PenFed credit cards: Which one is best for you?

Best PenFed credit cards

We examined all of PenFed’s cards, identifying their flagship features and classifying them as best for particular categories. Each card offers specialized perks in their respective spaces, and these benefits hold up very well against those you’ll find from other card providers.

Best card for travel rewards

PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card

Finder rating 4.4 / 5 ★★★★★

Apply now on Pentagon Federal Credit Union's secure site Read review

The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card holds up well against other travel cards. You’ll earn 4x points on travel as a PenFed Honors Advantage member and 1.5x points on all other spending. These are excellent rewards, especially considering you can get the card for no annual fee as an Honors Advantage member.

• Pros and cons

  Pros

  • Signup bonus. Earn 50,000 bonus points once you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days of card membership. This is worth around $500.
  • Reward points. Earn 3x points on all travel purchases — x points if you're a PenFed Honors Advantage Member. All other purchases earn 1.5 points.
  • Annual travel credit. Get $100 travel credit each year to cover baggage fees, lounge access, flight changes, pet-kennel fees, phone reservations and in-flight food and beverage purchases.

  Cons

  • No intro APR for purchases. The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card doesn’t have an intro APR period on purchases. You’ll start with a standard 17.99% APR.
  
  
  

• More details

  Annual fee	$95
  Purchase APR	17.99% variable
  Balance transfer APR	0% intro for the first 12 months (then 17.99% fixed)
  Welcome Offer	50,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days
  Estimated welcome offer value	$500 based on Finder's valuation
  Rewards	Up to 4x points

Pros

• Signup bonus. Earn 50,000 bonus points once you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days of card membership. This is worth around $500.
• Reward points. Earn 3x points on all travel purchases — x points if you're a PenFed Honors Advantage Member. All other purchases earn 1.5 points.
• Annual travel credit. Get $100 travel credit each year to cover baggage fees, lounge access, flight changes, pet-kennel fees, phone reservations and in-flight food and beverage purchases.

Cons

• No intro APR for purchases. The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card doesn’t have an intro APR period on purchases. You’ll start with a standard 17.99% APR.

• More details

  Annual fee	$95
  Purchase APR	17.99% variable
  Balance transfer APR	0% intro for the first 12 months (then 17.99% fixed)
  Welcome Offer	50,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days
  Estimated welcome offer value	$500 based on Finder's valuation
  Rewards	Up to 4x points

Welcome Offer	50,000 points
Rewards	Up to 4x points
Annual Fee	$95
Minimum Credit Score	670

Apply now on Pentagon Federal Credit Union's secure site Read review

Best for flat cash back

PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card

Apply now on Pentagon Federal Credit Union's secure site Read review

The standout feature of the PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card is its cashback potential. At a minimum, you’ll earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases. If you sign up for PenFed’s Access America checking account, or are a member of military services, you’ll earn 2% cash back through the Honors Advantage program. That’s a superb rate for flat rewards.

• Pros and cons

  Pros

  • Cash back. Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases, or % back if you're a PenFed Honors Advantage member. This is in line with similar cashback cards.
  • Signup bonus. Earn a $100 statement credit when you spend $1,500 in the first 90 days when you open your account. Other cards that offer 1.5%
  • Intro APR on balance transfers. Use 12 months of 0% intro APR period on balance transfers. After the intro APR period ends, your rate reverts to 17.99% variable.

  Cons

  • No intro APR for purchases. While the PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card offers an intro APR period on balance transfers, it doesn’t extend to purchases.

• More details

  Annual fee	$0
  Purchase APR	16.49% to 17.99% variable
  Balance transfer APR	0% intro for the first 12 months (then 17.99% fixed)
  Welcome Offer	$100 after spending $1,500 in the first 90 days
  Rewards	Up to 2% cash back

Pros

• Cash back. Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases, or % back if you're a PenFed Honors Advantage member. This is in line with similar cashback cards.
• Signup bonus. Earn a $100 statement credit when you spend $1,500 in the first 90 days when you open your account. Other cards that offer 1.5%
• Intro APR on balance transfers. Use 12 months of 0% intro APR period on balance transfers. After the intro APR period ends, your rate reverts to 17.99% variable.

