PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card Review
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Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Earn a $150 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 16.74-25.49%.
- 3% intro balance transfer fee when you transfer a balance during the first 60 days your account is open, with a minimum of $5
- No annual fee
- Free credit score, updated weekly with Credit Journey℠
- No minimum to redeem for cash back
- Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open
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.
- NEW 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- NEW 3% Cash Back on transit including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more.
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations. 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Over 3 million more places in the U.S. started accepting American Express® Cards in 2017 and 2018.
- Low intro APR: 0% for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable rate, currently 14.74% to 25.74%
- $95 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
Best Credit Cards
What Pentagon Federal Credit Union says about this card
- $100 bonus after spending $1,500 in purchase transactions within the first 90 days of account opening.
- 0% APR promo balance transfer rate for 12 months now through March 31, 2020. After that, the APR for the unpaid balance and any new balance transfers will be 11.74% to 17.99%. APR will vary w/the market based on Prime Rate. 3% balance transfer fee per transaction. Subject to credit approval. If you take advantage of this balance transfer, you will immediately be charged interest on all purchases made with your credit card unless you pay the entire account balance, including balance transfers, in full each month by the payment due date.
- Rate and offers current as of October 1, 2019 and subject to change.
- Earn 5 points on gas purchases at the pump. Fuel purchases for airplanes and boats do not receive cash back rewards.
- Earn 3 points on supermarket purchases
- Earn 1 point on all other purchases
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- No cash advance fee
- Chip enabled for added security
- Federally insured by NCUA
- Variable rate as low As 11.74% APR
By Amber Stubbs Managing Editor Updated Oct 7, 2019
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 percent rebate – when you pay at the pump. 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 bonus 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 percent 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 percent 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 percent, 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.
Top Features
| Cash Back on Gas | Cash Back on Groceries | Cash Back on Other |
| Earn 5 points on gas purchases at the pump. Fuel purchases for airplanes and boats do not receive cash back rewards. | 3 points | 1 point |
CardRatings Editor's Analysis: Pros & Cons
- This card offers top-of-the-line rebates when you pay at the pump for your gas – five points per dollar or the equivalent of 5 percent. Purchases at grocery stores also earn bonus returns – three points per dollar.
- Our 2019 Editor's Choice pick for Best Gas Rewards.
- Earn a $100 bonus after spending $1,500 on the card in the first 90 days.
- This card really benefits people who spend a lot at gas stations and grocery stores, in particular. If you don't spend a lot on in those categories, there are likely better card options for you.
PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card compared to other cash back cards
