PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa® Signature Card review: A premium travel rewards card with no annual fee

Written by: Jason Steele
• Updated •3 min read
This date may not reflect recent changes in individual terms.
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In a Nutshell

The PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa® Signature Card offers competitive rewards with the potential for no annual fee. It also offers some valuable benefits typically found on premium rewards cards that have expensive annual fees.
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Can the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa® Signature Card compete with the premium rewards cards from the major banks?

In recent years, credit card issuers have been rushing to offer premium travel cards with ever greater rewards and more-valuable benefits. PenFed is approaching this market in a unique way.

Usually, these cards offer large bonuses on travel purchases and just one point for other purchases.

Other cards may offer more than one point on all purchases, but with no bonus spending categories. PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa® Signature Card does both.

This card offers PenFed Honors Advantage Members account holders four points per $1 on all travel-related purchases. These account holders also get the $95 annual fee waived.

All other cardholders will get three points per $1 for travel-related purchases.

And all cardholders will earn 1.5 points per $1 on all other purchases, with no caps or limits on rewards.

New applicants can earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in purchases on their card within the first 90 days of account opening.

This card also comes with a $100 annual air ancillary travel credit and a $100 credit toward a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee.

The rundown: Everything we like about the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa® Signature Card

More points for travel and nontravel spending

If you hold an Honors Advantage checking account with PenFed or are an eligible member of the military, you earn four points on qualifying travel-related purchases.

If you don’t have a checking account or aren’t a military member, you’ll still earn a strong three points per $1 for travel-related purchases. All other purchases return 1.5 points per $1 with no limit.

These are high rates of return, and the combination of 1.5 points per $1 and bonus categories is rare.

Perks usually only offered by cards with high annual fees

Cardholders will receive a $100 air travel credit each year and a $100 credit toward a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application every five years.

For the $100 annual air travel credit, you’ll receive statement credits when you charge airline fees from certain domestic carriers. Eligible fees include baggage and ticket change fees as well as in-flight food and beverage.

Travel insurance and other protections

This card also offers travel accident insurance and a notable level of purchase protection.

Other benefits include roadside assistance, baggage loss and delay insurance, trip cancellation and delay coverage, and rental car insurance.

And more benefits

  • New cardholders receive 50,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
  • There are no foreign transaction fees with this card.

Heads up: What you should consider before applying for the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa® Signature Card

Since PenFed is a credit union, you will have to join before you apply for the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa® Signature Card. However, everyone is eligible to become a member, not just those with military affiliations.

To get the most out of this card and earn the four points per $1 for travel purchases, you’ll either have to be a member of the military or open up a checking account with PenFed.

Do the math: How to get the most out of the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa® Signature Card

If you have significant travel or commuter transportation expenses each year, then this card offers you the opportunity to earn competitive rewards for these purchases, as well as a strong rate of return for other purchases.

For example, if you spend $5,000 a year on eligible travel purchases — which can include many local expenses like public transportation and tolls — and you qualify for the four points per $1, you can earn 20,000 points each year.

Bottom line: Is the PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa® Signature Card right for you?

There’s no one card that can be the best at everything, but this card may come closer than most. Since both its travel and nontravel rewards are strong, this could be a card that you use for most of your purchases.

If these kinds of travel and transportation expenses are a big part of your budget and you’re willing to give a credit union a try, then it may be worth considering this card.

About the author: Jason Steele is a journalist who specializes in covering credit cards, rewards travel and other areas of personal finance. As one of the nation’s leading experts in the credit card industry, Jason’s work has been feat… Read more.