PNC points Visa Credit Card Review

Full Review of PNC points Visa Credit Card

Pros Explained

• High Rewards On All Purchases: The PNC points Visa offers strong points rewards. All purchases earn a flat rate of four points per dollar. And where some other cards offer a high points earning rate only on select categories, the PNC points Visa provides it universally, with no need to activate or track bonus categories to earn it.
• Points Bonuses for PNC Banking Customers: This card becomes more rewarding if you bank with PNC. You can earn between 25% and 75% more bonus points for having an eligible PNC Bank checking account and meeting minimum deposit and balance requirements.?
• Flexible Redemption Options: Points earned with this card can be used in a number of ways, including redemptions for gift cards, hotel stays, and rental cars. You can also use points to make purchases with PNC Pay.

Cons Explained

• Points Worth Less Than with Most Cards: While you can earn a lot of points with this card pretty easily, you're not necessarily getting as much value for each of them as you do with other rewards credit cards. The points earned with most cards are typically worth a cent or more, according to Investopedia's valuations. But we estimate that each point you earn with the PNC points Visa is worth less than a quarter of that amount—0.22 cents to be precise. With the PNC points Visa providing 4 points per dollar spent, its overall rewards are worth a little less than 1 cent per dollar spent. That's a low rate for all purchases made with a card. 
• Points Expire and Cannot Be Transferred: Your rewards earned with this card expire after 48 months, whereas many other cards' points never expire. Unlike the many other rewards cards that let you transfer points to travel partners, the PNC points Visa offers no such option. To directly use the points you earn for travel, you must book travel directly through the PNC points rewards portal.
• Not Ideal for Travel Outside the U.S.: While you might be interested in redeeming points for international flights, you may want to pack another card for making purchases while you're away. Like many cards, the PNC points Visa imposes a 3% foreign transaction fee on purchases made abroad, which can make using it when traveling outside the U.S. pricier than with cards that imposes no such charge.

Who This Card Is Best For

The PNC points Visa credit card is best suited to PNC banking customers, who can earn bonuses of up to 75% on the card’s rewards earnings. Those bonuses help make this card’s fairly standard rewards more appealing and more competitive with those of competitors, as the 75% bonus would net 3 additional points per dollar spent, or a total value of approximately 1.54 cents each (higher than the 1.5% cash back cards that are somewhat standard in the market).

PNC points Visa Credit Card One-Time Offer

Earn 100,000 Bonus Points after you make $1,000 or more in purchases during the first 3 billing cycles following account opening of a PNC points? Visa? Credit Card.

Rewards Earning Details

The PNC points Visa credit card has a simple and straightforward rewards program. For each dollar you spend on eligible purchases, you'll earn four PNC points. However, those points are of relatively meager value: less than a quarter of a cent each. Points are typically credited to your account within 10 business days.?

If you have an eligible PNC bank account, then you're automatically eligible to qualify for bonus points.

The 25% bonus kicks in if you simply have one of these PNC accounts: the PNC Virtual Wallet, PNC Virtual Wallet Student, PNC Virtual Wallet Performance Spend, PNC Virtual Wallet Performance Select, PNC Performance, or PNC Performance Select Checking accounts.

Qualifying for the 50% points bonus requires both a PNC Virtual Wallet Performance Spend or PNC Performance Checking Account and meet one of the following requirements:

• An average monthly balance of $2,000 or more
• A qualifying aggregate monthly direct deposit of $2,000 or more
• A combined average monthly balance of $15,000 or more across all your accounts

You can snag the 75% points bonus if you have either of the same accounts—the PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select or PNC Performance Select Checking. You also need to meet one of the following requirements:

• An average monthly balance of $5,000 or more
• A qualifying aggregate monthly direct deposit of $5,000 or more
• A combined average monthly balance of $25,000 or more across all your accounts

Rewards Redemption Details

When you're ready to redeem your PNC points, you have several options, including:?

• Gift cards
• Merchandise
• Apple purchases
• Travel

The travel category includes everything from flights and hotels to car rentals, cruises and vacation packages. The catch is that to use your points for travel, you must book through the PNC Points Redemption Center. You can't transfer points to hotel or airline loyalty programs or combine them in any way with those of another credit-card rewards program.?

