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PNC points® Visa® Credit Card review

 /  5 min
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At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for and how we rate our cards. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

Snapshot

2.5

Bankrate rating
Info
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Image of PNC points® Visa® Credit Card

PNC points® Visa® Credit Card

*
2.5
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Bankrate score
Info
Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Recommended Credit

Intro offer

Info

N/A

Offer valuation

Info

4X

Rewards rate

Info

Annual fee

Regular APR

On This Page

The PNC points® Visa® Credit Card Overview

The PNC points Visa looks pretty appealing from the outside, and some may find it very practical for their banking needs. Since it comes from a regional bank, the PNC points Visa may not even be available to you. Even if it is, you may find you already have a card giving you better rewards.

What are the pros and cons?

Pros

  • Checkmark

    Earn points on nearly all purchases

  • Checkmark

    Intro APR offers

  • Checkmark

    No annual fee

  • Checkmark

    Bonus point opportunities

Cons

  • Only available in areas with PNC physical presence

  • Foreign transaction fee

  • Points carry a relatively low cash value compared to other cards

A deeper look at the current card offer

Quick highlights

  • Rewards Rate: 4 points for every $1 on qualifying purchases
  • Welcome Offer: 50,000 bonus points for spending $750 within the first three billing cycles
  • Annual Fee: None
  • Purchase Intro APR: 0 percent APR for the first 12 billing cycles
  • Balance Transfer Intro APR: 0 percent APR for the first 12 billing cycles, plus a fee of $5 or 3 percent of the balance if balances are transferred within 90 days of account opening
  • Regular APR: 11.99 percent to 21.99 percent APR variable

Current welcome offer

If you’re approved for a new PNC points Visa Credit Card, you can earn an additional 50,000 points when you spend $750 within the first three billing cycles.

While not a spectacular bonus, it’s solid nevertheless, and there are thousands of options when it comes to redeeming. Since $750 isn’t a huge threshold to clear, this is something you may want to consider if you live in an area where PNC operates.

Rewards rate

Earning rewards points with the PNC Points Visa Credit Card is easy if you have an account with PNC (or open one) and meet the requirements to earn bonus points. You can always check the number of points available with your PNC credit card login credentials.

Earning rewards

You will earn four PNC rewards points for every $1 in qualified spending, which is almost everything except gift cards and other cash equivalent transactions. When this card is your daily go-to for spending, you can find yourself with a nice stash of points pretty quickly.

Let’s say you put $1,000 on your credit card each month. That gives you 4,000 points at the end of the month. Now, if you have a PNC account, this is where the point earnings really start to add up, as you’ll see below.

Redeeming rewards

With so many redemption choices, you’ll find earning them easier than spending them. Do you want to book an exciting travel getaway? Treat yourself to a spa experience? Donate to your favorite charity? Or use them on some new items for your home or wardrobe? The online rewards page is easy to navigate. Chose the category of reward you want to look at and browse through the offers.

Beware though: points expire 48 months after they are earned. To avoid losing them, after you open your account, set a reminder for 46 months from that date. That will give you a two-month buffer to decide how you’ll spend your points before they vanish from your account.

Other cardholder benefits

The benefits for this card, while not outstanding, are solid. Current PNC customers, or those who are open to banking with them, enjoy the most rewards.

Opportunity to earn bonus points every month

PNC gives you bonus points on the base points you earn with your card if you maintain specific accounts.

  • Earn a 25 percent bonus when you maintain a Virtual Wallet, Virtual Wallet Performance Spend, Virtual Wallet Performance Select, Performance or Performance Select checking account.
  • Earn a 50 percent bonus points when you maintain a Performance Checking account or Virtual Wallet with Performance Spend and meet the minimum balance or direct deposit requirements for this award level.
  • Earn a whopping 75 percent bonus when you maintain a Performance Select Checking account or Virtual Wallet with Performance Select and meet the minimum balance or direct deposit requirements.

Seamless integration with PNC online banking and Virtual Wallet

Streamline your finances when you pair this card with other banking options from PNC. Access your account information in one location with your PNC visa login. You can easily check your balance and points available with your PNC Bank credit card login info anytime and anywhere.

How much are points worth?

These points are, sadly, not very valuable when you consider their cash equivalent. Many rewards programs have points or miles worth 1 cent each, but PNC points work out to less than a quarter of a cent each.

Here are three examples we compared:

  • Round-trip flight from Chicago to New York City: $197 when you pay with cash, or 66,067 points, making each point worth $0.29.
  • LG Stylo 6 phone: Best Buy sells the 64 GB model for $299.99, but you can get sans cash with 184,583 points. This works out to 0.16 cents per point.
  • Walmart gift card: A $100 gift card costs 45,980 points, making each point worth $0.21.

Rates and Fees

This card offers an intro 0 percent APR for 12 billing cycles on new purchases and balance transfers made within the first 90 days of account opening. After that, the rate goes up to a lower-than-average among rewards credit cards rate of 11.99 percent to 21.99 percent variable, depending on creditworthiness.

Balances transferred within the first 90 days incur a fee of $5 or 3 percent of the total, whichever is greater. After the intro period, the fee increases to the greater of $5 or 4 percent of the total balance transferred.

You’ll also pay a 3 percent foreign transaction fee on international purchases. The late and returned payment fees can be up to $38. Cash advance fees are 10 percent of the total amount or $5, whichever is greater.

How the PNC Points Visa Credit Card compares to other rewards cards

This $0 annual-fee card does come up short when it comes to the length of the 0 percent intro APR. However, it shines when it comes to the number of points it earns day in and day out. Additionally, it has one of the lower spending thresholds that need to be reached to get the welcome bonus.

Image of PNC points® Visa® Credit Card

PNC points® Visa® Credit Card

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

50,000 Bonus Points
Info

Rewards rate

4X
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Image of Citi Double Cash® Card
Bankrate Score
See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply
Apply now Lock
on Citi's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

$200 cash back
Info

Rewards rate

1% - 5%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Fair to Good (580 – 740)
Info
Image of Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Bankrate Score
Apply now Lock
on Chase's secure site

Annual fee

$95

Intro offer

60,000 bonus points
Info

Rewards rate

1x - 5x
Info

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info

A balance transfer request must be made within 120 days from account opening to qualify for the introductory APR. 

Best cards to pair with the PNC Points Visa Credit Card

With so many specialized rewards cards available, it’s helpful to have a few in your wallet to maximize your rewards-earning potential. The PNC Points Visa pairs well with cards that earn cash back or give extra rewards for travel spending and redemption, like the Citi Double Cash® Card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. That way, you can cover all of your bases when it comes to getting rewarded for your purchases.

Bankrate’s Take — Is PNC Points Visa Credit Card worth it?

We like the PNC Points Visa Credit Card overall, but unless you already are a PNC customer and can take advantage of the bonus earning opportunities, this isn’t one of the best credit cards on the market today.

All information about the PNC Points Visa Card and Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.

* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.