PenFed credit cards are credit cards issued by Pentagon Federal Credit Union. PenFed credit card offers are known for low annual fees (usually $0), 0% foreign transaction fees and attractive rewards. You don’t need to be affiliated with the military to get a credit card from PenFed, either, as anyone can apply for membership. PenFed credit cards do require good or excellent credit for approval, however.
If you have questions about an existing credit card account with Pentagon Federal Credit Union (a WalletHub partner), the PenFed credit card customer service number is 1 (800) 247-5626. If you’re interested in applying for a card, you can compare the latest PenFed credit card offers, read customer reviews and more below.
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Gas Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
Editor’s Rating
4.5
User Reviews
3.2
Market Comparison
4.4
fees: 5.0
rewards: 4.5
cost: 4.5
Other Features: 0.0
Purchase Intro APR→Not Offered
Transfer Intro APR→0% for 12 months|Transfer Fee:3%
Regular APR→17.99% (V)
Purchase Intro APR
Not Offered
Transfer Intro APR
0% for 12 months|Transfer Fee:3%
Regular APR
17.99% (V)
annual fee
$0
rewards rate
1 - 5 points / $1
Bonus Offer
15,000 points
Bonus Offer
15,000 points
minimum credit
Good
WalletHub's Take: The PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card is the best credit card for gas rewards on the market right now, giving cardholders 5 points for every $1 in fuel paid for at the pump. That’s in addition to 3 points per $1 spent at supermarkets and restaurants, 3 points per $1 spent on cable and streaming services, and 1 point per $1 on everything else – all with a $0 annual fee. New PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa cardholders who spend $1,500 within 3 months of opening an account also get a 15,000 points initial bonus.
Pros
No annual card fee
Intro APR on balance transfers
High rewards rate
15,000 points initial rewards bonus
Cons
No intro APR on purchases
Balance transfer fee
Requires good/excellent credit
Rewards Details
Get Rewarded on Everyday Purchases
5x Points on gas paid at the pump and EV charging stations
3x Points at the supermarket (including most Target and Walmart locations), restaurants, and TV, radio, cable, streaming services
1x Points on all other purchases
15,000 Bonus Points when you spend $1,500 in first 90 days
Additional Info
0% introductory APR for 12 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days after account opening. After that, the APR for the unpaid balance and any new balance transfers will be a non-variable rate of 17.99%. A 3% balance transfer fee applies to each transfer. This transaction is 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.
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Finance New Purchases." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
Editor’s Rating
3.3
User Reviews
3.8
Market Comparison
3.7
fees: 5.0
rewards: 0.0
cost: 3.4
APR: 4.0
Purchase Intro APR→0% for 15 months
Transfer Intro APR→0% for 15 months|Transfer Fee:3%
Regular APR→17.99% (V)
Purchase Intro APR
0% for 15 months
Transfer Intro APR
0% for 15 months|Transfer Fee:3%
Regular APR
17.99% (V)
annual fee
$0
rewards rate
None
minimum credit
Good
WalletHub's Take: The PenFed Gold Visa® Card is a good credit card to consider if you have a credit score of 700 or higher and you want a long 0% APR offer so you can pay off a big purchase or a balance transfer without interest. The PenFed Gold Visa Card’s best features are its intro APR of 0% for 15 months and its $0 annual fee.
Pros
No annual card fee
Intro APR on purchases
Intro APR on balance transfers
No foreign fee
Cons
No rewards
No initial rewards bonus
Balance transfer fee
High regular APR
Additional Info
Nothing beats zero
Benefits of this gold card include low APR and low promotional balance transfer APR. Go for the gold today!
LOW APR on all purchases
0% Introductory APR on purchases made the first 15 months after account opening. After that, the APR for any unpaid purchase balance and any new purchases will be 17.99% based on your creditworthiness and will vary with the market based on the prime rate.
0% introductory APR for 15 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days after account opening. After that, the APR for the unpaid balance and any new balance transfers will be a non-variable rate of 17.99%. A 3% balance transfer fee applies to each transfer. This transaction is 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.