How to Maximize Your Rewards

Making the most of the PNC points Visa credit card obviously involves using the card frequently much matter what you buy with the card, since every purchase earns a flat 4 points per dollar spent. However, PNC banking customers receive points bonuses that increase earnings to between 5 and 7 points per dollar spent.

If you're also shopping for a bank, then consider opening a PNC account in order to benefit from these enhanced rewards. The more you keep in the account, the higher the rewards. The bonuses can really add up. For example, say your average yearly spend with the card is $24,000 or $2,000 per month. At four points per dollar, you'd earn 96,000 points on purchases. But here's what your points earnings could look like if you qualify for a bonus:

• 25% bonus = 120,000 points
• 50% bonus = 144,000 points
• 75% bonus = 168,000 points

Average Case

Say you use your card to charge all your monthly bills and everyday spending, with expenses from the occasional trip also thrown in. You're not currently a PNC banking customer.

If you spend $2,500 a month on average, you would earn 120,000 points annually. That number could rise to as many as 210,000 points per year, if you decided to become a PNC customer and qualified for the 75% bonus. These points totals would be worth $264 and $462 respectively using our estimated value. Of course, if you became a PNC customer and qualified for the 25% or 50% bonus your total would be in between.

Aspirational Case

Now, let’s assume that your monthly spending is $1,500 higher than the previous scenario, and so averages $4,000 a month. With just the four points per dollar you'd earn as a baseline, you’d?earn 192,000 points per year. If you're eligible for the 75% points bonus, you could increase your total rewards points to 336,000. With no bonus earnings, the rewards would be worth $422. If you qualified for the 75% bonus, you’d earn points worth in excess of $300 more, at $739.

Standard Benefits

• Cell phone protection (if you pay your wireless bill with the card)
• Contactless payment capability
• Integration with PNC Virtual Wallet
• Online account management tools
• Electronic bill payment

Cardholder Experience

PNC was not included with the larger national issuers in J.D. Power's 2022 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, but was included with the smaller midsized issuers. PNC ranked fourth among midsized issuers and scored 806, beating the average of 800.

PNC offers numerous ways to manage your account, including mobile and online banking and PNC Virtual Wallet. You can also call, tweet, email or visit your nearest branch if you need help with your account or have questions.

Security Features

This card comes with several handy security features for managing your account. PNC Easy Lock, for example, allows you to lock your card to prevent new purchases if it's lost or stolen. Security alerts keep you informed about card activity, and a $0 liability guarantee means you won't be held responsible for unauthorized purchases. 

Fees to Watch Out For

This card's fees are typical of most other rewards credit cards. There are no real surprises, other than the difference in how balance transfer fees can increase depending on how soon after account opening you execute one.?

The primary fee to keep in mind is the 3% foreign transaction fee. If you're looking for a credit card that's great for earning rewards but doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee, you may want to look elsewhere.?

Final Verdict

The PNC Points Visa might be a passable choice for PNC banking customers who want a card that’s convenient to acquire, even if it rewards you little and offers few features. For all others, a different card would surely be a better fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Are PNC Credit Card Points Worth?

Each PNC credit card point is worth less than a quarter of a cent, although the value depends on what you redeem your points for. If you redeem your points for gift cards or cash back, for example, each point is worth 0.2 cents.

How Much Is 100,000 PNC Points Worth?

At around 0.2 cents per point, you could buy a $100 gift card with 100,000 PNC Points, book $100 in travel, or buy merchandise valued at $200. Redeem your 100,000 points for cash back at 0.2 cents per point and you could knock $100 off your credit card bill.

How Do PNC Credit Card Points Work?

You earn four PNC credit card points per dollar spent on eligible purchases. You can also earn between 25% and 75% in bonus points, depending on whether you're also a PNC Bank account holder. When you've saved up enough points, you can redeem them in the PNC Reward Center, accessed through your online banking account.

How Do I Redeem My PNC Visa Rewards?

Log in to your PNC Online Banking account to redeem your PNC Visa rewards on a computer or mobile device. The PNC Reward Center offers your choice of gift cards, Apple products, travel bookings, and cash back redemptions in exchange for your points. You can also call PNC at?855-762-7937 to redeem your points over the phone.