On this page14 sections
- Ratings and complaints
- PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select vs. competitors
- Pricing
- Step by step
- PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select legitimacy and licensing
- How PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select works
- Fees and how to avoid the $25 monthly charge
- Performance Select value for the price
- ATM reimbursement and what changed in 2026
- Complaints and what customers report
- Who should skip it
- What customers say
- Alternatives
- FAQ
PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select is worth it if you already keep $5,000 or more at PNC or get large paychecks by direct deposit; if not, a no-fee online checking account costs less. It is a legitimate, FDIC-insured checking package from PNC Bank: a Spend checking account with optional Reserve and Growth accounts, a $25 monthly fee you avoid with $5,000 in monthly direct deposits or enough linked balances, and free domestic wires, cashier's checks and stop payments. Two things older reviews get wrong: PNC now reimburses other banks' ATM surcharges only up to $10 per statement period (February 22, 2026 fee schedule), and savings rates vary by location, so check yours before keeping cash in Growth.
- Monthly service charge
- $25, waived with $5,000 combined average monthly balance in linked checking, $25,000 across linked PNC deposit or Wealth Management accounts, or $5,000 in qualifying monthly direct deposits1
- Minimum to open
- $25 for Spend in branch, $0 online; Reserve and Growth $01
- Out-of-network ATM fees
- No PNC fee at non-PNC ATMs; other operators' surcharges reimbursed up to $10 per statement period1
- Overdraft fee
- $36 per item, max 1 per day; refunded if overdrawn by $5 or less, or if you bring the balance to $0 within the Extra Time period1
- Returned item (NSF) fee
- No charge1
- Wires and checks
- Free domestic incoming and outgoing wires, free cashier's checks, free PNC-exclusive checks1
- Interest rates
- All three accounts earn interest; rates vary by location and are not printed in the fee schedule1
- Bank and insurance
- PNC Bank, National Association, FDIC certificate 6384, supervised by the OCC; 2,413 domestic offices and about $610 billion in assets as of June 30, 20263
- New account bonus
- $400 with $5,000 in qualifying direct deposits to Spend within 60 days; paid 60 to 90 days after you qualify; offer listed through January 7, 20272
Pros
- Several ways to waive the $25 fee, including direct deposit alone
- Free domestic wires, cashier's checks, stop payments and checks
- No NSF fees, a 1-per-day overdraft fee cap and a $5 overdraft cushion
- Reserve and Growth accounts cover Spend overdrafts automatically at no charge
- FDIC-insured national bank, regulated by the OCC
Cons
- $25 monthly charge if you miss all of the waiver conditions
- Out-of-network ATM surcharge reimbursement is capped at $10 per statement period
- Rates are set by location and are typically low for standard bank savings, so check yours before parking cash in Growth
- $3 fee per restricted transfer from Growth after six in a statement period
- 3% fee on international purchases and cash advances
Best for: PNC customers who get $5,000 or more a month in direct deposits or keep $25,000 across PNC accounts and use wires or cashier's checks.
Skip it if: You keep a low balance, travel abroad often, or want a high savings rate, since a no-fee online account will cost you less.
PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select vs. competitors
| Company | Monthly fee | Ways to avoid the fee | Other banks' ATMs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select | $25 | $5,000 monthly direct deposits, $5,000 in linked PNC checking, or $25,000 across linked PNC accounts | No PNC fee; owner surcharges refunded up to $10 per statement period |
| Chase Premier Plus Checking | $25 | $15,000 average beginning day balance (alone or combined), a linked Chase mortgage on autopay, or military status | No Chase fee; ATM owner surcharges still apply |
| Bank of America Advantage Relationship Banking | $25 | $20,000 minimum daily balance or BofA Rewards Preferred Plus tier or higher | $2.50 per non-Bank of America ATM in the US, waived for some Rewards tiers |
| Wells Fargo Premier Checking | $35 | $250,000 in statement-ending qualifying balances | No Wells Fargo fee; all non-Wells Fargo ATM operator fees reimbursed |
| Capital One 360 Checking | $0 | No fee to avoid | 70,000+ fee-free ATMs; no Capital One fee out of network, but the ATM owner may charge |
PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select pricing at a glance
PNC Virtual Wallet tiers compared, from PNC's fee schedules as listed October 20261
| Tier | Monthly fee | Ways to waive it (any one) | Other banks' ATM surcharges | Domestic wires | Cashier's check | Stop payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Wallet | $7 | $500 average balance in Spend and Reserve, $500 in monthly direct deposits, age 62 or older, or PNC employee | Not reimbursed; PNC charges $3 per non-PNC ATM use in the US | $15 incoming, $25 to $30 outgoing | $10 | $33 |
| Performance Spend | $15 | $2,000 average balance in Spend and Reserve, $10,000 across linked PNC deposit accounts, $2,000 in monthly direct deposits, or PNC employee | Up to $5 per statement period; PNC's $3 fee refunded on first 2 uses | $15 incoming, $25 to $30 outgoing | $5 | $33 |
| Performance Select | $25 | $5,000 average balance in linked PNC checking, $25,000 across linked PNC deposit or Wealth Management accounts, $5,000 in monthly direct deposits, or PNC employee | Up to $10 per statement period; no PNC fee | Free incoming and outgoing | Free | Free |
Virtual Wallet schedule effective May 31, 2026; Performance Spend effective November 16, 2025; Performance Select effective February 22, 2026. All three charge $36 per overdraft item (max 1 per day) and 3% on international card transactions. Fees can vary by market.
PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select, step by step
Open online or in a branch
Choose Checking and Savings (Spend, Reserve and Growth) or Checking only. The minimum to open Spend is $0 online or $25 in a branch.
Set up direct deposit
Route at least $5,000 a month of paychecks, pension or Social Security to Spend. Transfers, mobile and ATM deposits do not count toward the waiver or the $400 bonus.
Ask PNC to link your other accounts
PNC links accounts only when you ask, and a replacement account is not linked automatically. Linking is what lets other balances count toward the $5,000 or $25,000 waiver.
Turn on overdraft tools
Keep money in Reserve or Growth so PNC can cover Spend overdrafts for free, and use Low Cash Mode alerts and Extra Time to avoid the $36 fee.
Check each statement
Confirm the $25 fee was waived and that ATM surcharge refunds (up to $10) posted at the end of the period.
Closing the account
Move direct deposits and automatic payments first. If you close before a statement period ends, that period's ATM fee refunds are not paid, and bonus terms require you to stay in the product until the bonus is paid.
PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select legitimacy and licensing
Yes. The account is offered by PNC Bank, National Association, an FDIC-insured national bank (FDIC certificate 6384) supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. FDIC BankFind lists 2,413 domestic offices and about $610 billion in total assets as of June 30, 2026. Deposits are insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each ownership category.
PNC holds an A+ rating from the BBB but is not BBB accredited, and its BBB profile shows 1,583 complaints in the last three years. Our searches found no CFPB or OCC enforcement action against PNC’s checking accounts from 2023 to October 2026; the most relevant past action is a 2018 OCC civil money penalty over fees PNC failed to waive as disclosed and delayed overdraft protection transfers.
How PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select works
Virtual Wallet with Performance Select starts with a Spend checking account. You can add a Reserve account (a second checking account for short-term money) and a Growth savings account at no extra monthly charge. If Spend goes negative, PNC moves money from Reserve first, then Growth, with no transfer fee. You can link a PNC credit card or line of credit for overdraft protection instead of Growth.
PNC sells three Virtual Wallet versions (Virtual Wallet, Performance Spend and Performance Select), and this is the one with the highest monthly charge. Up to 8 other PNC consumer checking, savings or money market accounts you link also get their monthly charges waived, which is where the package pays off for households with several accounts.
Fees and how to avoid the $25 monthly charge
Per PNC’s Features and Fees schedule effective February 22, 2026, the $25 monthly service charge is waived if you meet any one of these in a statement period:
- $5,000 combined average monthly balance in Spend and up to 7 linked PNC consumer checking accounts, including Reserve
- $25,000 combined average monthly balance across linked PNC consumer deposit or PNC Wealth Management accounts
- $5,000 in qualifying direct deposits to Spend (paycheck, pension, Social Security or other regular income; transfers and mobile deposits do not count)
- You are a PNC employee
Accounts are linked only when you ask PNC to link them, so confirm the link after opening. Other fees to know: $36 per overdraft item (max one per day), 3% on international card transactions, $15 for incoming international wires and $25 for expedited card delivery.
