$95 (waived for existing Honors Advantage Members)
0% promo APR for 12 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days after account opening, 3% fee applies to each transaction
17.99% APR on balance transfers, 17.99% Variable APR on purchases
Earn 50,000 bonus points
Good to Excellent
- Large welcome bonus offer
- Good earning rates for travel purchases
- Travel statement credits and Priority Pass airport lounge membership
- Must join PenFed credit union to apply for the card
- Highest earning rates are for PenFed Honors Advantage Members
- No airline or hotel transfer partners
- 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
- 0% Balance Transfers Promo APR for 12 months, 3% fee applies to each transaction. Subject to credit approval. 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
PenFed Pathfinder Rewards Visa Signature Overview
If you're a Pentagon Federal (PenFed) Credit Union member (anyone can join), the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card could be a great fit for your wallet. It has good rewards rates on all travel categories (up to 4x points per dollar spent), and a decent flat-rate reward earning on all other purchases. Cardholders get unique redemption options and a selection of travel and purchase benefits, for a modest annual fee of $95 (waived for existing Honors Advantage Members).
New cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening (up to $500 in value). Other benefits include a $100 annual domestic air ancillary travel statement credit, access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge annual membership (worth $99), up to $100 in statement credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee, and no foreign transaction fees.
In addition, the card offers a 0% promo APR for 12 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days after account opening, 3% fee applies to each transaction (then a 17.99% APR on balance transfers, 17.99% Variable APR on purchases APR). This balance transfer offer is good for folks who want to consolidate credit card debt without incurring high interest charges. However, the 0% intro APR offer does not apply to new purchases, so it's not ideal for those who need to pay off large purchases over multiple billing cycles.
The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card is best suited for PenFed Honors Advantage Members since they'll earn an additional 1 point per dollar spent on travel purchases (a total of 4x points on all travel categories). Plus, PenFed Honors Advantage Members don't pay an annual fee.
Non-members will miss out on the higher rewards earnings and will still need to pay the annual fee. So if you don't qualify for the PenFed Honors Advantage Program, you may want to consider a different travel credit card.
How to earn rewards with the PenFed Pathfinder Rewards Visa Signature
The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card earns unlimited points in all categories with no spending caps. Cardholders earn:
- 4x points on all travel categories, including airfare, hotels, and car rentals (PenFed Honors Advantage members only):
- 3x points on all travel categories (if you're not an Honors Advantage member)
- 1.5x points on all other purchases
You'll receive your points at the end of the billing cycle in which you earned them.
How to use rewards from the PenFed Pathfinder Rewards Visa Signature
It's important to note that PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card doesn't have airline and hotel transfer partners. Instead, you can redeem points on travel only through the PenFed Rewards catalog, which can be quite limiting — the same goes for shopping, donating to charity, gift cards, and other redemption options. But you can still redeem rewards for statement credits to your PenFed card or account (when you set up automatic redemptions).
Rewards points earned with the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card are redeemable as statement credits, gift cards (physical cards and e-gift cards), travel, shopping, experiences, charity, and at the Apple Store.
You can access the PenFed rewards catalog through your PenFed Online Account or app. Once you're logged in, you'll be able to view your balance and click "Redeem Rewards" to browse redemption options for travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more — you can also click "Set Up Auto Redemptions" to set up an automatic statement credit to your credit card or PenFed account (uses the available balance on the 25th of each month).
PenFed Pathfinder benefits
$100 annual statement credit
The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card comes with up to $100 annual domestic air ancillary travel statement credit. When you charge eligible purchases (including baggage fees, flight change fees, inflight food and beverage purchases, airport lounge day passes, pet kennel fees, and phone reservation fees) to your card, you'll be reimbursed up to $100 each year.
Note that airline tickets, upgrades, mileage points purchases, mileage points transfer fees, gift cards, duty free purchases, and award tickets aren't eligible for the domestic air ancillary travel credit. In addition, only certain US airlines qualify (Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest, and United).
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit
When you charge your Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck® ($78 or $85) application fee to your PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card, you'll receive a statement credit for the amount, every four years.
Complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge annual membership
You'll receive a complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge annual membership (a $99 value) with your PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card. Unlike most other cards that come with Priority Pass, this membership doesn't include free unlimited entry to lounges — you'll be charged $32 per visit.
Baggage delay reimbursement
If your luggage is delayed for more than four hours, you can be reimbursed up to $100 a day for essential items for up to three days (max value of $300). This benefit applies to you and immediate family members whose tickets were purchased with your card. You must notify the benefits administrator within 20 days of delayed luggage.
Lost luggage reimbursement
You can be reimbursed for checked or carry-on luggage lost due to theft or misdirection by the airline or other common carrier (up to $3,000 per covered trip). To be eligible for this benefit, you have to purchase a portion of your trip with your PenFed credit card/through the rewards program.
