Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
On Well’s Fargo’s secure site
-
Rewards
Earn unlimited 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans. Plus earn 1X points on other purchases
-
Welcome bonus
Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s a $200 cash redemption value.
-
Annual fee
-
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases
-
Regular APR
19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR
-
Balance transfer fee
-
Foreign transaction fee
-
Credit needed
Pros
- Access to all of the Wells Fargo transfer partners including Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and Virgin Red
- No annual fee
- Excellent bonus spending categories
- Intro-APR for purchases
Cons
- No travel credits or other valuable travel perks
- Lacks key travel protections such as trip delay reimbursement and trip cancellation/interruption coverage
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card review
Welcome bonus
You can redeem those points for $200 in statement credits, gift cards or travel bookings. You can also transfer those points to any of Wells Fargo’s travel partners to potentially increase the value of your points.
Benefits and perks
The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers cardholders a variety of valuable benefits including:
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft (with a $25 deductible) when you pay your monthly bill with the card
- Auto rental collision damage waiver (which covers damage from an accident, a natural disaster or vandalism, as well as theft)
- Roadside Dispatch, a paid service that can help tow your car, change a flat tire, and more.
- Access to the Visa Signature® Luxury Hotel Collection, which allows you to book a hotel through www.visasignaturehotels.com and also receive perks like a free room upgrade (when available), complimentary breakfast for two, and more.
- Access to the My Wells Fargo Deals program, which offers cash back with participating merchants.
How to earn and redeem points
Earning
The Wells Fargo Autograph Card earns points at the following rates:
- 3X points on travel
- 3X points at restaurants
- 3X points on gas
- 3X points on transit
- 3X points on streaming services
- 3X points on phone plans
- 1X points on all other purchases
Because there’s no cap on these rewards, the sky’s the limit (or more realistically, your bank account) when it comes to earning points.
Redeeming
Rewards do not expire if your account remains open and can be redeemed in a variety of ways through Wells Fargo’s rewards portal, including:
- Travel, such as airfare and hotel stays
- Statement credits
- Gift cards (in $25 increments)
- Shopping with participating merchants
You can also transfer your points to the loyalty programs of participating partners at a 1:1 ratio (unless noted), including:
- Choice Privileges® (1:2 transfer ratio)
- Flying Blue (Air France and KLM)
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Iberia Plus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club/Virgin Red
Transferring your Wells Fargo rewards points to partners can give them a big boost in value. For example, you can book off-peak one-way business class award flights for only 34,000 Iberia Avios points from certain U.S. cities to Spain. These flights regularly cost over $1,500, netting you a value of over four cents per point even after accounting for taxes and fees (typically around $130 each way).
Compare travel insurance options
Rates and fees
Card comparison
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card vs. Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
On Wells Fargo’s secure site
-
Rewards
Unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
-
Welcome bonus
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
-
Annual fee
-
Intro APR
0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers.
-
Regular APR
19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR
-
Balance transfer fee
Intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
-
Foreign transaction fee
-
Credit needed
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is a straightforward card that earns a flat 2% cash rewards on all purchases. It pairs well with the Autograph card since it helps cover any gaps (like groceries) left out of the Autograph Card’s bonus spending categories.
An even better reason to pair the Autograph and Active Cash together is that when you have an Autograph Card, the cash rewards earned by the Active Cash can also be transferred to the airlines and hotels participating in Wells Fargo’s new rewards program. That means instead of redeeming your cash rewards earned by the Active Cash as a statement credit, for example, you can put them toward expensive airfare where you can get more value. Carrying both cards in your wallet turns you into a rewards-earning machine and can help make a once-in-a-lifetime vacation much more attainable.
Learn more: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a no-annual-fee card that earns generous cash-back on everyday purchases and a lucrative welcome bonus.
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Intro Offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back!
- Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
- After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74% – 28.49%.
- No annual fee – You won’t have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Intro fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
While the Wells Fargo Autograph Card boasts some tempting rewards and benefits, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® also offers a ton of perks with no annual fee. It comes with a generous welcome bonus and earns at least 1.5% cash back on everything you buy. That means you can earn rewards at a faster pace for purchases that fall outside of one of the Wells Fargo Autograph Card’s bonus categories.
The Freedom Unlimited has a stronger array of built-in insurance benefits. Eligible items are covered by the card’s purchase protection and extended warranty protection. Plus, it also provides trip cancellation and interruption insurance. However, you can’t transfer your rewards to travel partners unless you pair your Freedom Unlimited with a different Chase credit card (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®), whereas the Autograph card enables point transfers by itself.
Learn more: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Is the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card right for you?
However, this may not be the best card if you’re a frequent traveler who enjoys premium perks like airport lounge access. Additionally, while you earn 3X points in several categories, it only earns 1X points on other purchases. So you could benefit from pairing this card with one that has high flat-rate rewards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card to get the most bang for your buck.
Subscribe to the CNBC Select Newsletter!
Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox. Sign up here.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
