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If you’re a number-crunching travel buff, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can take you farther than the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card(Rates and fees) — if you’re comfortable limiting yourself to Chase’s travel booking portal. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey offers flexibility when earning and redeeming points, but points don’t stretch quite as far. As a rule, we recommend the Sapphire Preferred to anyone who wants to redeem rewards for travel and the Autograph Journey to anyone who might want to cash out in other ways.
Because these cards both carry an annual fee, you should be sure the benefits are worth it before you apply for one and think beyond rewards. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is heavier on lifestyle perks and coverage that can protect you as a consumer, but we aren’t mad about the travel insurance on either.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred comparison
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| FinanceBuzz value calculation1 <p class="">These values are based on the <a href="https://financebuzz.com/financebuzz-credit-card-valuation">FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model</a>, which takes a look at rewards earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee. We used a valuation of 1 cent/point unless otherwise stated above. These are estimated values - your actual earnings will depend on how much you spend and in what categories.<br></p> | Year one earnings: $1,250
Year two earnings: $650 |
Year one earnings: $1,486
Year two earnings: $789 |
| Annual fee | $95 | $95 |
| Welcome offer | Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip | Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening |
| Reward rate | Earn unlimited 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases | 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases |
| Intro APR | N/A | N/A |
| Annual credits |
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| Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
| Credit needed | Excellent, Good | Excellent, Good |
| Read full review | Read full review |
When to choose the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey
- You don’t just want to redeem points for travel.
- You want to earn rewards on as much travel-related spending as possible.
- You don’t want to be shoehorned into one booking portal.
- You want cell phone insurance.
You want redemption flexibility
Travel rewards are good and all, but sometimes your plans change, and it can be good to have some built-in flexibility when it comes to how you use your points. Both cards allow you to redeem your points for cash in various forms, such as a statement credit or a deposit into a linked account. However, Wells Fargo offers slightly more cash redemption options, including ATM cash withdrawals with a Wells Fargo debit or ATM card, charitable donations, or paper checks. You can even redeem points toward eligible mortgage payments.
Read more: The Best and Worst Redemptions for Your Credit Card Points
You want to earn rewards on more types of travel
The Autograph Journey also has an edge over the Sapphire Preferred for its less restrictive approach to travel rewards. The Sapphire Preferred earns its best rate only on travel booked through the Chase Travel portal, but the Autograph Journey has no such booking requirements. You can earn unlimited 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases with this card, which means you’ll get the same amount of points on any hotel, flight, or other booking — not just the ones available through a portal.
Because the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns rewards on a wider range of purchases, it’s the better choice if you’re looking for a fuss-free experience when booking trips. Particularly if you like to book stays or flights directly with hotel brands or airlines, or you like to comparison shop for the lowest rates, we’d recommend Wells Fargo for you here.
Good to know
The Chase Travel portal is, in fact, one of the main potential downsides we’ve found with the Sapphire Preferred, and we’ll mention it a few times. But we say “potential” for a reason. This travel portal is widely considered to be one of the easiest credit card travel portals to use, although it doesn’t always offer the very best prices possible.You want to book travel however you choose
Let’s be clear: You can use either card to make any purchase and then redeem those points for travel. It’s just that the Autograph Journey card comes out ahead because you aren’t as limited to using a specific travel booking portal to get the most from your points when earning or redeeming.
As we just covered, you’ll earn more points on any hotel, airline, or travel purchase with the Wells Fargo card. Similarly, the value of your redemption options is all the same with Wells Fargo, whereas Chase only boosts your points further if you use its portal. While Chase Travel has many options with major travel carriers, it lacks budget options like Spirit or Frontier.
You want cell phone insurance
This one’s pretty specific, but we can’t mention a Wells Fargo card that includes this benefit without calling it out. The Autograph Journey includes up to $1,000 in cell phone protection with a $25 deduction.
For all the perks credit cards often offer, we don’t always see cell phone protection on the list (though it’s seemingly becoming more common). If you’re on the fence about which one of these cards to choose after reading this full review, and you don’t already have insurance for your phone, choose Wells Fargo.
Wells Fargo cards and cell phone protection
Other Wells Fargo credit cards that include some form of cell phone protection include the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card, and the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card. However, the Autograph Journey has the highest limit.When to choose the Chase Sapphire Preferred
- You’ll be redeeming points exclusively for travel rewards.
- You want to maximize your point value and take advantage of transfer partners.
- You want a card with more lifestyle benefits and non-travel coverages.
- You want to spread your purchases out.
You plan to use points to book travel
If you want to maximize the value of your points, we think the Chase Sapphire Preferred wins out. Wells Fargo offers a value of about one cent per point, no matter how you redeem. This is pretty average for all credit card points, but it’s not all that competitive when you’re talking about travel redemptions. Many of Chase’s redemption options are also available at this price point, but the issuer pulls ahead if you use its travel portal to book trips.
