PNC Miles Rewards Program Review

PNC Miles Rewards Review Summary

PNC Miles Rewards is the 15th best credit card rewards program, according to WalletHub's latest comparison, receiving 81 points out of a possible 100. The PNC Miles Rewards program includes only one credit card, the PNC Premier Traveler® Visa Signature Credit Card. It rewards cardholders with miles that are worth 0.5 cents to 1 cent each, depending on how they’re redeemed. There are several redemption options, from travel to cash back to gift cards.

PNC Miles Rewards Review Scorecard

#10 for Earning Policies
#27 for Redemption Policies
#1 for Rewards Value per Mile
#1 for Eligibility & Transparency

Best PNC Miles Rewards Credit Cards

Summary: PNC Miles Rewards Scores by Review Category

How to Earn PNC Miles Rewards

Category Rating: 87% (26/30)

You will earn 2 miles per $1 spent with the PNC Premier Traveler® Visa Signature Credit Card. There’s no limit on how many miles you can earn.

Noteworthy Features:

• No expiration: Miles don’t expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing.

Earning Restrictions to Watch Out For: There are currently no notable earning restrictions with PNC Miles Rewards, other than the lack of cards with which to earn miles.

How to Redeem PNC Miles Rewards

Category Rating: 25% (5/20)

The best way to redeem PNC miles is for travel or cash back, because these options offer the most value by a wide margin. Below, you can read more about the different redemption options with PNC Miles Rewards.

Travel

You can redeem your miles to get a statement credit for any travel purchases made in the past 90 days. Alternatively, you can use miles to book new travel through your online account.

Cash Back

Cash back redemption can take the form of a statement credit or an electronic deposit to a PNC bank account.

Gift Cards

You can spend your miles to get a variety of gift cards from popular merchants such as Airbnb, American Airlines, Uber, Carnival Cruise Lines and Amazon.

Redemption Restrictions to Watch Out For:

• Minimum redemption amount: You must redeem a minimum of 5,000 miles when redeeming for travel. You must redeem a minimum of 1,000 miles when redeeming for a monetary credit or deposit.

• No transfer partners: PNC Miles Rewards does not offer the ability to transfer miles to other companies’ loyalty programs.

PNC Miles Rewards Value

Category Rating: 100% (30/30)

PNC miles are worth 0.5 cents to 1 cent each, depending on how you redeem them. With the PNC Premier Traveler® Visa Signature Credit Card, you will earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases.

 

PNC Miles Rewards Eligibility & Transparency

Category Rating: 100% (20/20)

Only one PNC card currently participates in the PNC Miles Rewards program, the PNC Premier Traveler® Visa Signature Credit Card. PNC also has cash back and points rewards programs with different credit cards.

4 Tips for Getting the Most Out of PNC Miles Rewards

Following these tips could mean the difference between earning a free family vacation and only getting enough for a one-way flight: 

1. Redeem regularly
   The whole point of earning credit card rewards is to enjoy the savings they provide. If you just leave your PNC miles sitting in your account unused, they won’t do you much good.
   

2. Pay your bill on time every month
   Your PNC miles won’t expire as long as your account remains open and in good standing. In other words, you have nothing to worry about if you pay your monthly bills on time.
   

3. Pay your bill in full every month
   Paying interest at a credit card’s regular APR will end up costing you more than rewards save you. Paying in full monthly allows you to avoid interest charges.
   

4. Redeem before closing your account
   You will lose any PNC miles left unredeemed when you close your account.

PNC Miles Rewards vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards vs. American Express Membership Rewards

PNC Miles Rewards Review Methodology

This review of PNC Miles Rewards is based on the same methodology as WalletHub’s annual study on the Best Credit Card Rewards Programs. Editor’s ratings reflect the sum of each program’s scores across the study’s four major categories, adjusted to a 5-point scale to create a representative distribution of ratings. The four major categories considered were: Earning Policies, Redemption Policies, Rewards Value per $1 Spent and Eligibility & Transparency.

WalletHub calculated mile values for PNC Miles Rewards by comparing the dollar value of redemption items against the number of miles needed for each.