PNC Points Visa review

PNC Points Visa review

Updated: February 24, 2021
Updated: February 24, 2021
Ratings Policy
Balance Transfer Rating:
3.3 rating
3.3 rating
3.3 / 5
Introductory Offer:3.4
Net Value:2.9
Features:1.0
Issuer Customer Experience3.9

In a Nutshell:

The PNC Points Visa card offers cardholders with excellent credit a relatively low interest rate and a modest 12-month interest-free promotion on purchases and balance transfers; however, the card’s rewards rate is less generous than it seems and its APR for some cardholders is high.

0% Introductory Period
12 billing cycles

Poor

Transfer Fee
$5 or 3% (whichever is higher) for the first 90 days, 4% after that

Excellent

Introductory Purchase APR
0%

Excellent

Regular APR
11.99-21.99% (variable)

Poor

Annual Fee
$0

Excellent

PNC Bank Customer Service Ratings

  • J. D. Power 2020 customer satisfaction rating: 815 (10% of issuers in this category ranked higher)
  • 24/7 customer service?: Yes
  • Online chat available?: Yes
  • Google Play Store mobile app rating: 4.6/5
  • Apple Store mobile app rating: 4.8/5
Very Good

Other Notable Features: Fraud coverage, travel and emergency assistance

Ratings Policy
Low Interest Rating:
3 rating
3 rating
3 / 5
Rates, Fees, Penalties:3.2
Rewards:1.2
Features:1.0
Issuer Customer Experience3.9

In a Nutshell:

Cardholders can save on both balance transfers and new purchases with the PNC Points Visa card, thanks to its relatively low APR and 12-month 0-percent introductory APR.

Regular APR
11.99-21.99% (variable)

Average

Introductory Purchase APR
0% for 12 months

Excellent

Introductory Balance Transfer APR
0% for 12 months

Excellent

Fees

  • No annual fee
  • 3%-4% or $5 balance transfer fee
  • 3% foreign transaction fee
  • 5% cash advance fee or $10
Very Good

Penalties

  • $38 late payment fee
  • 28.99% penalty APR
  • $38 returned payment fee
Fair

PNC Bank Customer Service Ratings

  • J. D. Power 2020 customer satisfaction rating: 815 (10% of issuers in this category ranked higher)
  • 24/7 customer service?: Yes
  • Online chat available?: Yes
  • Google Play Store mobile app rating: 4.6/5
  • Apple Store mobile app rating: 4.8/5
Very Good

Other Notable Features: Fraud coverage, travel and emergency assistance

Ratings Policy
Rewards Rating:
2.5 rating
2.5 rating
2.5 / 5
Rewards Value:2.0
Annual Percentage Rate:4.4
Rewards Flexibility:3.0
Features:0.0
Issuer Customer Experience3.9

In a Nutshell:

Despite its sky-high rewards rate, the PNC points Visa credit card is a run-of-the-mill rewards card dressed in a more generous card’s clothing.

Rewards Rate

  • 4:1 on general purchases
  • 7:1 with bonuses
Very Good

Sign-up Bonus
50,000 bonus points after you make $750 or more in purchases during the first 3 billing cycles following account opening

Fair

Annual Bonus
None

Poor

Annual Fee
$0

Excellent

Average Yearly Rewards Value ($1,325 monthly spend)
$267

Fair

APR
11.99-21.99% (variable)

Very Good

Rewards Redemption
Pros

  • No point limits
  • Pay for travel with partial points
  • Redeem points for travel, gift cards, merchandise or cash back

Cons

  • Points expire after 48 months
  • No point transfer to other loyalty programs
  • Points are only worth a fraction of a penny
Very Good

PNC Bank Customer Service Ratings

  • J. D. Power 2020 customer satisfaction rating: 815 (10% of issuers in this category ranked higher)
  • 24/7 customer service?: Yes
  • Online chat available?: Yes
  • Google Play Store mobile app rating: 4.6/5
  • Apple Store mobile app rating: 4.8/5
Very Good

Other Notable Features: Fraud coverage, travel and emergency assistance

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Looks can be deceiving with this rewards credit card. The PNC points Visa credit card offers one of the highest rewards rates in the industry, especially for cardholders who have a hefty amount of savings deposited with PNC Bank. But PNC rewards points aren’t worth very much when cardholders redeem them. Valued at less than a quarter of a penny, cardholders need substantially more points than they do with most credit card rewards programs to earn a decent reward.

