Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card Review [2024]: Flexible Rewards with $0 Annual Fee

Card basics

Who should get the Wells Fargo Autograph Card?

You should get this card if you’re a frequent traveler who keeps an eye on your budget. Why? It has a $0 annual fee. The unlimited 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans is impressive and aligns well with someone who is frequently on the go. This isn’t a card for a homebody.

And the range of categories with a higher rate is pretty broad, so it keeps earning and tracking rewards relatively simple.

Who shouldn’t get this card?

You shouldn’t get this card if you have an attachment to a particular airline or hotel brand. At least, not without checking out what that brand has to offer first.

If you are loyal to a specific airline or hotel brand, it may offer a no-annual-fee card with better benefits.

For example, the Hilton Honors American Express Card has a $0 annual fee and offers 7X points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton Portfolio.

You also shouldn’t get this card if you’re looking for luxury travel perks. But that’s not the point of this particular card. Travel perks like lounge access or statement credits for Global Entry application fees come with cards that have an annual fee.

If you’re not a budget traveler, this isn’t the best card for you. Instead, you might want to consider a higher-end card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, which includes perks like lounge access but at a steeper $550 annual fee.

Other benefits to consider

Solid welcome offer

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card has a solid welcome offer where you can earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months (that’s a $200 cash redemption value). That offer is roughly on par with no-annual-fee rewards cards, such as the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited^®.

The minimum spend for the Wells Fargo Autograph is a little on the high side compared to similar cards, though.

If you’d prefer a more accessible alternative, the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card allows you to earn $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. But the Active Cash has a flat earnings rate where you can earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. If your spending aligns with the bonus categories of the Autograph, then I think it’s a better choice.

My Wells Fargo Deals

You can stretch your earnings even further with the My Wells Fargo Deals program. Deals typically involve a discount on a product you purchase with an eligible card. You can see current My Wells Fargo Deals when you log into your Wells Fargo Account.

For example, my current deals include 10% cash back from Domino's and 5% cash back from a Kroger fuel purchase.

Cell phone protection

Most credit cards don’t offer cell phone protection, but the Wells Fargo Autograph does. Receive up to $600 of protection (minus a $25 deductible) per successful claim against phone damage or theft when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card.

Drawbacks to this card

Limited travel perks

The Wells Fargo Autograph has relatively basic travel perks. For example, its rental car insurance coverage is secondary, which means it pays after your insurance. Which isn’t to say it isn’t helpful, but other cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card offer primary car rental insurance coverage.

Its roadside dispatch, travel assistance and Visa Signature Concierge services all connect you to services, but then you have to pay for the services you receive. For example, the roadside dispatch will only tow you up to five miles for a fee that you establish at the start of the call. Any further towing is your responsibility.

Arguably the best perk is the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection benefits, which could include room upgrades, a complimentary breakfast, and a $25 food or beverage credit. If you’re drawn to the Wells Fargo Autograph, though, you’re likely a budget traveler who isn’t staying at luxury hotels, so even that perk has limited utility.

Earning & redeeming Wells Fargo Rewards

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your points can add up with the Wells Fargo Autograph Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 1 cent.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $945

Year two earnings: $745

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Mode, which looks at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

Best ways to earn

To earn the most points possible with the Wells Fargo Autograph, use your card on purchases you were already planning to make. The Autograph makes this relatively easy since its earning categories align nicely with common everyday spending categories, such as gas and eating out.

The Wells Fargo Autograph offers 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. You can also earn 1X points on other purchases

Maximizing your redemptions

The Wells Fargo Autograph offers these redemption options for your rewards points:

• Transfers to travel partners (more on this below)
• Account deposits or statement credits
• Mailed check
• Cash by withdrawal from a Wells Fargo ATM
• Travel
• Gift cards
• Charitable donations
• Merchandise
• Pay with Rewards at participating merchants, including PayPal Checkout
• Transfers to a Rewards Pool or another Wells Fargo Rewards account

While 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans is great, the 1X points on all other purchases isn’t spectacular. So to make the most of rewards, you may want to pair the Autograph with a card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash. The Active Cash allows you to earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases, so anything that doesn’t earn the highest rate on your Autograph Card could go on the Active Cash Card, and you’d only have two cards to juggle to maximize your rewards.

One caveat with that option, though, is that you can’t combine rewards from the two cards since the Autograph earns points and the Active Cash Card earns cash rewards. And you can’t transfer cash rewards to travel partners.

Wells Fargo transfer partners

As of June 2024, Wells Fargo has the following points transfer partners:

• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• Avianca Lifemiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• AerClub
• Iberia Plus
• Choice Privileges

Choice Privileges is the only hotel partner, and the points transfer at a 1:2 ratio, meaning you get 2 Choice points for each Wells Fargo point, while the rest transfer at a 1:1 ratio. You can find valuable travel options with any of these programs. For example, Avianca is a Star Alliance member, which means you can access reward flights across its partners in the Star Alliance. So you can book significantly more flights than you might initially think.

You can see detailed examples in our dedicated article on Wells Fargo transfer partners.

FAQ

Bottom line

The Wells Fargo Autograph is perfect for frugal travelers. This card has higher earning potential than many other, similar credit cards, and it has a nice list of travel partners that (hopefully) will grow.

But if you want to maximize your earnings with a dedicated cash back card that offers even higher earning potential on expenses like gas and groceries, explore our picks for the top cash back cards that could fit your spending habits.