PenFed Defender
The card earns the following fees:
- 5X points at the pump and EV charging
- 3X points in grocery stores, restaurants and streaming services
- 3X drop in sporting goods stores
- 3X points at military commissaries and exchange shops
- 1X points on all other purchases
PenFed joining requirements
Anyone can become a member of PenFed by making a small donation to either Voices for America’s Troops ($15) or the National Military Family Association ($20). You can also join for free if you are in the military or work for the United States government, a the full list of free options can be found here.
Our verdict
We need to get the full details, but so far it seems similar to the PenFed Platinum card. The Defender card adds 3x dining, streaming, sports and military, but the basic configuration of 5x gas and 3x grocery is the same on both.
Again, points are worth 0.85 cents, so it’s really 4.25% on gas and 2.25% on food/dining and 0.85% everywhere else. (It is also worth mentioning that the gas category is limited to pump transactions only.)
Hats off to him MEAB