Roadside dispatch
PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card cardholders receive access to pay-per-use roadside assistance for towing, tire change, jump start, lockout service, and more 24/7.
Travel and emergency assistance
If things go wrong when you're traveling, you can access a travel and emergency assistance hotline which can help arrange things like medical and legal referrals, translation services, prescription assistance, and more. The service itself is free, but you're responsible for any third-party costs.
Purchase security
You'll get protection on new purchases made with your PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card (for the first 90 days from the date of purchase) that are damaged from fire, explosion, rain, theft, and more. You can get replacements, repairs, or reimbursements up to the total purchase price of the item (max of $500 per claim and $50,000 per cardholder).
Travel accident insurance
You'll receive up to $250,000 in coverage for accidental death or dismemberment (no extra cost) when you charge your entire travel fare to your PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card.
Trip delay reimbursement
You'll receive up to $300 per purchased ticket when your trip is delayed for more than 12 hours (one claim per trip). To be eligible for this benefit, you have to purchase a portion of your trip with your PenFed credit card/through the rewards program. Your spouse and dependent children under 22 years old are automatically covered.
Visa Signature benefits
Cardholders can get assistance with bookings, travel, sports and entertainment tickets, restaurant reservations, golf tee times, and more 24/7 by calling the Visa Signature Concierge at 800-953-7392. Other Visa Signature card benefits include shopping, golf, wine, food, and entertainment discounts and access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.
Fees and costs
The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card comes with a 0% promo APR for 12 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days after account opening, 3% fee applies to each transaction (then a 17.99% APR on balance transfers, 17.99% Variable APR on purchases APR).
The card charges a $95 (waived for existing Honors Advantage Members) annual fee. It also has late payment fees (up to $28), returned payment fees (up to $25), and balance transfer fees (3%).
The card doesn't have a cash advance fee or an over-the-credit limit fee. Plus, it's a good card to travel abroad with since it doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.
Compare the PenFed Pathfinder Rewards Visa
| PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Citi Strata Premier℠ Card | |
| Annual Fee | $95 (waived for existing Honors Advantage Members) | $95 | $95 |
|
Rewards rates |
3x points on all travel categories, no cap (PenFed Honors Advantage Members earn 4x points) 1.5x points on all other purchases |
5x points on Lyft rides through March 2025 5x points on all travel purchased through Chase Travel 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out 3x points on select streaming services 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs) 2x points on other travel 1 point per dollar on everything else |
3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel, and on hotels 1x points on all other purchases |
| Welcome bonus |
50,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening |
60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening | 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening |
| Benefits |
0% promo APR for 12 months on balance transfers made in the first 90 days after account opening, 3% fee applies to each transaction (then a 17.99% APR on balance transfers, 17.99% Variable APR on purchases APR) $100 annual domestic air ancillary travel statement credit $100 Global Entry or $78 TSA PreCheck® statement credit Complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge annual membership ($32 per visit) Baggage delay reimbursement Lost luggage reimbursement Purchase security Roadside dispatch Travel accident insurance Trip delay reimbursement Visa Signature Concierge Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection No foreign transaction fees |
Up to $50 in statement credits toward hotel stays booked through Chase Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership through December 31, 2027 10% anniversary point bonus Primary car rental insurance Trip interruption/cancellation Trip delay insurance Baggage delay insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Extended warranty Purchase protection No foreign transaction fees
|
$100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) booked through thankyou.com once per calendar year Purchase protection Extended warranty Access to Citi Entertainment No foreign transaction fees World Elite Mastercard benefits |
| Review | Citi Premier Card review |
PenFed Pathfinder Rewards Card Tips
Is the PenFed Pathfinder Rewards card worth it?
The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card is worth it for PenFed Credit Union members who want a rewards card that earns up to 4 points per dollar for a modest annual fee. The card has an excellent welcome bonus, substantial perks, and a long 0% intro APR on balance transfers. PenFed Honors Advantage Members earn the most rewards and have their annual fee waived.
But if you're not a PenFed Honors Advantage Member, want higher rewards rates, or are looking for airline and hotel transfer partners, the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card is probably not the right card for you.
How do you become a PenFed Honors Advantage member?
One way to qualify for the PenFed Honors Advantage Program is by opening a PenFed checking account. Your eligible account must maintain a minimum of $500 daily balance or set up a monthly direct deposit of at least $500 into your open PenFed checking account.
You can also qualify for the program if you're a member of the military (active duty, reserve, honorably discharged, or retired).
Do PenFed points expire?
Points earned with the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card expire five years after they've been earned. So if you're saving up points over a period of time, make sure to keep track of the date you earn them.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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