Cardholders who are already PNC Bank customers may find the PNC points card more appealing, since they can earn bonus points just by holding an account.

Extremely high points rate

If your goal is simply to earn a lot of points, you can’t do much better than the PNC Points rewards credit card. Cardholders automatically earn four points for every dollar spent – more than four times what the typical rewards cardholder earns. For cardholders who are customers of PNC Bank, the opportunities to earn rewards are even more numerous. PNC customers who have a qualifying deposit account can earn an extra 25 to 75 percent bonus on their earnings, depending on how much money they have saved.

Additional earnings through participating merchants

Cardholders can earn additional rewards points through PNC’s Purchase Payback program. When you use the card at a participating retailer, you may get additional points in exchange for shopping at that retailer again. The Purchase Payback program requires some effort on the cardholder’s part: You have to periodically scan your credit card statement online to look for relevant offers. But it could help boost your rewards earnings if you tend to shop at the same stores.

Stingy points value

PNC is generous with the number of points it awards with every purchase, but it’s disappointingly stingy when it comes to actually redeeming them. PNC rewards points are worth less than a quarter of a cent each, so you need to amass a substantial number of points to redeem anything worthwhile. A $100 Amazon gift card, for example, requires at least 45,450 points to redeem, while a $100 cash award requires at least 50,000 points. By contrast, rewards points attached to other credit cards typically are worth at least a penny each – and often even more. For what it’s worth, though, signing up for the card and making $750 in purchases during the first three billing cycles following the account’s opening will net you 50,000 bonus points.

Decent redemption

On the plus side, PNC doesn’t limit the number of points you can earn, so if you’re a fairly heavy spender, you could amass a substantial number of points. If you don’t have enough points saved up to buy a full airline ticket or other travel purchase, you can also use the points you have to pay for just part of your ticket and pay the remaining balance with the card. PNC Bank doesn’t let you transfer rewards points to other loyalty programs, though, which is disappointing for frequent travelers. Rewards points also expire after 48 months, so you have to use them fairly quickly.

(Almost) no perks

Unlike many credit cards, the PNC points Visa card also comes with surprisingly few perks. Cardholders are automatically enrolled in travel and emergency protection and have standard card protections, such as zero fraud liability, but that’s about it. Most competitors, by contrast, offer a wide range of travel and purchase benefits, such as travel insurance, extended warranties and other cardholder protections. The PNC Points Visa does offer a year of interest-free purchases as well as a year-long zero-percent balance transfer offer, but cardholders can easily find similar promotions on cards with more valuable benefits.

Why get the PNC Points Visa card?

  • You’re a PNC Bank customer and want a card with the same bank.
  • You have a lot of money deposited with PNC Bank and can earn a relatively high bonus.
  • You prefer point rewards instead of straight cash back.
  • You find it motivating to earn more points with every purchase.

How to use the PNC Points Visa card:

  • Use your card for the majority of your purchases so you can earn enough points to redeem for more valuable rewards purchases.
  • Check the rewards site for deals of the week. You may be able to squeeze more value out of your rewards points if you redeem your rewards at a discount.
  • When you’re scanning your monthly statements, check for additional deals through the card’s Purchase Payback Program.
  • Do the math when deciding how to redeem your points. Rewards may have a greater or lesser dollar value compared to other rewards with the same number of required points. For example, a gift card may be worth $400 but a plane ticket may be worth only $300.

Is the PNC Points Visa card worth it?

Unless you’re an existing PNC Bank customer with a lot of money saved, there’s little upside to the PNC Points Visa card. Aside from its year-long 0 percent interest offer on purchases and balance transfers, the card offers next-to-nothing in the way of perks, and its accelerated rewards rate means little given the low value and short life of its points.

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