Performance Select value for the price
It is worth it when you meet a waiver without changing your habits. If $5,000 or more a month arrives by direct deposit, or you keep $25,000 across linked PNC accounts, you pay nothing and get free domestic wires (Performance Spend charges $15 incoming and $25 to $30 outgoing), free cashier’s checks, free stop payments, up to $10 a period in ATM surcharge refunds, and fee waivers on up to 8 more linked PNC accounts.
If you would pay the $25 fee, that is $300 a year, which is more than most people save in wire and ATM fees. Performance Spend ($15, waived with $2,000 in direct deposits) or the base Virtual Wallet ($7, waived with $500 in direct deposits) keep the same app and Spend, Reserve and Growth setup. PNC does not print Growth rates in its fee schedules because they vary by location, so compare your quoted rate with online savings accounts before parking large balances there.
What customers say about PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select
Recurring themes across the review sites and complaint records listed above, not individual quotes.
Common praise
- The PNC Mobile Banking app scores well with app store users (4.8 on iOS, 4.4 on Android)
- Budgeting tools such as the Money Bar, calendar and Spend, Reserve and Growth split
- Low Cash Mode alerts and Extra Time to fix a negative balance before a fee
- Helpful individual branch employees during account setup
Common complaints
- Long phone hold times and automated phone menus that make it hard to reach a person
- App and login problems reported by Trustpilot reviewers
- Unexpected fees and payment delays
- Account management issues such as holds, restrictions and closures, the largest CFPB complaint category
- Trouble closing accounts
ATM reimbursement and what changed in 2026
PNC does not charge you for using a non-PNC ATM. Fees that the other ATM’s owner charges are reimbursed to your Spend account at the end of the statement period, up to $10 in total. Many reviews still describe this benefit as unlimited, so check the current schedule if ATM refunds are your main reason for choosing this tier. If PNC finds fraudulent or excessive ATM use, it may refuse or reverse reimbursements, and fees are not reimbursed if you close the account before the statement period ends.
PNC’s fee practices have drawn regulator attention before. In 2018 the OCC issued a consent order and civil money penalty against PNC Bank after finding it failed to waive certain fees as its disclosures promised and delayed some overdraft protection transfers. Read your account disclosures and statements, and file with the CFPB if a fee dispute is not resolved.
Complaints and what customers report
The CFPB’s public complaint database shows 2,180 checking and savings complaints naming PNC Bank N.A. received from October 12, 2025 to October 12, 2026, and 4,798 over the past three years. In the last year the largest category was managing an account (1,323), followed by problems with a company charging your account (277), problems caused by low funds (224), closing an account (219) and opening an account (130). PNC responded to all of them on time; 228 closed with monetary relief.
Review sites show the same themes. Trustpilot rates PNC Bank 1.3 out of 5 across 2,319 reviews, with complaints about phone wait times, app and login problems, unexpected fees and trouble closing accounts. PNC is one of the largest US banks, so raw counts are high. To avoid problems, confirm your accounts are linked, keep a buffer in Reserve, and escalate unresolved fee disputes to the CFPB.
Who should skip it
Look elsewhere if you keep under $5,000 at PNC and get less than $5,000 a month by direct deposit, if you use other banks’ ATMs often (refunds stop at $10 a period), if you spend abroad (3% on international purchases and cash advances), or if you mainly want a high savings rate. You are also not eligible for the $400 bonus if you already have PNC consumer checking, closed one in the past 12 months, or received a PNC checking bonus in the past 24 months.
Alternatives to PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select
- Capital One 360 Checking Better if you want no monthly fee, no minimum balance and no overdraft fees, and you do not need free wires or cashier's checks. Read review
- PNC Virtual Wallet (base tier) Better if you want PNC's same budgeting tools but only have $500 a month in direct deposits; the $7 fee is easier to waive, though ATM surcharges are not refunded.
- Chase Premier Plus Checking Worth comparing if you keep $15,000 or more at Chase or have a Chase mortgage on autopay, since either waives its $25 fee. Read review
- Wells Fargo Premier Checking Better for households with $250,000 or more in linked balances who want every non-Wells Fargo ATM fee reimbursed. Read review
PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select reviews
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Frequently asked questions
How do I avoid the PNC Performance Select monthly fee?
