Wells Fargo Autograph Card Review: The Best Travel Card Nobody’s Talking About

Wells Fargo Autograph Card Earnings

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card boasts impressive earnings rates in categories that appeal to travelers. It earns unlimited 3x points on the following purchases:

• Travel: Including airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises
• Dining: Including dining in, take-out, catering and delivery
• Gas: Including gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations
• Transit: Including passenger railways, taxis, parking and tolls
• Popular streaming services: Including video, music and book streaming
• Cell phone plans: Including landline and cellular providers

Other everyday purchases earn 1 point per dollar.

Wells Fargo Autograph Card Rewards

At first glance, the list of transfer partners may put some off, as Wells Fargo Rewards lacks a domestic airline or tier-one hotel partner. However, if you dig a bit deeper, you can get real value out of the program. Here are the partners and some ideas on how you may use them:

• Avios (British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia), 1:1 ratio: 34,000 Avios from the East Coast to Madrid in business class on Iberia
• Flying Blue (Air France-KLM), 1:1 ratio: Monthly Flying Blue Promo Rewards to/from Europe from 15,000 miles in economy class on Air France or KLM
• Virgin (Red, Atlantic), 1:1 ratio: 10,000 miles from the East Coast to Europe on Virgin, Air France or KLM in economy class
• LifeMiles (Avianca), 1:1 ratio: 55,000 miles to/from South Asia in economy on a variety of Star Alliance airlines
• Choice Privileges, 1:2 ratio: 15,000 Choice Privileges points (7,500 Wells Fargo Rewards points) per night at the Radisson Panama Canal

Of these, I think the real sweet spot is Choice Privileges at a 1:2 ratio (1 Wells Fargo Rewards point equals 2 Choice Privileges points). Like the Autograph Card itself, Choice sometimes gets short shrift in the rewards conversation because it isn’t flashy like other hotel chains. But if you look, you’ll find some amazing values, especially overseas.

If you prefer simplicity in your travel rewards, you can redeem Wells Fargo Rewards for cash at 1 cent per point, use points for gift cards or book travel through Wells Fargo’s travel portal.

Wells Fargo Autograph Card Benefits

Cards with no annual fee tend to be bare-bones, but the Autograph Card comes with an impressive suite of perks:

• No foreign transaction fee: Most $0 annual fee cards charge 3% to use the card outside of the U.S.
• Cell phone insurance: Covers up to $600 if your phone is stolen or damaged, with a $25 deductible as long as you pay your bill with the Autograph Card (up to two claims per 12-month period).
• Auto rental collision damage waiver: Covers damage to your rental car when you decline coverage from the car rental company and charge the car to the card. Coverage is secondary to your personal car insurance.
• Visa Signature® Concierge service: Concierge services can book restaurant reservations, help you get concert tickets and even take care of your gift shopping.

Wells Fargo Autograph Card Drawbacks

No card is perfect for every person, and the Autograph Card is no exception. Here’s what you should think about before hitting apply.

Welcome Bonus Is Lower Than Many Other Cards

If you’re looking for a quick points infusion, you may want to look elsewhere as the Autograph Card offers 20,000 bonus points worth $200, after you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Compare this with the card’s big sibling, the $95-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card. It offers 60,000 points (worth $600) after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, and comes with a broader range of benefits.

Other Cards Have Longer 0% APR Periods

The Autograph Card has a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases (then a 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR). Compare this to the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card, which doesn’t offer rewards but has a 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, then a 17.24%, 23.74%, or 28.99% Variable APR. So if your goal is to pay off debt, other cards may be a better choice.

Transfer Partners Are More Robust With Other Cards

Wells Fargo is new to the transfer partner game, and other programs have transfer partners that can be easier to use for most people. Consider Chase Ultimate Rewards®, which has well over a dozen partners, including United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt.

Who Is the Wells Fargo Autograph Card Best For?

The Autograph Card is an ideal starter travel card for someone averse to paying an annual fee. The card bonuses not only travel but also dining, gas and other categories, so rewards will add up quickly. With no annual fee to worry about, it’s a card that you can hold onto long-term.

That said, Wells Fargo’s transfer partners require a learning curve. The list of partners is small but mighty and can deliver huge value if you are willing to learn about the partner programs. The good news is that you can also redeem points for cash back if you want to keep your rewards simple.

Is the Wells Fargo Autograph Card the Right Card for You?

The Autograph Card makes sense if you want a card with amped-up rewards on travel with no annual fee. If you are considering the card, here’s what might swing your decision:

• 3x earnings on travel and dining
• No foreign transaction fees
• Flexible points with no annual fee

Alternatives to the Wells Fargo Autograph Card

While the Autograph Card makes sense for many, it’s not the only card that offers points for no annual fee. Let’s take a look at a couple of other options.

Bilt Mastercard

The Bilt Mastercard®**, also issued by Wells Fargo, stacks up nicely against the Autograph Card. While the Bilt Mastercard’s main feature isn’t travel-related — it’s earning points on rent — it is a strong travel card on its own. With no annual fee, the card earns 3x on dining and 2x on travel as well as 1x on rent (up to 100,000 points per year) and other everyday purchases.

The Bilt Mastercard also has a more robust set of transfer partners than the Autograph Card, including World of Hyatt and Alaska Airlines, which may be easier to maximize than the Autograph Card’s partners. And the card also has not only cell phone insurance and car rental coverage, but it also has travel insurance protections not available on the Autograph Card.

Chase Freedom Unlimited

If transferring to travel partners isn’t as important to you as everyday earnings, check out the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. The main distinction is that the Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5% cash back on all categories in addition to 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 5% on Chase Travel℠ bookings.

While you can’t transfer points if you only hold the Freedom Unlimited, if you also hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can combine your points into one account and transfer the combined points to a number of appealing travel partners.