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PNC Bank Review 2024

Updated September 26, 2024
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At a glance

3.9
Rating: 3.9 stars out of 5
Bankrate Score
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CDs

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Checking

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Savings

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

MMA

Rating: 2.6 stars out of 5

About Bankrate Score

Overview

PNC Bank stands out for its digital banking tools and offers competitive interest rates in some states. But if you don't live in those select states and are looking for the highest yields possible, consider banking elsewhere for better rates.

Highlights

  • Digital Leader
  • Highly Rated App
Sponsored offers
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These are sponsored offers rated highly by us for competitive rates, fees, and minimums.

Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
3.90
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 12/6/2024
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer:
Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
3.90
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 12/6/2024
Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer:
Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
3.80
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 12/6/2024
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer: It only takes about 5 minutes to open a fee-free account.

Overall

PNC Bank offers a full suite of deposit products, with branches in parts of the Northeast, South and Midwest as well as on the West Coast. While the bank offers competitive rates to customers who live in certain states, those who live elsewhere earn yields below the national average. The bank offers a well-rated mobile app that incorporates tools for money management. 

Pros

  • Checkmark Icon

    It boasts a competitive APY on its online-only savings account (only available in certain states).

  • Checkmark Icon

    PNC supports around 2,400 branches and offers access to around 60,000 fee-free ATMs.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The bank provides above-average digital banking features.

Cons

  • At $36, its overdraft fee is higher than average.

  • Navigating and comparing various bank products online can be difficult.

  • PNC’s high yield savings account option is only available in certain states.

CTA We want to know what you think about PNC Bank

We want to know what you think about PNC Bank

Do you have experience with PNC Bank? Let us know your thoughts.

PNC Bank banking products

5.0
/5
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
SCORE BREAKDOWN
APY offering:
4.15%
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
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Minimum balance for APY:
$0.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Great
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
FEATURES
Invest Rate Icon
4.15% APY
Info Icon
Savings Icon
$0 minimum balance for APY
Loan Icon
$1 minimum deposit to open

PNC Bank savings overview

PNC’s Virtual Wallet Pro, which combines checking and savings services, offers a competitive yield with the Growth option, and it doesn’t require a minimum opening deposit. The account isn’t tiered, and the minimum balance to start earning this APY is $1.

However, the account isn’t available in all states, so not everyone will have access to the product. Customers who live in states with PNC branches earn a much lower yield on its Standard Savings account.

Pros

  • Checkmark Icon

    PNC’s high yield savings account option offers a top-tier APY in certain states.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The account comes with an ATM card.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The account doesn’t charge a monthly service charge.

Cons

  • The PNC Virtual Wallet Pro account isn’t available in all states.

  • There’s a six-per-month restricted transactions limit; PNC will charge a $3 fee each time for going beyond that maximum.

  • See how rates for this account have changed over time. Interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

    PNC Bank
    APY
    APY
    Info Icon
    National average APY
    How do we get this data?
    Info Icon

Bank fees

Fee Charged?
Overdraft fee $36
Non-sufficient funds fee None
Monthly maintenance fee Varies by account
Out-of-network ATM fee $3
Excessive transaction fee $3

Customer experience

Customer support

Physical Presence. PNC Bank offers branches in 28 states and the District of Columbia, and some of its deposit accounts can be opened online. The bank offers access to approximately 2,300 branches.

High customer satisfaction. While PNC’s overall customer satisfaction varies by region, the bank mostly received positive scores in J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study.

Customer service. PNC customer service representatives can be reached by phone seven days a week. On weekdays, they’re available from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Eastern. On weekends, you can reach them from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Digital experience

Highly rated mobile app. PNC Bank’s mobile app receives high marks on both the Apple App and Google Play stores. Collectively, more than 1.5 million users have reviewed the app. The app offers access to a Virtual Wallet tool that allows you to set up savings goals and view a calendar of upcoming bill payments and paydays. “I like the Virtual Wallet account and how I can quickly see a summary of checking and savings balances together,” said a Bankrate staff member who banks at PNC. “PNC also groups purchases together into categories so it’s convenient for budgeting and seeing how much you’ve spent in a given category, such as restaurants, each month.”

Also included is a color-coded “Money Bar” that shows how much of your money is scheduled for bills and savings goals, as well as what’s available to be spent. The app offers unique digital features such as customizable alerts and voice banking, though the latter is “time consuming and frustrating,” according to a Bankrate staff member. “I’d like to be able to reach an agent for assistance quickly.”

Scheduled payment functionality. It isn’t possible to see future scheduled payments for online bill pay on the app, according to a Bankrate staff member with access to the account. Instead, you must log into your account through the website. “If I quickly want to double check that I’ve scheduled to pay my water bill, it cannot be confirmed in the app.”

