PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card Review

Pentagon Federal Credit Union has grown into one of the country's largest credit unions by offering solid financial products to military families and their supporters. Their PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card offers outstanding value for families that spend a lot of money every year at gas stations and grocery stores, all with no annual fee. For this reason, the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card was named a 2019 CardRating's Editor's Choice Award winner for Best Gas Rewards card.

Best card for gas and grocery rewards

This card is best for anyone with large grocery bills and heavy personal mileage. PenFed designs its credit cards around the needs of military families, explaining some of the extraordinary rebates you can rack up with this account. Gas purchases earn five points per dollar – the equivalent of a 5% rebate – when you pay at the pump and fuel purchases for boats and airplanes and via in store attendant earn one point per dollar spent. Supermarket purchases score three points per dollar, and all your other purchases earn one point per dollar. (For the benefit of military families, PenFed considers military commissaries the same as supermarkets.)

Plus, you can earn a $100 statement credit after you spend $1,500 within the first 90 days.

Redeeming your points requires a quick trip to PenFed's online rewards center, which will look familiar if you've ever used similar tools from the Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Citi ThankYou® programs. Although the site offers a handful of electronics and household goods, you'll generally get the best value by trading points for Visa prepaid reward cards or instant e-certificates to retailers like Amazon and Gap.

Bonus perks for overseas travelers

Like other PenFed credit cards, the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card charges no foreign transaction fees. That can make a big budgetary difference to military personnel deployed overseas, saving between 3% and 5% on every transaction compared to most credit cards. PenFed also includes comprehensive travel accident insurance for members and their families traveling on itineraries purchased with this card.

How the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card compares to other gas credit cards

The big banks' best gas credit cards can't stand up to the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card. Although cards from Chase, American Express (American Express is a CardRatings advertiser) and Discover offer occasional 5% rebates on U.S gas purchases, their offers usually expire after a few months or come with spending caps. Most co-branded gas cards top off their rebates at about 3%, while requiring you to track down a participating gas station. PenFed doesn't restrict members' earning potential on their 5 point gas rewards. In fact, the promotional materials for this account advise cardholders to use their cards as much as possible to earn extra rewards.

FEATURED CARD

 

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

• Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months.
• 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
• 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
• 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
• 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
• Low intro APR: 0% for 12 months on purchases from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 13.99% to 23.99%.
• Plan It® gives the option to select purchases of $100 or more to split up into monthly payments with a fixed fee.
• Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
• $95 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

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