PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card review 2024: Get 2% cash back with no annual fee (2024)

The PNC Cash Unlimited℠ Visa Signature® Credit Card is a flat-rate cash-back rewards card from PNC Bank. It offers an unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase with no annual fee, and the card’s benefits beat some other cards in the same category. If you’re looking for a decent cash-back rate on every purchase without worrying about bonus categories or annual fees, the new PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card could be an excellent option. Learn more in our PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card review.

PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card basics

• Annual fee: $0.
• Welcome bonus: None.
• Rewards: 2% cash back on every purchase.
• APR: 0% introductory APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles, then a variable APR of 19.24% to 30.24% applies. There's a balance transfer fee of 3%.
• Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.
• Does the card offer preapproval? No.
• Other benefits: Cellphone protection, purchase protection.

PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card review

The no-annual-fee PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card earns 2% cash back on every purchase, so there’s no need to worry about rotating bonus categories or other bonuses. You can use it everywhere confidently knowing what you’ll earn.

Although there are a glut of 2% cash-back cards, this is one of just a few that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. You can use the card anywhere in the world Visa is accepted and pay competitive exchange rates with no added charges. If you frequently travel outside of the United States, that can be a valuable perk.

It also comes with cellphone coverage and new purchase protection benefits. If you pay your mobile phone bill with the card, you can get up to $800 to help cover the costs if your phone is accidentally damaged or stolen. Purchase Security offers 90 days of coverage for new purchases made with the card and can repair, replace or reimburse you if the item is damaged or stolen. The card also offers a 0% introductory APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles, then a variable APR of 19.24% to 30.24% applies. There's a balance transfer fee of 3%.

However, the card lacks travel-related benefits such as rental car insurance or trip cancellation and interruption insurance. It’s also missing extended warranty protection, which can be an excellent value when you make large purchases with your credit card. But since the PNC Cash Unlimited is a Visa Signature card, you’ll get travel and emergency assistance and Roadside Dispatch.

Pros

• Unlimited cash back: There are no spending caps in which to earn the 2% cash back on every purchase.
• No minimum cash-back redemption amount: While some cash-back cards require you to reach a minimum dollar amount before you can redeem your rewards, the PNC Cash Unlimited does not have that requirement, unless you are redeeming points for travel via PNC’s Travel Catalog (which requires at least 5,000 points for redemption).
• Intro APR offer: If you’d like to save on interest charges for either a large purchase or a balance transfer, the PNC Cash Unlimited waives interest charges for the first 12 billing cycles.

Cons

• Limited travel benefits: The card doesn’t advertise auto rental coverage or protections if your travel doesn’t go as expected, such as baggage insurance and trip interruption insurance.
• No extended warranty coverage: While new purchase coverage is offered for the first 90 days, eligible purchases do not have a year of extended warranty coverage.
• Potentially high APR: PNC will set your APR based on your creditworthiness and could top an APR of 30%.

PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card rewards

The rewards for this card are simple and easy to understand. You’ll earn 2% cash back on every purchase. Rewards are redeemable for a direct deposit into a PNC Bank account, statement credits that lower your credit card balance, gift cards or travel bookings.

According to government data, the average U.S. household considering this card spends $29,525 annually on purchases that could be made with this card. That would lead to these cash back rewards:

Our sample cardholder in the example above could earn nearly $600 in cash-back rewards just for spending the way they normally would.

PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card APR

The PNC Cash Unlimited card comes with a 0% introductory APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles, then a variable APR of 19.24% to 30.24% applies. There's a balance transfer fee of 3%.

How the PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card compares to other cash-back cards

Here’s a look at how the PNC Cash Unlimited compares with other cash-back rewards cards. Remember that some cards offer flat-rate cash back, some come with elevated rewards in certain spending categories while others offer rotating bonus categories that change periodically.

PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card vs. Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

The Wells Fargo Active Cash is a similar card, offering an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases with no annual fee. It has a slightly longer intro APR period at 0% intro APR for the first 15 months on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, then a 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable APR applies thereafter. Balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3%. After that a fee of up to 5%, with a minimum of $5 applies. However, it doesn’t offer no foreign transaction fees, like you get with the PNC Cash Unlimited.

But, the Wells Fargo Active Cash comes with a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months of account opening. It also offers cellphone protection, an auto rental collision damage waiver, and access to travel and emergency assistance including roadside dispatch. Ultimately, the cards are similar enough that if you’re already a Wells Fargo or PNC Bank customer, you may like the convenience of picking the one where you already bank.

PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited offers standout rates for a card with no annual fee, earning 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstore purchases and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. Although the ongoing rate on non-bonus categories is slightly lower than the PNC Cash Unlimited card, the higher earnings in other areas can make it a more rewarding choice.

The Freedom Unlimited also offers better purchase and travel benefits, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance and both extended warranty and purchase protection coverage.

PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature Credit Card vs. Citi Double Cash® Card*The information for the Citi Double Cash® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

The no-annual-fee Citi Double Cash offers 2% cash back on purchases — 1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off, plus, for a limited time, 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24. It comes with a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After that, the standard variable APR will be 19.24% to 29.24%. An intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3%, whichever is greater, applies to transfers completed in the first four months. After that, the fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5). That differs from the PNC Cash Unlimited Card in that there’s no intro offer on purchases. However, the Citi Double Cash does come with a welcome offer of $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. That might make it more appealing to those who aren’t seeking a card with an intro APR on purchases.

However, the PNC Cash Unlimited card comes with ancillary perks you won’t find on the Double Cash including the cellphone protection and the 90 days of purchase coverage. Deciding which card’s benefits are more valuable to you will determine which card is a better fit.

PNC Cash Unlimited Visa Signature is right for you if:

• You want a flat-rate cash-back rewards card: With no rotating bonus categories or other complicated rewards to track, it’s easy to use knowing exactly what you’re getting back.
• You want to avoid foreign transaction fees: Many cash-back rewards cards with no annual fee charge foreign transaction fees of around 3%. PNC Cash Unlimited charges no foreign transaction fees.
• You like the cellphone protection benefit: With up to $800 in insurance for your cellphone if you pay your bill with this credit card, you’ll be covered if your phone is stolen or damaged.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)