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Bankrate staff insights

“I’ve been banking with PNC for 18 years,” said a Bankrate staff member who uses PNC personally. “Overall, I like the organization of the accounts with having quick visibility into all my accounts through the Virtual Wallet dashboard. I also appreciate their budgeting and savings tools.”

Disclosure: To enhance our product reviews, Bankrate employees often open accounts and provide feedback. They may have been compensated for their time and account maintenance, but this does not affect the integrity of their review.

Featured customer reviews

The consumer reviews posted on Bankrate.com ("Bankrate") are individual, subjective opinions of reviewers, and not of Bankrate. Bankrate does not endorse any of the opinions expressed by reviewers or any responses to reviews. Bankrate cannot guarantee or verify the accuracy of the opinions shared by individual reviewers. Some reviews may be edited for length and clarity.

NUFAN67
Apr 1, 2023
Does anyone have a PNC HYSA?
I opened a PNC high-yield savings account (HYSA) a few months ago. The website is a little clunky compared with [Bank of America], but otherwise, I have been very happy. If you need money in a rush, simply wire transfer to another bank or for small denominations use a service such as Venmo. As other posters have said, there are higher yielding savings accounts available.
via Reddit
beowulf90210
Apr 1, 2023
PNC offering 4% on savings now?
That's a good rate, but I still only trust Ally, Capital One and Marcus to be consistent leaders. I used to chase higher rate offers, but they would always drop the rates way below market within a year and it just wasn't worth the hassle.
via Reddit

Our editor's take

There are multiple ways to transfer money out of PNC accounts, but customers should be aware that domestic wire transfers at PNC come with a fee. 

PNC Bank recently started offering a higher rate for its Virtual Wallet Pro account, but it’s only available in select states — typically where PNC branches aren’t found. You’ll find consistently high rates without that barrier at other banks. 

About PNC Bank

Founded as Pittsburgh Trust and Savings Co., PNC Bank is one of the largest banks operating in the U.S. It offers a full suite of retail, commercial and small-business products.

How PNC Bank compares to other banks

PNC Bank FAQs

Review methodology

With so many financial institutions to choose from, it can be hard to know who to trust. Bankrate’s ever-growing list of bank and credit union reviews is updated regularly. Our editorial team analyzes and reviews each institution across deposit products such as savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market accounts (MMAs). Banks are rated by important factors such as offered interest rates, fees, minimum balance requirements, access to funds and more.

We assign a score to each type of account and its features, weigh them carefully based on importance to account holders and determine an overall score. Read our full review methodology.

PNC Bank customer reviews

CTA PNC Bank has 24 reviews

PNC Bank has 24 reviews

Dive into community reviews below and see what others think about PNC Bank.

4.4 Star Icon
24 ratings
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Score breakdown
5 stars
54%
4 stars
29%
3 stars
17%
2 stars
0%
1 star
0%
Score by category
Overall Rating 4.4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3.5 / 5
Amount of fees 3.5 / 5
Customer support 4.3 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4.3 / 5
Verified Badge Icon Bankrate methodology disclosure

In July 2024, Bankrate collaborated with a third-party vendor to survey 1,200 bank account holders nationwide. Bankrate and our vendor collected and summarized account holder responses to five rating questions on a 5-point scale as well as open-ended reviews of the banking experience. Responses are based on individual account holder product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Reviewers received an incentive for their feedback. Their ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by the associated bank or credit union, nor do these responses reflect Bankrate's own expert review of these banking products.

Community Reviews

See what users like you are saying about PNC Bank.
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Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Customer support is great. I wish they had more locations, but it's close to home. Offers direct deposit and no fee checking.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
No fees for checking. Close to home and ease of use.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
So so. Would rather not use any bank. Close to home.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
You can avoid maintenance fees on your checking account by maintaining a minimum balance. Here are the minimum balances that qualify you for free checking based on types: Virtual wallet: $500 in direct deposits to your spend account, or the equivalent balance amount in all combined checking accounts. We have been PNC customers for probably more than 20 years. We use online bill pay regularly. The online site is easy to use. There is no charge to use their ATMs. Their headquarters are in Pittsburgh where we lived for almost 30 years. I like that they are a large organization.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
It’s a decent percentage savings account. I can never find an ATM to withdraw the funds from, and I cannot get my cash back when I make purchases.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 2 / 5
Website / Mobile app 3 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
PNC customer service is very good. Low fees and free checking.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Convienent. Easy to use.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
There is never enough staff and website isn't great. I mainly chose it because it's local.
Score by category
Amount of fees 1 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 1 / 5
Customer support 1 / 5
Website / Mobile app 3 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
My overall experience with PNC is great, I only have one complaint regarding the product's monthly fee. The monthly checking account fee where you have to pay if you don't meet the threshold for the minimum amount of direct deposit made.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 3 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Great rates. Friendly and helpful people.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 4 / 5
Website / Mobile app 3 / 5