Cons

• No intro APR for purchases. While the PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card offers an intro APR period on balance transfers, it doesn’t extend to purchases.

• More details

  Annual fee	$0
  Purchase APR	16.49% to 17.99% variable
  Balance transfer APR	0% intro for the first 12 months (then 17.99% fixed)
  Welcome Offer	$100 after spending $1,500 in the first 90 days
  Rewards	Up to 2% cash back

Welcome Offer	$100
Rewards	Up to 2% cash back
Annual Fee	$0
Minimum Credit Score	670

Apply now on Pentagon Federal Credit Union's secure site Read review

Best for gas and grocery rewards

PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card

Apply now on Pentagon Federal Credit Union's secure site Read review

Look into the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card if you spend big on gas and groceries. The stellar 5x points on gas makes this product a top choice for fuel rewards. Best of all, there’s no cap on the rewards you can earn.

• Pros and cons

  Pros

  • No intro APR for purchases. The PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card doesn’t offer an intro APR period on purchases. From the start, you’ll get an 16.49% to 17.99% variable APR, depending on your creditworthiness.
  • Reward points. Earn 5x points when you pay at the pump, 3x points at supermarkets and 1x points on everything else you buy.
  • Signup bonus. Earn $150 in statement credit once you spend $1,500 in your first 90 days of card membership.
  • Intro APR period on balance transfers. Get 0% intro APR period on balance transfers you make until a rolling deadline. A variable APR of up to 17.99% applies thereafter.

  Cons

  • No intro APR for purchases. The PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card doesn’t offer an intro APR period on purchases. From the start, you’ll get an 16.49% to 17.99% variable APR, depending on your creditworthiness.

• More details

  Annual fee	$0
  Purchase APR	16.49% to 17.99% variable
  Balance transfer APR	0% intro for the first 12 months (then 17.99% fixed)
  Welcome Offer	15,000 Bonus Points when you spend $1,500 in the first 90 days
  Rewards	Up to 5x points

Pros

• No intro APR for purchases. The PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card doesn’t offer an intro APR period on purchases. From the start, you’ll get an 16.49% to 17.99% variable APR, depending on your creditworthiness.
• Reward points. Earn 5x points when you pay at the pump, 3x points at supermarkets and 1x points on everything else you buy.
• Signup bonus. Earn $150 in statement credit once you spend $1,500 in your first 90 days of card membership.
• Intro APR period on balance transfers. Get 0% intro APR period on balance transfers you make until a rolling deadline. A variable APR of up to 17.99% applies thereafter.

Cons

• No intro APR for purchases. The PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card doesn’t offer an intro APR period on purchases. From the start, you’ll get an 16.49% to 17.99% variable APR, depending on your creditworthiness.

• More details

  Annual fee	$0
  Purchase APR	16.49% to 17.99% variable
  Balance transfer APR	0% intro for the first 12 months (then 17.99% fixed)
  Welcome Offer	15,000 Bonus Points when you spend $1,500 in the first 90 days
  Rewards	Up to 5x points

Welcome Offer	$150 points
Rewards	Up to 5x points
Annual Fee	$0
Minimum Credit Score	670

Apply now on Pentagon Federal Credit Union's secure site Read review

Best for low APR

PenFed Gold Visa® Card

Apply now on Pentagon Federal Credit Union's secure site Read review

If you have strong credit and tend to carry monthly balances, the PenFed Gold Visa® Card might be for you. You may qualify for an APR as low as 11.49% variable, a good rate that’s significantly lower than the average credit card APR.

• Pros and cons

  Pros

  • No annual fee. A $0 annual fee makes it easier to keep this card long term.
  • Welcome offer. When you spend on purchases in the first days of your account opening, you earn a statement credit.
  • Intro APR on balance transfers. Receive a 0% promo APR on balance transfers for 15 months — after that, you’ll have an ongoing balance transfer APR of 17.99% fixed.

