Bank profile
PNC Bank
We track 4 accounts and 3 credit cards from PNC Bank, with a source and verification date on every figure. Its savings accounts product ranks 3rd of 6 in our lineup.
4.3Bank Compass score
4.9Mobile app rating
Bank Compass is not a bank, is not FDIC-insured, does not provide financial advice, and is not affiliated with the entities compared unless otherwise noted. Rates and terms change — always verify on the bank's official website.
Our take
By Victor Gil Vazquez · Reviewed 2026-08-21
The best student checking terms in this catalog, and a high-yield savings account that most PNC customers can't actually open.
Six fee-free years is the standout
Virtual Wallet Student has no monthly fee for up to six years of active enrollment. Every other student account in this catalog is capped by age — 24 at Bank of America, 23 at TD, 24 at Wells Fargo — and six years is the only one measured against how long a degree actually takes, including a master's or a delayed finish.
That's a materially different promise. An age cap ends on your birthday whether you've graduated or not; PNC's runs with enrollment. The account converts to a standard Virtual Wallet afterward, so the ending is scheduled rather than abrupt, and proof of enrollment may be required along the way.
The high-yield account with an asterisk
PNC High Yield Savings pays 3.15% APY with no fee and no minimum balance — by a distance the best deposit rate any branch bank in this catalog offers, and within reach of the online-only accounts here.
It is available in select states only, not across the PNC network. That restriction is the single most important fact on this page and it's the one most likely to be skimmed past: a rate you can't open is not a rate. Check availability at your own address before you let this account influence the decision, because the alternative PNC savings product is Standard Savings, which charges $5 a month unless you hold a $300 average monthly balance and pays nothing comparable.
The gap between those two accounts inside one bank is wider than the gap between most banks in this catalog, which is worth knowing before you assume 'a PNC savings account' means the good one.
The rest of the bank
PNC runs 2,419 branches on about $458 billion in deposits, making it the largest of the true regionals here, and it's the oldest institution in the catalog — founded in 1804, eight years before Citi. Virtual Wallet Spend charges $7 a month, waived by a $500 combined balance across Spend and Reserve or $500 in qualifying direct deposit: a genuinely low bar next to the $1,500 that U.S. Bank asks for.
The App Store rating of 4.9 is top-tier. The 4.5 on Google Play is the second-lowest Android rating in this catalog, which is a real gap between platforms rather than noise — worth a look at recent reviews if Android is what you use.
What stands out
- Up to six fee-free years on Virtual Wallet Student, tied to enrollment rather than to an age cutoff.
- 3.15% APY on High Yield Savings, with no fee and no minimum — the best branch-bank rate in this catalog, where available.
- $500 in direct deposit or combined balance clears the Virtual Wallet fee, matching the lowest thresholds here.
- 2,419 branches, the largest regional network in the catalog, from the oldest institution in it.
What to watch
- High Yield Savings is limited to select states. Confirm availability at your address before counting on the rate.
- The fallback, Standard Savings, charges $5 a month unless you hold a $300 average balance.
- 4.5 on Google Play against 4.9 on the App Store — a wide platform gap for the same bank.
- Student status may need periodic proof, and the account converts to a paying one when the six years run out.
- Best for
- A student who wants years rather than birthdays of fee-free banking, or anyone in a state where High Yield Savings is actually offered.
- Look elsewhere if
- High Yield Savings isn't available where you live — the rest of the PNC savings lineup is ordinary.
This section is our own assessment, written from the verified figures further down this page. It is not a recommendation, and no institution has any influence over it — see the advertiser disclosure and editorial policy.
Where PNC Bank ranks
Credit cards
Your figures
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Checking accounts
Virtual Wallet® (Spend)
$7/mo fee
Waived with: $500 combined balance in Spend/Reserve, or $500+ in qualifying direct deposit
Savings accounts
Standard Savings
$5/mo fee
Waived with: $300+ average monthly balance
High Yield Savings
Fee not independently verified · 3.15% APY
Waived with: No fee, no minimum balance — available in select states only, not across the entire PNC network
Use this APY
Student accounts
Virtual Wallet® Student
$0/mo fee
Waived with: No fee for up to 6 years for active students; may require proof of enrollment; converts to standard Virtual Wallet afterward
Digital banking
PNC Bank offers a mobile app. App Store rating: 4.9 / 5. Google Play rating: 4.5 / 5.
Related reading
The terms this profile uses, explained — before you decide whether PNC Bank is the one.
- What Is the FDIC, and Is Your Money Actually Insured?The FDIC insures deposits at member banks up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each…Guide · 4 min read
- What Is APY, and Why It Matters More Than the Interest RateAPY (Annual Percentage Yield) is the actual return you'll earn on a savings account in a year, including…Guide · 3 min read
- How to Choose a Checking Account Without Overpaying in FeesMost checking account fees are avoidable — but only if you actually meet the condition the bank sets…Guide · 3 min read
- Overdraft Fees: What They Are and the Setting That Turns Them OffAn overdraft fee is what a bank charges to cover a payment your balance could not. For debit card and…Guide · 4 min read
Run the numbers
What PNC Bank's rates and fees are worth once your own figures are in them.
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