PNC Premier Traveler Visa Signature credit card review

PNC Premier Traveler Visa Signature credit card review

Updated: February 7, 2023
Updated: February 7, 2023
Ratings Policy
Balance Transfer Rating:
2.5 rating
2.5 rating
2.5 / 5
Introductory Offer:2.6
Net Value:1.1
Features:3.0
Issuer Customer Experience3.9

In a Nutshell:

With its high annual fee and relatively short 12-month introductory period, the PNC Premier Traveler card is not your best option for transferring a balance. However, if you manage to pay down your balance in the first year before the fees and interest rates kick in, you’ll have a very good travel rewards card.

0% Introductory Period
12 months

Poor

Transfer Fee
3%

Excellent

Introductory Purchase APR
None

Fair

Regular APR
15.99% (variable)

Very Good

Annual Fee
$85, $0 first year

Poor

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: No foreign transaction fees, free concierge service, Visa Signature luxury hotel collection, lost luggage reimbursement, travel and emergency assistance services, travel accident insurance, trip delay reimbursement, auto rental collision damage waiver, roadside dispatch, extended warranty, Apple and Android pay, $0 liability, EMV chip technology

Ratings Policy
Rewards Rating:
3.5 rating
3.5 rating
3.5 / 5
Rewards Value:2.9
Annual Percentage Rate:4.5
Rewards Flexibility:4.2
Features:3.0
Issuer Customer Experience2.9

In a Nutshell:

A flat 2 percent rate on travel rewards and flexible redemption options make the PNC Premier Traveler Visa Signature card another good option for netting a large number of rewards points for airfare.

Rewards Rate
2 miles per dollar on every purchase

Very Good

Sign-up Bonus
30,000 miles if you spend $3,000 in first 3 billing cycles

Very Good

Annual Bonus
None

Poor

Annual Fee
$85, $0 first year

Fair

Average Yearly Rewards Value ($1,325 monthly spend)
$361

Average

APR
15.99% (variable)

Excellent

Rewards Redemption
Pros

  • Miles never expire
  • No blackout dates
  • No limit to the miles you can earn
  • Redeem miles for travel through rewards center or purchase from outside sites and redeem for statement credit within 90 days
  • Can redeem miles for only part of a purchase
  • Redeem for gift cards and cash back

Cons

  • No option to transfer miles
  • Miles are only worth .005 cents when redeemed for cash back
  • Minimum 1,000 miles to redeem for cash back
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: No foreign transaction fees, free concierge service, Visa Signature luxury hotel collection, lost luggage reimbursement, travel and emergency assistance services, travel accident insurance, trip delay reimbursement, auto rental collision damage waiver, roadside dispatch, extended warranty, Apple and Android pay, $0 liability, EMV chip technology

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The PNC Premier Traveler Visa Signature credit card is probably more appropriate for casual rewards card users, especially if you want to avoid blackout dates or the often-complicated process of trying to find the best value for your points via relationship bonuses or transfer programs.

You’re also not beholden to traveling on certain airlines or booking flights on specific websites. A lack of top-tier travel benefits beyond the industry standard might make seasoned travelers look for a more luxury travel card, but if you’re just starting out in the credit card rewards game, this one is definitely worthy of consideration.

Solid rewards

With two miles per $1 spent everywhere you use the card, the PNC Premier Traveler Visa Signature card has one of the best flat-rate rewards in its category. By comparison, most travel cards offer 1:1 rewards on general purchases.

Annual fee kicks in after first year

Like many travel rewards cards, the PNC Premier Traveler Visa Signature card’s annual fee is waived for the first year. After that, the fee is $85, which is right in line with most competing cards. Provided you pay your monthly balances in full to avoid accruing interest charges, the miles you’ll earn with this card should easily outweigh the $85 charge.

Decent sign-up bonus

The PNC Premier Traveler is currently offering a decent sign-up bonus of 30,000 points for cardholders who spend at least $3,000 in the first three billing cycles. When your redeem those points for travel, they are worth around $300. This is a pretty good bonus, but not the highest you can find on a travel card with an annual fee.

Book travel your way

The card offers pretty flexible redemption options, at least when you use them for travel: Miles don’t expire, there are no limits to the number of miles you can earn and there are no blackout dates. Plus, you’re not limited to booking travel through the PNC Rewards Center — because PNC provides statement credits for any travel purchases you make on outside websites, you can fly any airline you want.

However, there are a couple of downsides. Cardholders aren’t allowed to transfer miles to airlines’ frequent flyer programs, an option that can sometimes increase the value of your points. You’ll also need a minimum of 5,000 miles to redeem for travel. And while you do have the ability to redeem PNC Premier Traveler points for gift cards or cash back, you should definitely avoid the latter, as doing so cuts the value of your points in half.

Good perks, with some omissions

In addition to no foreign transaction fees — perfect for when those free flights take you outside of the U.S. — the PNC Premier Traveler Visa Signature card comes with a slew of other travel benefits, including free concierge service, lost luggage and trip delay reimbursement, travel accident insurance and access to the Visa Signature luxury hotel collection.

That said, the card does lack some of the swankier perks of other travel cards, such as Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, which offers a free checked bag and priority seating on Delta flights, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card‘s annual companion pass (after earning 135,000 qualifying points or taking 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year) and the Citi®/ AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®‘s admission to the American Airline’s Admirals Club lounges.

Why get the PNC Premier Traveler card?

  • You want to earn travel rewards with few restrictions on redemption, including limits on eligible airlines or hotel chains.
  • You’re looking for a card you can use while traveling abroad without incurring foreign transaction fees.
  • You want to use the 0 percent introductory APR on balance transfers to consolidate high-interest debt from other cards. 

How to use the PNC Premier Traveler card:

  • Use it as your primary credit card — at least for the first year — to earn maximum miles before the annual fee kicks in.
  • Avoid redeeming miles earned for cash back to avoid cutting their value in half.
  • Transfer any high-interest credit card debt to the card (within the first 90 days) and pay it off within 12 billing cycles at 0 percent APR.
  • Use the card when traveling overseas to take advantage of no foreign transaction fees.

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