Meet one of three conditions each statement period: $5,000 in qualifying direct deposits to Spend, a $5,000 combined average balance in linked PNC checking accounts, or $25,000 across linked PNC deposit or Wealth Management accounts. PNC employees are also exempt.
Does PNC Performance Select reimburse ATM fees?
PNC charges nothing at non-PNC ATMs and, as of its February 2026 fee schedule, reimburses other operators' surcharges up to $10 per statement period. Reimbursements post at the end of the statement period.
What is the PNC Performance Select bonus?
PNC lists a $400 bonus for new checking customers who open Performance Select and receive $5,000 in qualifying direct deposits to Spend within 60 days. The offer runs through January 7, 2027, and the bonus is paid 60 to 90 days after you qualify. You are not eligible if you already have PNC consumer checking, closed one in the past 12 months, or received a PNC checking bonus in the past 24 months.
What interest rate does PNC Virtual Wallet Growth pay?
PNC does not print rates in the fee schedule because they vary by location. Check the rate for your ZIP code on pnc.com or call 1-888-762-2265, and compare it with online savings accounts before keeping large balances in Growth.
What is the difference between Performance Spend and Performance Select?
Performance Spend costs $15 a month and is waived with $2,000 in monthly direct deposits, a $2,000 average balance in Spend and Reserve, or $10,000 across linked PNC deposit accounts. It refunds ATM owner surcharges only up to $5 per period and charges for wires ($15 incoming, $25 to $30 outgoing), cashier's checks ($5) and stop payments ($33). Performance Select costs $25 but makes those services free and raises ATM refunds to $10.
Is PNC Virtual Wallet FDIC insured?
Yes. PNC Bank, National Association is an FDIC-insured national bank (certificate 6384) regulated by the OCC, so deposits are protected up to the standard $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each ownership category.
Does PNC charge overdraft fees on Virtual Wallet?
Yes, $36 per item with a maximum of one per day. The fee is refunded if you are overdrawn by $5 or less at day's end, or if you bring the balance to at least $0 before the Extra Time period ends. There is no returned item fee.
Is PNC Virtual Wallet with Performance Select worth it?
It is if you already meet a waiver, such as $5,000 a month in direct deposits or $25,000 across linked PNC accounts, and you use wires, cashier's checks or other banks' ATMs. If you would pay the $25 fee, that is $300 a year, and a cheaper Virtual Wallet tier or a no-fee online account usually costs less.
Does Performance Select still have unlimited ATM fee reimbursement?
No. PNC's February 22, 2026 fee schedule caps reimbursement of other ATM owners' surcharges at $10 per statement period, and PNC's own product page says the same. PNC does not add its own fee at non-PNC ATMs.
Do I have to link accounts to get the fee waiver?
Only for the balance-based waivers. PNC links accounts only at your direction, and a new account that replaces a closed one is not linked automatically. The $5,000 direct deposit waiver works without linking.
Sources (17)
Facts on this page come from company websites, government agencies and regulators, checked on the dates shown. Editorial standards
- PNC: Virtual Wallet with Performance Select Features and Fees, effective February 22, 2026 (accessed October 12, 2026)
- PNC: Checking account bonus offer (accessed October 12, 2026)
- FDIC BankFind: PNC Bank, National Association, certificate 6384 (accessed October 12, 2026)
- OCC: Consent Order for a Civil Money Penalty, PNC Bank, N.A., AA-EC-2018-88 (NCLC copy) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- CFPB: Consumer Complaint Database, PNC Bank N.A. checking or savings (accessed October 12, 2026)
- PNC: Virtual Wallet overview (accessed October 12, 2026)
- PNC: Virtual Wallet Features and Fees, effective May 31, 2026 (accessed October 12, 2026)
- PNC: Virtual Wallet with Performance Spend Features and Fees, effective November 16, 2025 (accessed October 12, 2026)
- PNC: Virtual Wallet with Performance Select product page (accessed October 12, 2026)
- BBB: PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. business profile (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Trustpilot: PNC Bank reviews (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Apple App Store: PNC Mobile Banking (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Google Play: PNC Mobile Banking (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Chase: Compare checking accounts (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Bank of America: Personal Schedule of Fees, effective August 7, 2026 (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Wells Fargo: Premier Checking (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Capital One: 360 Checking (accessed October 12, 2026)
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