Thank you!

So do we have any recent data points on what is triggering the $100 travel credit? in mid-2018 gift card purchases on the United MPX store still worked. Anyone try it in 2019 yet?

Any chance i could edit the Wiki for this card?

Afraid not.

But members have been known to edit Wiki for someone who has not earned that privilege if they have the info @:-)

Yeah I saw that. I'll make a post and someone could copy it then. Also, as a DP for the travel credit, I bought a $50 Walmart GC on the United MPX app and it posted on 1/10 and still no credit, so that doesn't look hopeful. I will report back if i do ever get a credit.

Wiki post:

Current sign up bonus: 25,000 points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. Link: https://www.penfed.org/credit-cards/...rican-express/

NO ANNUAL FEE is the reason this card is worth it long term.

You must be a member of PenFed to apply. Either be an active/retired (or relative of) service member or have a job at a security/defense related government department, or generally be an employee of a defense related company, or pay $17 to join Voices for America's Troops or National Military Family Association.

Travel purchases are worth 3x points and everything else is 1.5x points. If you are a PenFed Honors Advantage Members you get 4x on travel.

Main benefits:

$100 annual travel credit (calendar year)

$100 TSA pre check/global entry credit (every 5 years)

Points value: You must use through their portal, which doesn’t provide great value and is generally awful as it requires you to select of time of day which idiotically actually affects the prices you see.

For airlines: Not the greatest value, around 0.75-0.85 cents per point on one way and RT flights. I did a brief search but it seems RT flights give you around 0.81 cents per point while one way is closer to 0.75 cents per point.

For gift cards: You can buy a $250 Amazon GC for 29,410 points, which is 0.85 cents per point.

What works for the travel credit:

People over at Doctor of Credit are having around zero luck with anything in 2019, so may be best to hold tight and see what eventually works. In mid-2018 you were able to buy GCs on the United MPX app and that triggered (as well as Delta and AA GC), but it’s a TBD as of now. DoC link is here: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/what-...irline-credit/

The Walmart $50 GC purchase on United MPX finally posted. The transaction posted on 1/10 and the credit posted on 1/21.

I prefer redemptions equal to 1 cpp I would apply for this card. The rewards system in it's current state is too complicated. Yes, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, but everything should be worth at least 1 cpp.

You're figuring this card is truly a 3.83%/1.28% back card.... Which doesn't fly for me.

What exactly do you mean by that? Plus, it's not the reward redemptions that make this card valuable, it's the $100 travel credit every calendar year that you get for free, since there is no annual fee.

More data points. $50 Walmart GC via United MPX posted 1/22 credit posted 1/25.
$100 Walmart GC via United MPX posted 1/22 credit posted 1/25.

Purchased Starbucks $50 gc from United MPX, credit posted a week later.

I would agree with the statement on the thread. The bonus (25,000) for $2,500 spend isnt very lucrative and I value the points at less than 1c each.
What I do like is the TSA/GE and $100 travel credit for no AF... this is a keeper.

Several data points here (10-year customer of Penfed products including around 6 or 7 cards I've churned).

1) Got $100 travel credit for 2019 in Jan unexpectedly (forgot about that benefit) when I used this card to pay for Hawaiian Airlines miles redeposit fee ($150).

2) These cards can be churned based on my experiences and a conversation a few years ago with the rep. Have churned at least 2 of the same card products (2 products 4 cards).

3) The pre-approved offers on your login never have a hard pull and often keep coming back when you open any type of loan online (around 4 to 6 months after).

4) Points (IMO) were worth around 0.75 cents back in 2010 for travel and about 0.80 cents for gift cards back then. Seems like now the selection is crap. As of now I see the points are around 0.5 cents to 0.7 cents in value for travel depending on if it is high season for hotels (that's when you get the best value).

5) Agree with the posts above about the redemption being junk. It still is some 10 years later. It's extremely difficult to search hotels in specfic areas that are not programmed into their city database. I live in Tokyo, and I try to find anything outside the major cities here it becomes really tedious to find anything in a medium-sized city. Forget about finding stuff in smaller cities. It can be done, but selection is very limited.

One benefit is that you don't get charged a fee for cash advances on the Penfed side (valuable overseas - still got to look out for rip-off ATM fees like in Cancun). You only get immediate interest which can be paid off the next day via online.
Rewards typically take 3 years to expire.

SUB Posting Data Point. Met MSR over the wknd of 3/2 and bonus posted Monday morning on 3/4. Never seen anything post that fast !

For those who want to track their real time spend - for meeting a MSR - click into rewards and look at individual transactions, summed up from when you opened the card.

Note that any travel credits utilized reduce your spend total for meeting this requirement.

And for those who might care, Amex Connect offers can be attached to this card.

There are not many, but some of the hotel ones for the big branded chains ($50 off $300 Hilton etc.) are typically available.

I finally had my sign up bonus post. I'm now getting a $320 four day rental car (through Hertz using my Amex Plat) now for 25,453 points total on this Penfed Pathfinder. Pretty sweet redemptionit seems like. Seems way better than the hotel or air redemptions I toyed around with.

WN GC Works
 

Bought $100 WN GC - reimbursed a few days later without any intervention on my part