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PNC High Yield Savings account review
Get a competitive 0.5% APY and extra overdraft protection, but limited states served.
finder.com’s rating: 4.4 / 5.0
★★★★★
The PNC High Yield Savings account offers a competitive interest rate, free incoming wire transfers and no monthly maintenance fees. But it’s not available in every state, and customer support is limited.
0.50%
APY
$0
Fee
$0
Minimum deposit to open
Details
| Annual percentage yield (APY) | 0.50% |
|---|---|
| Fee | $0 |
| Minimum deposit to open | $0 |
| New account fee | $0 |
| Minimum balance to earn interest | $1 |
| Interest compounding | Monthly |
| Monthly transaction limit | 6 |
| Fee per transaction over the limit | $15 |
Review by
Sarah George
sarah.george@finder.comSarah George is a staff writer at Finder who unravels complicated topics about insurance, business and finance. She's been wordsmithing for nearly five years, after earning an English education degree. Her insurance know-how has been featured on CarInsurance.com. You can usually find Sarah sipping hot tea and talking through movie plots in her downtime.
Expert review
The PNC High Yield Savings account is a solid savings account with a competitive 0.5% APY similar to other high-yield accounts. Plus, you’ll get no monthly maintenance fees, and its Low Cash Mode tool alerts you if you’re close to overdrawing your account.
You might like this high-yield account especially if you use PNC’s Virtual Wallet, which offers handy saving, spending and budgeting features. However, the wallet’s Save and Growth features don’t offer as high an APY as the PNC High Yield Savings. Using both accounts together will maximize your interest earnings.
However, this high-yield account is only available in states without a PNC Bank branch. Also, you can find other high-yield accounts with a higher APY and lower service fees than this one. Check around with multiple options before deciding to park your savings.
How do I open a PNC savings account?
You can open a PNC savings account in a few steps:
- Go to the provider’s site and follow the steps to apply.
- Verify that this account is available in your state by entering your ZIP code on PNC’s website. If it is, select Apply Online.
- Enter your full name, date of birth, email address, home address, employment information and Social Security number. Select Continue.
- Enter the bank account and routing number of the external account you’d like to use to fund your account. Alternatively, you can use a credit card or debit card to fund your account. Skip this step if you’d prefer to fund your account with a mobile check deposit after enrolling in PNC online banking.
Make sure to fund your account within 180 days to avoid PNC closing your account and charging its closure fee. Deposit at least $1, although you can deposit up to $250,000 for the initial deposit.
Eligibility
Open a PNC savings account when you meet these requirements:
- US citizen
- At least 18 years old
- US residential address in an eligible state
- Social Security number
Required information
Have this information ready when you go to apply:
- Primary home address
- Valid email address
- Valid phone number
- Social Security number
- Driver’s license or valid state ID
What are the benefits of a PNC High Yield Savings account?
This savings account might be right for you if you hold another PNC account like its Virtual Wallet or if you’re looking for these features:
- Competitive APY. The PNC High Yield Savings account offers a 0.5% APY on all balances over $1.
- No minimum deposit or maintenance fees. Open a savings account with PNC without an initial deposit, but fund it within 180 days to prevent account closure. The account also doesn’t come with monthly maintenance fees, so your savings are free to grow.
- Extra tools for overdraft protection. Use PNC’s Low Cash Mode in the app, setting up alerts when your money is dwindling and giving you 24 hours to bring your account back to a positive balance.
What should I look out for?
The main downside to PNC High Yield Savings is that you won’t have access to PNC bank branches or in-person customer support. Other downsides to watch for:
- Not available in every state or ZIP code. The PNC savings account is only available in states without a PNC bank branch and in certain ZIP codes. See if it’s available to you by entering your ZIP code on the PNC website.
- Limited support. Like many online-only accounts, customer service is limited to email or phone support.
- Initial hold on your account. After opening your account, PNC places a hold on the funds for up to five days, so make sure that you won’t need the money within that timeframe.
- Service fees. Despite no monthly maintenance fee, you pay a $30 outgoing wire transfer fee, a $33 stop payment fee and a $25 fee for account closures within 180 days of opening.
Which states are eligible?
The PNC High Yield Savings account is only offered in states without a PNC branch. Enter your ZIP code into PNC’s website to find out if your state is eligible.
States without a PNC branch include:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Idaho
- Iowa
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wyoming
If you prefer a high-interest account that’s available in your region, keep looking. As always, compare other options when choosing a savings account.
Compare PNC Savings with other accounts
Enter your deposit amount to see how much interest you could with PNC Savings versus other accounts. Sort the table by features to find an account that’s right for you.
How do I deposit or withdraw my money?
Move your funds in and out of your PNC High Yield Savings account based on your needs.
Deposits:
You have several options for keeping the money flow into your high-yield savings account.
- Online transfer. Transfer funds electronically between your PNC savings account and an externally linked account.
- Mobile check deposit. Using the PNC mobile banking app for Android and iOS, deposit a check into your account using your mobile device.
- Wire transfer. Receive an incoming wire transfer for free. PNC Bank routing number: 043000096.
- By mail. Send your signed check and a note with your name and account number to:
PNCBANK
P.O. Box 8108
Philadelphia, PA 19101-8101
Withdrawals:
Access the funds within your PNC High Yield Savings account in two ways.
- Online transfer. An online transfer between bank accounts is the main way to use the money in your PNC High Yield Savings account.
- ATMs. If you transfer money to your PNC Virtual Wallet or Money Market Savings account, you can withdraw money from one of PNC’s 18,000+ ATMs.
How can I get in touch with customer service?
Customer support for the high-interest savings account is available in three ways:
- Phone. Call 888-762-2265 on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. or weekends from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
- Email. From your online account on PNC’s website, fill out a secure online form for an email reply from customer service.
- Social media. Reach out with a question on PNC’s Twitter account for a response from the customer support team.
Savings account ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
We analyze top savings accounts and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include: interest rates, monthly fees, minimum deposits, customer service and account features.