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
Editor’s Rating
4.4
User Reviews
3.1
Market Comparison
3.6
fees: 5.0
rewards: 3.2
cost: 3.6
Other Features: 0.0
Purchase Intro APR→Not Offered
Transfer Intro APR→0% for 12 months|Transfer Fee:3%
Regular APR→17.99% (V)
Purchase Intro APR
Not Offered
Transfer Intro APR
0% for 12 months|Transfer Fee:3%
Regular APR
17.99% (V)
annual fee
$0
rewards rate
1.5 - 2% Cash Back
Bonus Offer
$100
Bonus Offer
$100
minimum credit
Good
WalletHub's Take: The PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature Card is the best PenFed credit card for everyday cash back rewards. It’s worth considering because there’s no annual fee and you can earn at least 1.5% back on all purchases, in addition to PenFed’s customary initial rewards bonus: $100 for spending $1,500 in the first 90 days.
Pros
No annual card fee
Intro APR on balance transfers
High rewards rate
$100 initial rewards bonus
Cons
No intro APR on purchases
Balance transfer fee
Requires good/excellent credit
Rewards Details
Earn Cash Back for Everyday Purchases
No Caps. No Limits. No Gimmicks.
2% Cash Back on all purchases for PenFed Honors Advantage Members
1.5% Cash Back on all purchases made with your card
$100 Bonus Offer Statement Credit When you spend $1,500 in the first 90 days
Additional Info
0% introductory APR for 12 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days after account opening. After that, the APR for the unpaid balance and any new balance transfers will be a non-variable rate of 17.99%. A 3% balance transfer fee applies to each transfer. This transaction is 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.
This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs.
Editor’s Rating
4.0
Market Comparison
4.1
fees: 2.9
rewards: 4.2
cost: 4.7
Other Features: 0.0
Purchase Intro APR→Not Offered
Transfer Intro APR→0% for 12 months|Transfer Fee:3%
Regular APR→17.99% (V)
Purchase Intro APR
Not Offered
Transfer Intro APR
0% for 12 months|Transfer Fee:3%
Regular APR
17.99% (V)
annual fee
$95
rewards rate
1.5 - 4 points / $1
Bonus Offer
50,000 points
Bonus Offer
50,000 points
minimum credit
Good
WalletHub's Take: The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card is a good credit card for travel, offering generous rewards and luxury perks such as free airport lounge access. The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card is easily worth its $95 annual fee for frequent travelers, especially those who earn the card’s initial bonus and take advantage of its statement-credit offers.
Pros
Intro APR on balance transfers
High rewards rate
50,000 points initial rewards bonus
No foreign fee
Cons
Membership fees
No intro APR on purchases
Balance transfer fee
Requires good/excellent credit
Rewards Details
Earn more everywhere you go!
50,000 Bonus Points when you spend $3000 in the first 90 days
Up to $799 total Travel value
4X Points on all Travel categories for PenFed Honors Advantage Members
3X Points on all Travel categories
1.5X Points on all other purchases
Additional Info
0% introductory APR for 12 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days after account opening. After that, the APR for the unpaid balance and any new balance transfers will be a non-variable rate of 17.99%. A 3% balance transfer fee applies to each transfer. This transaction is 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.
Annual Fee: $95 (waived for existing PenFed Honors Advantage Members)
Purchase Variable APR: 17.99%
Refer to PenFed.org for Terms/Conditions
Pros, Cons, & Details
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This doesn't make sense, but it actually happened today. We made a large purchase on our credit card, and the transaction went through—that's the good part. But when we made a bank transfer to pay off the balance, they declined any further purchases until the transaction cleared the bank, which appears to take 10-14 days. This doesn't make any sense. Okay, we were still several thousand dollars under our spending limit, but they still declined any new transactions as if we were over the limit. Does that make any sense? When I called to inquire about the declined purchases, the representative was very cordial as she explained that we had made too large of a payment on the account. Again, does that make any sense? Well, I'm not sure what to think, other than I guess they want someone who pays their bills on time to use a different credit card other than PenFed in the future.