If you opt for this booking option, you’ll get an additional 25% in value and a 50% boost if you transfer those points to someone else’s Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Plus, you’ll get a 10% points bonus each year based on your spending in the prior year. For every $1,000 you spend on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll get an additional 100 points on your next account anniversary.
At the end of the day, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers more ways to stretch points for the conscientious traveler.
You want to transfer points to partners
Chase and Wells Fargo both let you transfer points to other credit cards with the same issuer or people with the same credit card rewards program, such as family members. This lets you combine points for joint trips and — in Chase’s case — even offer additional power-ups.
For example, my husband and I combined enough points to fly to Maui when one of us had the Sapphire Preferred and the other had the Sapphire Reserve. Transferring the Preferred points to the Reserve gave us a 50% boost in redemption value through Chase Travel, so we could upgrade to Premium Economy seats that were more comfortable for my husband, who’s over six feet tall. We also could have transferred points to other Chase credit cards.
Additionally, you can transfer your points to other frequent traveler programs at a 1:1 ratio with either card. That can be helpful if you’ve already got a points balance built up somewhere else, especially if that other points program offers a higher redemption value than the one-cent-per-point that’s standard with most credit cards. Chase features 14 travel partners compared to just seven Wells Fargo transfer partners.
You want more perks and protections
Chase is well-known for offering additional nice bonuses with its credit cards, albeit for a limited time. As of this writing, Chase is offering the following:
- 5X total points on qualifying Lyft rides until March 31, 2025
- 5X total points on Peloton equipment and accessories (minimum $150 purchase, on up to $5,000) until March 31, 2025
- Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription ($120 value, for at least one year) that offers $0 delivery fees and up to $10 each month toward non-restaurant orders when activated by December 31, 2027
As for travel protections, take a look at a side-by-side comparison of insurance between the two to see why we’d call this one a tie.
| Wells Fargo Autograph Journey | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
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You want to spread your purchases out
It’s best to use your credit card as a sort of very short-term loan or even think of it as a debit card with a short delay. Whenever you can, we recommend paying your credit card balance off in full with each statement cycle, so you don’t owe any interest, and only spending money you already have. But we won’t claim this is always realistic.
If you do need to charge a larger sum, Chase’s Pay Over Time feature — an option that Wells Fargo doesn’t offer — can come in handy. If you make a purchase of $100 or more and are eligible, you can log into your account to set up a three- to 24-month payment plan for a set monthly fee. You can pay it off early at any time, and the fee is fixed, so it won’t change if rates go up or down. When you’re short on funds, this is safer than a payday loan and gives you longer to come up with the cash than a cash advance app.
What both cards excel at
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey and Chase Sapphire Preferred share these features.
- Annual statement credits: You’ll get the same $50 in annual statement credits with either option, but the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is a bit more applicable since it applies to all airline purchases rather than specific Chase Travel hotel purchases, as with Chase.
- No foreign transaction fee: This is a good feature to look for in any travel rewards card, especially if you’re someone who likes traveling internationally.
FAQs
Is the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card worth it?
If you spend more than $9,500 on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card each year, you’ll earn enough to offset the $95 annual fee. If some of those purchases are for travel, you’ll hit your break-even point even sooner in your annual cycle. If you’re on the fence about the Autograph Journey, remember that the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card exists. This is a no-annual-fee card that can earn earn unlimited 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans; plus earn 1X points on other purchases.
Is it harder to get a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card?
Unfortunately, neither credit card issuer discloses the requirements to qualify for their card. However, you’ll typically need a good credit score to qualify for most travel rewards cards. FICO determines this to be a score of 670 or higher.
How can I maximize these cards’ travel benefits?
You can maximize the travel benefits of any credit card by making sure you read through the disclosures that come with each credit card and understand how the rewards programs work. For example, you can maximize your Chase Sapphire Preferred travel benefits by using the card to purchase travel through Chase’s booking portal and then redeeming them for more travel through the same platform.
Bottom line
Both of these options can be good choices for their welcome bonuses, travel perks, and the chance to earn and redeem rewards.
But in general, I recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred card as one of the best travel credit cards because it offers so many opportunities to boost your travel potential without limiting your options too much. It also stands out for its additional lifestyle perks and benefits like purchase protection and the Chase Pay Over Time feature. However, if you prefer to keep your options more open for when and how you use your points, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card might work better.
Great for Flexible Travel Rewards
Current Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Rewards Rate
5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases
Top-Notch Rewards Rates + Travel Perks
Current Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip
Annual Fee
$95
Rewards Rate
Earn unlimited 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases