Wells Fargo Autograph Card review: A travel card that earns high rewards for no annual fee

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card has been a solid, low-maintenance travel credit card since its debut in 2022. It doesn't charge any annual or foreign transaction fees, and it earns rewards at a high rate in convenient spending categories such as restaurants, transit and streaming services. When you consider it provides some useful benefits to travelers as a Visa Signature® card, the Autograph punches well above its weight for a card without an annual fee.

And starting on April 4, 2024, Wells Fargo is addressing one of the Autograph's biggest cons — that you can't maximize your rewards points' value by transferring them to the loyalty programs of participating airline and hotel partners. With its new Points Transfer program, Wells Fargo has given an already-decent card a new depth of value. 

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers a sizable welcome bonus of 20,000 cash rewards when you spend at least $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening (which is a fairly easy spending goal to meet). That's worth $200 when redeemed for cash rewards.

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 Autograph
• Auto rental collision damage waiver coverage (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, where you can 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 allows you to earn cash back with participating merchants.

Earning

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card earns points at the following rates:

• Unlimited 3X points on travel, restaurants, gas, transit, streaming services and phone plans 
• Unlimited 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

Starting April 4, 2024, you can also transfer your points to the loyalty programs of participating partners. Wells Fargo has announced the initial lineup of partners as:

• Choice Privileges®
• Flying Blue (Air France-KLM)
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• AerClub
• Iberia Plus

Right now, Wells Fargo points are generally valued at one cent per point, but being able to transfer your Wells Fargo rewards points to partners should give them a big boost in value, similar to Chase's Ultimate Rewards points and American Express' Membership Points.

While the Autograph Card doesn't have an annual or foreign transaction fee, it comes with a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of each balance transfer, whichever is greater.

New cardholders can also benefit from the card's 12-month 0% introductory annual percentage rate (APR) from account opening. After that, it's a 20.24%, 25.24% or 29.99% variable APR, based on your creditworthiness.

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card vs. Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Like the Wells Fargo Autograph Card, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers an easy-to-understand rewards program. In this case, the Active Cash earns 2% unlimited cash rewards on purchases including groceries, gas, dining out, travel, utilities and general purchases. That alone makes it an excellent partner to the Autograph card, since it helps cover any gaps (like groceries) left by the Autograph's reward categories.

An even better reason to use the Autograph and Active Cash together is that (provided 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 Point Transfer system. That means instead of redeeming your cash rewards earned by the Active Cash as a statement credit (for example), you'll be able to put them toward expensive airfare where they'll give you more value. Using the Autograph and the Active Cash at the same time turns you into a machine for earning rewards points, and can help make a once-in-a-lifetime vacation much more attainable.

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited® 

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. Not only does it come with a generous welcome bonus of earning a 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. New cardmembers can earn 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 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.That means you can earn rewards at a faster pace compared to the Wells Fargo Autograph Card.

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card can be a solid choice for cardholders looking to accumulate points on travel or other everyday purchases. This is great especially since the categories remain intact year-round, so you don't have to worry about shifting your spending priorities. You also don't have to worry about paying an annual fee or being charged extra while traveling abroad.

However, this may not be the best card if you're a frequent traveler who enjoys premium perks like airport lounge access or maximizing your points through transfer partners. Additionally, while you would earn 3X points on various categories, groceries do not seem to be one of them. On the other hand, you could pair this card with another rewards credit card like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card to get the most bang for your buck.

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is great for its straightforward yet rewarding rewards program, particularly for travel and everyday spending. However, if you're seeking additional premium benefits or an enhanced rewards program, you could try pairing it with another rewards travel credit card to maximize value.

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