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Product: PenFed Credit Union Credit Cards
Comment
2
0
Richard DesLonde @gr8melinko
That is because they don't hold a candle to Navy Federal or PSECU.
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Comment
0
0
Jen Gibbs @jenlgibbs1234
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1 Star Rating
Verified Customer
Terrible customer service. It took three months to change personal information. Multiple calls and uploads of my driver's license. Absolutely no reason to be so difficult.
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Product: PenFed Credit Union Credit Cards
Comment
2
0
Jim Leist @jimbob56
Report Abuse
2 Star Rating
I just cut up and threw away our PenFed Visa Signature card! Worked fine for a year and a half. For the last 2 months, my wife's and my card have been declined at many establishments and online. Their fraud prevention software is a joke. I have been on the phone with customer service and a manager to try and fix the problem. They say that everything is working as it should, and I just need to use the card more for it to learn my spending habits. WHAT! We've used this card almost daily. Then they told me to just wait after being declined for the automated fraud text to come, and I can respond that it's me, then continue my transaction. Sure, I'll just wait around for 10 minutes after being embarrassed every time I want to buy something. Their customer service is a joke as well. Can't fix and don't care. See you later, PenFed!
Not good. No perks. Never paid late, but the company is so unprofessional that every time I make a payment, they reduce my credit line each month, constantly lowering my available credit. Do not get this card. No matter how well your payment history is, this company will make your score suffer.
As a WalletHub member and a PenFed cardholder, I just applied for the PenFed Platinum card. First, I used their pre-approval tool and it said $20,000. I applied, and they gave me $20,000!
What was your credit score when u applied if u don't mind me asking
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Comment
0
0
barcibal @barcibal
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1 Star Rating
Paid off a credit card with them and someone had fraudulently charged to the account. I did not notice the charge until PenFed started taking minimum auto-pay, six months later, out of my bank account. The fraud department did not help at all with the matter. Said the charges were my fault because I only had 90 days to dispute and I should have reviewed an account I had paid off regularly. How can I even consider looking at my statement when out of 100 emails from them on my gmail page, 2 were my monthly statements? They send a lot of spam. More than any issuing credit card firm. And why would they wait 6 months to withdraw auto pay out of my bank account which I do monitor regularly for payments? They defrauded me as much as the person who made the fraudulent charges to my credit card. Worst credit card firm I have ever dealt with.
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Product: PenFed Credit Union Credit Cards
Comment
1
0
Jack Jones @jonestms148
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5 Star Rating
Verified Customer
Received pre-approval and was approved. The only issue is that they are slow to raise credit limits automatically, unlike my other cards. They have great customer service. I don't apply for higher limits with them because of hard pulls on credit. Payment record should suffice, as well as income information, since a soft pull will provide all the information that is needed. I still highly recommend this card, in spite of what I perceive to be a shortcoming in their account review process.
Fair and dependable. I have kept this card as my main staple card. Their membership is the best. Plus, I prefer a Credit Union card rather than a bank card. When Pentagon tells you something, it remains true and there are no surprises or last-minute changes to their policies. I have had this card for more than 8 years, and it is my favorite.
We always look for dependable organizations to work with for our financial planning. I think that Pentagon Credit Union is interested in their clients doing well and their customer service is top-notch. They are patient and go out of their way to help.
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Product: PenFed Credit Union Credit Cards
Comment
0
0
tjpenhollow @tjpenhollow
Report Abuse
1 Star Rating
Still unresolved case. Virtual Reward Card declined by two merchants (confirmed full available balance). I requested a physical card to resolve the issue, but Penfed will not comply. The virtual card is clearly not functioning properly. Moreover, virtual reward cards are not accepted on all websites, and if there is a small residual balance on one, it cannot be used anywhere. For example, if you have $50 remaining on the card and purchase a $45 item, leaving $5 on the card, you must find a transaction that is exactly $5, or you will forfeit the remaining money. This happens because, with virtual cards, merchants do not allow partial payments or presentation of two forms of payment. With a physical reward card, you can swipe for a partial payment to deplete the balance to zero and use another form of payment for the remaining amount. This is not possible with these cards. The Penfed operators are shocked and in disbelief when I inform them of this. They insist it cannot be true, yet it is. I am the proof, not just once but on many occasions. Customer service is also severely lacking. Of the seven times I've called about this issue, I've been put directly through to an operator who states all agents are busy and asks to leave my number for a callback. The callbacks have all been more than 24 hours after the inquiry. I call Penfed when I am available; their callbacks are certainly not at those times.