  Cons

  • APR. If you don’t make your minimum payment within 60 days after the due date, PenFed may apply a penalty APR of 17.99% variable to all your balances. This rate will apply until you make three consecutive monthly payments on or before the due dates.
  • Penalty fees. Late and returned payments come with fees of up to $25.

• More details

  Annual fee	$0
  Purchase APR	11.49% to 17.99% variable
  Balance transfer APR	0% intro for the first 15 months (then 17.99% fixed)
  Rewards	None

Pros

• No annual fee. A $0 annual fee makes it easier to keep this card long term.
• Welcome offer. When you spend on purchases in the first days of your account opening, you earn a statement credit.
• Intro APR on balance transfers. Receive a 0% promo APR on balance transfers for 15 months — after that, you’ll have an ongoing balance transfer APR of 17.99% fixed.

Cons

• APR. If you don’t make your minimum payment within 60 days after the due date, PenFed may apply a penalty APR of 17.99% variable to all your balances. This rate will apply until you make three consecutive monthly payments on or before the due dates.
• Penalty fees. Late and returned payments come with fees of up to $25.

• More details

  Annual fee	$0
  Purchase APR	11.49% to 17.99% variable
  Balance transfer APR	0% intro for the first 15 months (then 17.99% fixed)
  Rewards	None

Welcome Offer
Rewards	None
Annual Fee	$0
Minimum Credit Score	670

Apply now on Pentagon Federal Credit Union's secure site Read review

How to apply for a PenFed card

Apply for a credit card through the PenFed Credit Union website. Before you apply, check that you meet the eligibility requirements and prepare the required information.

Eligibility criteria

• You’re at least 18 years old.
• You’re a US citizen or permanent resident.
• You’re a member of the PenFed Credit Union.

Information you’ll need to apply

To complete PenFed’s application, provide this information:

• Your name and residential address
• Your Social Security number and date of birth
• Your email address and phone number
• Financial information like your annual income and income source

How many PenFed credit cards can I have?

Many cardholders claim they own four PenFed credit cards, which could be the maximum number.

However, some cardholders claim that PenFed limits your credit limit across all cards to $50,000. This means if you have two PenFed credit cards with a $25,000 credit limit each, you may not be able to get a third PenFed credit card.

Types of PenFed credit cards

PenFed cards have many strengths that rival or exceed competitor credit cards from large banks. For example, all PenFed cards come with a 0% intro APR period on balance transfers, even on its flagship travel card.

As for rewards, you can get a cashback card with 2% back on all purchases for PenFed Honors Advantage members; A card with 5x points on gas purchases paid at the pump; And a card with 4x points on all travel purchases for PenFed Honors Advantage members.

Full list of PenFed credit cards

Bottom line

For solid credit cards with no annual fee, consider PenFed Credit Union. If you have strong credit, you might qualify for a low-interest rate on all of your balances. And if you’re hunting for rewards, you’ll find highly attractive options.

But if you don’t find any of PenFed’s cards attractive, there are other alternatives to consider. For example, the Citi Double Cash card is an excellent cash back alternative, while the Costco Anywhere Visa Card is a great card for gas rewards.

Frequently asked questions

• How does PenFed keep my credit card information secure?
  PenFed offers many of the same security features that you’ll find with big banks. For example, it encrypts sensitive information you send online, and you’re logged out automatically if your web session idles.
• What information do I need to sign up for Card Security Text Alerts?
  You’ll provide your:
  • Mobile phone number.
  • Card account number and security code.
  • Card expiration date.
  • ZIP code.
  • Last four digits of your Social Security number.
• Is PenFed FDIC-insured?
  PenFed is not insured by the FDIC, but rather the National Credit Union Administration. According to PenFed’s website, NCUA is the credit-union equivalent of the FDIC.
• Will I know for sure what my card’s APR will be before I apply?
  Unfortunately, no. It’s not possible to know your APR until your application is approved. Of course, the higher your credit score, the better your chances of receiving a favorable interest rate.
• Why should I apply for a credit card from a credit union?
  A credit union is a nonprofit organization designed to serve its members, so it’s likely to offer personalized services beyond those of your typical bank. Credit union cards also tend to offer competitive ongoing interest rates, lower annual fees and lower APRs.