries. No problem! I racked up the airline miles & flew first class. Now Iām not flying much & donāt see any reason to pay yearly fee. So Iām closing that acct.
Problem now, FICO scores donāt include Business cc as part of credit system. So Iām starting over with new credit cards. Like you, I opened Alliant cc with a low credit limit. Iāve had it for a couple months now, so the FICO is moving up, 680 now. Just opened the Discover cc with a higher limit, but nothing to write about. So in 6 months I will ask for a higher credit limit.