This is the last straw with the Penfed credit card service, where several scheduled payments did not post (and I've provided screenshots as proof of payment, and they had to reverse late charges).
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Product: PenFed Credit Union Credit Cards
Comment
0
0
arnoldt_3 @arnoldt_3
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1 Star Rating
Verified Customer
They took the liberty of decreasing my credit limit, because my score went down. Unfortunately, how credit works is as you use it you get penalized. I’m not happy about that!
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Product: PenFed Credit Union Credit Cards
Comment
0
0
Review PenFed Credit Card Reviews
Questions & Answers
Get answers to your questions about PenFed Credit Card Reviews below. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by this issuer. Please keep in mind that it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered. In addition, WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.
Yes. Anyone can join PenFed. PenFed membership is free for everyone now, but PenFed was originally created to serve U.S. military members and veterans of all branches, as well as federal employees and retirees. PenFed formerly required non-government and non-military applicants to donate to a military charity to be eligible for membership, but they no longer require this. As long as you're a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States, you can join Pentagon Federal Credit Union by simply funding a savings account with at least $5.
All you have to do to apply for PenFed membership is enter your personal information – including your name, address, Social Security number or ITIN, and other info – on the membership form. Before you submit your application for membership, you'll be asked to make a deposit of at least $5 to a new PenFed savings account using a debit card or a bank transfer.
PenFed Membership Eligibility Requirements:
Must be able to fund a savings account with at least $5
Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident
Must have a government-issued photo I.D.
Must be at least 18 years old
All in all, it's very easy to become a PenFed Credit Union member. To fill out a membership form, visit the PenFed Credit Union website. Alternately, you can apply for membership over the phone by calling 800-247-5626.
Yes, PenFed is a good credit card company that offers unsecured credit cards for people with good credit. PenFed credit cards come with $0 annual fees, 0% foreign transaction fees, rewards of up to 5 points / $1 spent on purchases, and introductory APRs.
Here's why PenFed is a good credit card company:
Many credit card promotions and benefits: All PenFed credit cards come with a 0% foreign transaction fee, and almost all of them have no...
No, PenFed doesn't have any secured credit cards. Pentagon Federal Credit Union has offered secured credit cards in the past, but they stopped taking new secured card applications a while back.
PenFed only offers unsecured credit cards for members with above-average credit. There's no security deposit required, but potential customers with credit scores below 700 may find it difficult to get approved. Although PenFed does not have a secured credit card, there are plenty of good...
PenFed doesn't offer any business credit cards at the moment, unfortunately. PenFed credit cards are intended for personal use, but they typically come with low annual fees, competitive initial bonuses, 0% introductory APRs, attractive rewards or a combination of these features. You could even get one for business expenses, as long as you don't use the same account for personal spending.
Having said that, there are several good business credit cards from other issuers that are available for...
The PenFed Honors Advantage program offers higher earning rates to eligible PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card and PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card members. More specifically, PenFed Power Cash Rewards cardholders get 2% cash back on all purchases and PenFed Pathfinder cardholders get 4 points / $1 spent on travel if they are eligible for this program.
How the PenFed Honors Advantage Program Works
Eligibility based either on having and maintaining a PenFed Access America or Free Checking acccount or being/having been in military service (active duty, reserve, honorably discharged,...
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* The information about the following cards has been independently collected
by WalletHub: PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card, PenFed Gold Visa® Card, PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card, PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card, Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card, and U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa® Secured Card.
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