PNC Virtual Wallet Debit Card—Features, Fees, & Security
The PNC Virtual Wallet is an online banking platform created by PNC Bank. It enables customers to manage their finances through a combination of money-management tools, such as expense calendars, goal-setting features, and budget trackers and provides easy access to their checking and savings accounts.
To help you decide if the PNC Virtual Wallet is the right banking option for you, this article answers questions like:
- How does the PNC Virtual Wallet work?
- What are its main features?
- Do you get a debit card with the PNC Virtual Wallet?
- Are there any additional fees?
- Is the PNC Virtual Wallet secure?
The information provided in this article is valid as of September 2023. The platform’s features, terms, and fees might change over time. Consult PNC Bank’s official website or contact its representatives directly for the latest updates.
How Does the PNC Virtual Wallet Work?
The PNC Virtual Wallet allows you to manage all your PNC Bank accounts from one place. The accounts that PNC offers include:
- Spend—a main checking account for daily spending
- Reserve—a secondary checking account for short-term expenses
- Growth—a savings account
The money in the Spend account won’t accrue interest[2], at least with the basic version of the Virtual Wallet. However, the funds in the Reserve and Growth accounts will.
Since Growth is intended to be a long-term savings account, the money deposited there will earn you a higher interest rate than in Reserve[3]—though the exact rates and fees vary depending on your location and specific account type.
You can access all three accounts from the PNC Virtual Wallet interface and use its money management tools to organize your spending and savings with a clear overview of your expenses and long-term goals.
PNC Bank operates in 28 states[1] and the District of Columbia, providing different options to customers in various locations. In some states, users will only have access to the basic Virtual Wallet profile called Virtual Wallet Checking Pro. Other locations allow users to choose between the following three options:
- A basic Virtual Wallet profile
- Virtual Wallet with Performance Select
- Virtual Wallet with Performance Spend
To learn which Virtual Wallet profiles are available, you should contact your local PNC branch.
What Are the Main Features of the PNC Virtual Wallet?
The two standout features of the PNC Virtual Wallet are:
- Money management tools
- Overdraft protection
Money Management Tools
Some of the PNC Virtual Wallet’s main money management features include:
- Spending Zone
- Wish List
- Calendar
- Money Bar
The Spending Zone section lets you categorize your spending and create individual budgets for each category. After that, the PNC Virtual Wallet automatically generates a graphical budget report, clearly outlining your spending across categories.
The Wish List feature provides a similar benefit for the Reserve account—you can allocate the current amount in that account to specific goals, such as home renovations, car repairs, or a planned vacation.
With the Virtual Wallet Calendar, you can view any scheduled income, bills, and other expenses in a monthly, weekly, or daily view with specific color-coding. If there’s a foreseeable overdraft on specific dates based on scheduled transactions, the platform automatically labels those dates as red-colored Danger Days. You can also set up recurring payments from the Calendar feature.
Once you input your planned income and expenses, the PNC Virtual Wallet will show you a bar graph called the Money Bar—a clear overview of the remaining funds at your disposal for general spending.
One of the most significant draws of the PNC Virtual Wallet is how seamlessly money can be transferred between various PNC accounts. For instance, if the Money Bar shows more available funds than you need momentarily, you can transfer some over to your Reserve account by adjusting a slider on the bar.
Overdraft Protection
As a PNC Virtual Wallet user, you have two levels of overdraft protection. If you are at risk of overdraft on your Spend account, the platform will automatically transfer an appropriate amount of money from the Reserve account.
If there’s not enough funds in the Reserve account, the Virtual Wallet will pull from your Growth account next.
It’s important to note that PNC imposes no fees for overdraft protection transfers[4].
Do You Get a Debit Card With a PNC Virtual Wallet?
As an existing PNC client, you can link your debit card to a Virtual Wallet. If you’re a new user, you can automatically receive a debit card when you open a PNC account since you can’t obtain a Virtual Wallet without one. You can also link a PNC credit card to the Virtual Wallet. By doing this, the platform will automatically record all credit card payments as a monthly expense.
PNC Virtual Wallet Fees
The table below contains a breakdown of the main PNC Virtual Wallet fees:
| Type of Fee | Cost |
|---|---|
| Monthly service fee |
$3 per account |
| Returned check fee |
$25 |
| Out-of-network ATM fee |
$3 per transaction for domestic ATMs, $5 per transaction for international ATMs |
| Annual debit card fee |
$5 |
| International money transfer fee |
Varies |
It is important to note that the monthly service fee may be waived[5] if you meet certain deposit criteria, which vary based on the specific account and location. Other fees might also change over time or may only be in effect in particular states.
