FlyerTalk Forums - PenFed Pathfinder Card [Consolidated]

Amex cards were converted to Visa in February, 2020 and the Pathfinder Rewards Visa product was opened to new applicants in December 2020. These benefits are offered by the $95-annual-fee (waived for Honors Advantage members) Visa card:

1. $100 annual airline travel credit (calendar year, best card without AF)
2. Up to $100 credit for Global Entry or Pre-TSA (every 5 years)
3. 3x points on all travel purchases. 4x points for Honors Advantage member. 1.5 x on all other purchases
4. 50,000 reward points with $3,000 spending within 90 days
5. Priority Pass basic membership ($99 value) with visits billed at at $32/each

This was the BEST AmEx credit card without annual fee. It had the following benefits:

1. 25,000 reward points with $2,500 spending
2. $100 annual airline travel credit (calendar year, best card without AF)
3. Up to $100 credit for Global Entry or Pre-TSA (every 5 years)
4. 3x points on all travel purchases. 4x points for Honors Advantage member. 1.5 x on all other purchases

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.

Points expire in 5 years.

Few Data Points on Air Credit:

Worked.
1. AA e Gift Card ($100) worked 2/2021
2. AA gift certificate worked 9/2020 2/2021
3. Southwest ticket for $48.xx worked 3/2021
4. Southwest taxes/fees on points booking ($5.60) worked 3/2021
5. Frontier ticket for $31.xx worked 3/2021
6. Alaska ticket ($50ish) which was then converted to travel funds worked 12/2020
7. Alaska first class upgrade ($21)
8. AA seat upgrade ($18.xx)
9. Southwest wi-fi purchase ($8.00)
10. Frontier food/beverage on-board purchase ($23.00 and $10.00)
11. UA Travelbank $50 12/2022
12. DL fare differential (~$40) worked 5/2023

Did not work.
1. UA Travelbank load $50 12/2020
2. Southwest $100 GC purchased 12/20 was not reimbursed. $50 SW GC not reimbursed purchase 01/2021.
3. Delta e-gift card did not work Summer 2020
4. AA lounge food/beverage purchase ($7) did not work 01/2023
5. UA fare differential (over $100) did not work 4/2023

You must be a member of PenFed to apply. Either be an active, reserve, honorably discharged, or retired service member (or their relative), 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.

The $95 annual fee is waived for Honors Advantage members, who qualify for such membership either through military service or by having and maintaining a PenFed checking account.

https://www.penfed.org/credit-cards/...vantage-points

$100 Airline Fee Details:

Qualified transactions include baggage fees, flight-change fees, in-flight food and beverage, airport lounge day passes, pet kennel fees, and phone reservation fees.
Ancillary purchases that count for the annual credit can be made at Alaskan Air, American Air, Delta Air, Frontier Air, Hawaiian Air, JetBlue, Southwest Air, United Air, and Virgin America.