Top Travel Buddies Revealed In PNC Premier Traveler® Visa Signature® Summer Vacation Survey
- 53 percent of Americans to take a summer vacation
- Almost half say dream vacation trip is around the world; 15 percent chose space
- Just over one quarter would vacation with Warren Buffett
- 44 percent would choose to sit next to President Obama on a flight

PITTSBURGH, May 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett or Mark Zuckerberg would be welcome on one in four summer vacations and among world leaders President Barack Obama would make a good seat mate on a long flight, according to the PNC Premier Traveler® Visa Signature® Summer Vacation Survey, released today.

PNC Summer Vacation Preferences Survey

More than one-quarter chose Buffett (28 percent) and Zuckerberg (26 percent) from a list of business leaders to vacation with, while one in three (31 percent) wouldn't want to be joined on vacation by any business leader on the list according to the online survey of 2,015 U.S. adults conducted April 29May 3, 2016 by Harris Poll on behalf of PNC Bank.

More than two in five (44 percent) chose the president from a list of world leaders with which to fly on vacation while nearly one in three (29 percent) preferred none.

More than half (53 percent) plan to get away this summer, with most traveling by vehicle (60 percent) perhaps to take advantage of lower gas prices this summer which average $2.22 per gallon nationally. A vast majority of these travelers plan to stay overnight (91 percent) and three quarters (76 percent) plan to travel at least 500 miles or more round trip from home on a vacation.

"Travel cards give us options and permission to consider the possibilities this summer," said Todd Rosenthal, PNC Bank's credit card line of business general manager. "We wanted to look at consumer travel behaviors to make the card more valuable to travelers, so we decided to have some fun and ask about dream travel companions at the same time."

Survey Highlights

  • Business or investment advice? While 28 percent of U.S. adults said Buffett would be great to vacation with, the younger crowd likes tech moguls. Among 25 to 34 year olds, 36 percent picked Zuckerberg, 28 percent liked online shopping pioneers Jeff Bezos, 27 percent favored tech leader Larry Page and 21 percent chose Tim Cook.
  • Who in the world is sitting there? PNC's survey asked U. S. adults what world leader they would like to sit next to on a flight. Following President Obama were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (18 percent), British Prime Minister David Cameron (17 percent), German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (both 15 percent). Among those aged 25-34, 56 percent said they want to sit with President Obama.
  • Time for a break: The survey showed that the nation's highways, hotels and airlines will be busy this summer, as 53 percent plan to take at least one summer vacation. Almost all (91 percent) of those intending to take a vacation will travel away from home, including at least one overnight stay.
  • On the road again: An overwhelming majority (60 percent), plan to drive this summer, likely due to better fuel prices which are down from a year ago. Almost a third (31 percent) expect to fly, while five percent or fewer will travel by cruise, train, bus or bicycle.
  • Get away, far away: Among those who plan to travel away from home for summer vacation this year, 55 percent plan to go more than 1,000 miles away on at least one of those trips. Twenty-two percent will travel between 100 and 499 miles, while 21 percent will go between 500 and 999 miles.
  • See the world, not the moon: When asked for their dream vacation if money were no constraint, 49 percent would go around the world, 40 percent would visit the Seven Wonders of the World and 38 percent would like to travel by private plane to exotic islands in the Pacific. Further down on the list, 15 percent chose outer space. Among the younger crowd, aged 25-34, 56 percent want to travel around the world.
  • Movie buffs' wish list: For movie buffs and film locales, 19 percent of U.S. adults would go to New Zealand where Lord of the Rings was filmed and 18 percent would visit Hawaii, the setting for much of Avatar.
  • Will what happens on vacation stay on vacation? Eight in 10 U.S. adults plan to take photos while less than half (40 percent) will share on social media. Age is clearly a factor. Among those ages 25-34, 55 percent will post on social media versus 33 percent for those 35 or older.

The survey was conducted in connection with the PNC Premier® Traveler Visa Signature® credit card, launched April 24. Key features of the card include: earn two miles for every dollar spent on qualifying purchases1; no blackout periods; travel on virtually any airline, anytime. 30,000 bonus miles when the cardholder makes $3,000 in qualifying purchases during the first three billing cycles after account opening3, No foreign transaction fees2; intro 0 percent APR on balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles when the balance is transferred within the first 90 days2.

Further details are available via any PNC Bank branch, 1-888-762-2265 or online at pnc.com/premiertraveler.

PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking; residential mortgage banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit pnc.com

Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of PNC from April 29May 3, 2016 among 2,015 adults ages 18 and older. If this were a pure random sample of 2,015 adults, the estimated theoretical margin of sampling error for the overall results would be plus or minus 2 percentage points. The sampling error for data from smaller sub samples is higher and varies.

PNC has no affiliation with and the survey was not endorsed or sponsored by any individuals or movie titles named in the survey. Any trademarks used herein are the property of the respective trademark owners.

This report has been prepared for general informational purposes only and is not intended as specific advice or recommendations. Information has been gathered from third party sources and has not been independently verified or accepted by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the information, assumptions, analyses or conclusions presented in the report. PNC cannot be held responsible for any errors or misrepresentations contained in the report or in the information gathered from third party sources. Any reliance upon the information provided in the report is solely and exclusively at your own risk.

1 The term "qualifying purchases" does not mean all transactions made using the credit card. Some limited transactions, such as purchases of gift cards or other cash equivalents, cash advance transactions and balance transfers, are excluded. For details about excluded transactions, please see the complete reward program terms and conditions available on pnc.com/creditcards.

2 Rates and Fees: The introductory annual fee is $0 for the first year. After that, the annual fee is $85. We do not assess a foreign transaction fee. Annual Percentage Rates (APRs): An introductory 0% APR on balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles following account opening when the balance is transferred within the first 90 days following account opening. After that, the APR for balance transfers will be the standard balance transfer APR, currently 16.24%. The standard purchase APR is 16.24%. The standard purchase and balance transfer APRs will vary with the market based on the prime rate. The introductory 0% APR is subject to increase in the event a payment is late. The introductory balance transfer APR does not apply to cash advances or purchases. Keep in mind when transferring a balance that when you do not pay the entire balance in full each billing cycle, you may lose your grace period on new purchases. Allocation of your payments will be at our discretion, and generally that means that we will apply your payments to balances with lower APRs before balances with higher APRs. However, any payment you make in excess of your minimum payment will be allocated to balances with higher APRs before balances with lower APRs. The APR for cash advances is currently 16.24%, and the penalty APR, which may apply if you make a late payment, is currently 29.24%. These APRs vary with the market based on the prime rate. If you are charged interest in any billing cycle, the charge will be no less than $1.50. Other Fees: The balance transfer fee is 3% of the amount of each balance transfer. The cash advance fee is $5 for each cash advance. Late payment and returned payment penalty fees are up to $35. Approval of a credit card application is subject to meeting established credit criteria. The rates and fees noted herein are current as of May 13, 2016. This information may have changed after that date. Call us at 1-877-588-3602 to find out if anything has changed.

3 The bonus 30,000 miles will be awarded to cardholder's account within 60 days of the qualifying purchase that enabled cardholder to meet the $3,000 minimum requirement.

PNC Premier Traveler is a registered mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
Visa Signature is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association and used under license.

CONTACTS:                                                     

Alan Aldinger                
(412) 768-3711 
alan.aldinger@pnc.com

Fred Solomon
(412) 762-7544
frederick.solomon@pnc.com

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SOURCE PNC Bank

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