Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card Review

Rewards

The Autograph Journey Card earns Wells Fargo’s proprietary rewards currency. As we’ll cover in a minute, these points can be used in a variety of ways, including for cash back — making them extremely easy to redeem.

The Autograph Journey Card earns:

• 5 points per dollar on hotels
• 4 points per dollar on airlines
• 3 points per dollar on restaurants and other travel
• 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases

This earning rate competes (and in some ways outshines) some of the most popular travel rewards credit cards on the market, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

If you spend a lot on travel and dining, the Autograph Journey Card is a points-earning heavyweight.

Generous Welcome Bonus

The Autograph Journey Card currently offers 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.

This is worth at least $600 in travel. But it’s possible to squeeze over $1,000 from these points with a bit of strategy.

Important Fees to Consider

The Autograph Journey Card charges a $95 annual fee.

It also enforces a 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR, based on your creditworthiness.

Just remember that you won’t pay these interest rates unless you carry a balance month-to-month. Pay off your credit card in full each billing cycle, and you don’t need to worry about your inerest rate.

You’ll find other common credit card fees with the card, too, such as:

• Balance transfer fees of 3% for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5
• Late payment fees up to $40

As a true travel credit card, the Autograph Journey Card waives foreign transaction fees — making it a great companion when spending outside the U.S.

Rewards Redemption Options

The Autograph Journey Card earns some of the most flexible rewards in existence. You can redeem them for truly anything, from a fancy lie-flat business class seat to Europe to an oil change at your local mechanic. But the way that you redeem them can drastically change the value you’ll get from them.

For example, you can offset the price of travel booked through the Wells Fargo Rewards portal at a rate of 1 cent per point. Or, you can cash them out at a rate of 1 cent per point as a statement credit or to your checking account — to offset any purchase.

But the best way to use these points is by transferring them to Wells Fargo’s travel partners. These include:

• Aer Lingus
• Flying Blue (Air France and KLM)
• British Airways
• Iberia
• Virgin Atlantic
• Choice Privileges

Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to all partners except Choice Privileges, which benefits from a 1:2 ratio (1,000 Wells Fargo Rewards = 2,000 Choice points). Converting them into airline miles and hotel points is the only way to get outsized value from them.

As an example, you could transfer 34,000 points to Iberia for a one-way business class flight between Chicago and Madrid in a lie-flat seat. These seats routinely cost over $2,300, giving you an astounding value of more than 6 cents per point.

Additional Benefits

The Autograph Journey Card comes with a decent collection of benefits for its $95 annual fee. The most eye-catching feature is its annual $50 statement credit to reimburse an airline purchase of at least $50. If you buy airfare even once per year, this credit is as good as cash for you.

The card also flaunts a middling catalog of travel insurance. You’ll get:

• Secondary rental car insurance (primary when outside the U.S.)
• Trip cancellation and interruption protection
• Travel accident insurance
• Lost baggage reimbursement

It notably lacks trip delay insurance and baggage delay insurance, both of which are found on many of the best travel credit cards.

One standout protection is its automatic cell phone insurance when paying your monthly phone bill with the card. You can get up to $1,000 of protection on your cell phone (subject to $25 deductible) against covered damage or theft. This will help give you peace of mind that your cell phone is protected while saving you money by not needing to pay out of pocket for the protection through another provider.

Is It the Right Card For You?

The Autograph Journey Card may be a good travel credit card for your situation if even two or three of the following bullets describes you:

• You spend a lot on travel or dining purchases
• You value the ability to convert rewards into airline miles and hotel points
• You currently pay for cell phone insurance
• You pay at least $50 for airfare each year