Is the PNC Virtual Wallet Secure?
While the PNC Virtual Wallet may assist you with managing your spending and savings, you still have to enter your debit or credit card information when shopping online, which puts your financial information at risk of theft and misuse.
The online security of your financial data should always be on your mind, considering the rising number of card-related fraud cases worldwide.
To add more thorough account security measures to your purchases, consider using a virtual card—it is an effective way to protect your debit card details when transacting online. This type of card has a set of unique card details you can use for online payments, including:
- 16-digit card number
- 3-digit card security code
- Expiration date
However, a virtual card is not the same as a temporary bank card that you might use for online or digital payments while you wait for your bank to deliver your new physical card.
Virtual cards can be linked to your line of credit, debit card, or bank account, allowing you to use them for purchases without revealing your real card numbers or banking information. As a result, a potential hacker who breaches a merchant's servers can only access your virtual card numbers while your actual card and bank data remain confidential.
Unfortunately, the PNC Virtual Wallet doesn’t support virtual cards. PNC Bank has a Virtual Travel Card Service that generates single-use virtual cards, but they’re only usable for rental car, rail, air, and hotel purchases.
If you’d like to enjoy the security benefits of virtual cards for completing online transactions, consider using Privacy Virtual Cards instead. Besides protecting your financial data, Privacy Virtual Cards also provide a variety of money management features to help you control your budget and prevent overcharges.
Privacy Virtual Cards—Secure Online Transactions
You can shield your financial data by connecting your bank account or debit card to Privacy. The platform generates Privacy Virtual Cards that let you transact online without revealing your debit card or banking information.
There are two types of Privacy Virtual Cards:
| Type of Card |
Description |
|---|---|
| Single-Use Card |
This type of card closes automatically after the first purchase, preventing potential hackers from misusing it if they manage to steal it from the merchant’s servers. |
| Merchant-Locked Card |
This type of card locks to the first merchant you use it at, eliminating the possibility of misuse on other websites in case of theft. |
Besides providing an integral layer of security to your transactions, Privacy also helps you manage your spending. You can set a spending limit on each card, preventing overcharges from sneaky merchants and keeping your expenses under control. Any Privacy Virtual Card can be paused/unpaused or closed via your Privacy dashboard at any time, allowing you to prevent unwarranted subscription charges.
All your Privacy Virtual Cards are visible from a single dashboard, accessible from your desktop browser or a dedicated mobile app for Android and iOS. Privacy sends a push notification whenever a purchase with one of your Virtual Cards has been approved or declined to quickly spot suspicious activity. You can also request new cards or close existing ones from your phone.
You can download the browser extension for Google Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox and enjoy quick and seamless checkouts. The extensions autofill your virtual card information in the checkout fields, saving you from having to reach for your wallet or memorize card numbers. The Safari extension is also available for iOS devices, enabling seamless checkouts for iPhone and iPad users.
Privacy’s partnership with 1Password, the password manager, brings even more ease of use and security—you can store your Privacy login credentials and card details and manage them from a centralized dashboard.
How To Sign Up With Privacy in Four Quick Steps
Creating your first Privacy Virtual Card is simple and involves the following steps:
- Sign up
- Enter the requested Know-Your-Customer (KYC) information
- Connect your bank account or debit card
- Request your first Privacy Card
The platform’s base tier (free for domestic purchases) lets you:
- Generate up to 12 virtual cards monthly
- Download the mobile app and browser extension
- Set spending limits, and close, pause, and unpause the cards
The two paid plans—Pro ($10 per month) and Premium ($25 per month)—bring up to 60 virtual cards a month, zero fees on foreign transactions, and 1% cashback on eligible purchases totaling up to $4,500 a month, among other benefits.
References
[1]PNC, https://apps.pnc.com/locator/browse, sourced September 2023
[2]PNC, https://www.pnc.com/en/rates/virtual-wallet/, sourced September 2023
[3]PNC, https://www.pnc.com/en/rates/virtual-wallet/, sourced September 2023
[4]PNC, https://www.pnc.com/content/dam/pnc-com/pdf/personal/Checking/fees-vw-A.pdf, sourced September 2023
[5]PNC, https://www.pnc.com/content/dam/pnc-com/pdf/personal/Checking/fees-vw-A.pdf, sourced September 2023
Other Virtual Card Resources to Help Find Your Fit
Here are some guides about how virtual cards work.
Find answers to questions about virtual card offerings from specific banks and financial service providers below.
