Credit Cards Travel Credit Cards

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card [2024]: Flexible Rewards vs. Higher Earnings

While the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card offers more opportunities to earn and redeem rewards, you can get more overall value from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

By Lindsay VanSomeren

Edited by Ashley Donohoe

Updated Nov. 22, 2024

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5.0

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 unlimited 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases
Earn a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase
No foreign transaction fees

4.9

Generous welcome offer valued at $750 when redeemed via Chase Travel
High rewards on dining and bookings via Chase Travel
25% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
Up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
Receive valuable travel protections like trip delay reimbursement and primary rental car insurance

How we evaluate products

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) can — if you’re comfortable limiting yourself more to Chase’s travel booking portal. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey offers more flexibility when it comes to earning and redeeming points, but they don’t stretch quite as far.

Those aren’t the only differences between the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey and Chase Sapphire Preferred cards. For example, while both include several helpful travel perks, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is heavier on lifestyle benefits and coverage that can protect you as a consumer.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred comparison

	Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card 5.0 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card 4.9 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Card type	Travel rewards	Travel rewards
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
Redemption methods	Cash or paper checks Credit to your Wells Fargo mortgage payment, checking account, or credit card Gift cards and merchandise Purchases through certain merchants Travel, including flights, hotels, car rentals Limited transfer options to travel partners Charitable donations	Cash deposited into a savings or checking account Statement credit Gift cards Purchases through certain merchants Chase Travel bookings Transfer to another Chase card or frequent traveler program
Intro APR	N/A	N/A
Annual credits	$50 toward airline purchases of at least $50	$50 toward Chase Travel hotel stays
Travel perks	Lost baggage reimbursement Travel accident insurance Trip cancellation and interruption protection Auto rental collision damage waiver Travel and emergency assistance services	25% additional value when redeeming points through Chase Travel Trip cancellation and interruption insurance Auto rental collision damage waiver Baggage delay insurance Trip delay reimbursement Travel and emergency assistance services
Other benefits	Up to $1,000 in cell phone protection (subject to a $25 deductible) Roadside dispatch Exclusive event access Visa Signature concierge and hotel programs Credit Close-Up service	Purchase protection Extended warranty protection Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription (activate by 12/31/27) 5X points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 (up to 25,000 points; through 3/31/25) 5X points on Lyft purchases (through 3/31/25) Chase Pay Over Time plans
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Read full review	Read full review

What both cards excel at

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey and Chase Sapphire Preferred share these features.

Travel perks: Both cards have travel coverages that can help if you have an accident or emergency, rent a car, experience baggage issues, or face delays or cancellations.
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.
Many redemption opportunities: The redemption opportunities differ somewhat between the cards, but one thing’s clear: There are lots of ways to use your points.

6 important differences between Wells Fargo Autograph Journey and Chase Sapphire Preferred

Both cards have fairly similar profiles, but here are some of the important ways they differ. Pay attention to which features are more important to you since they can be major deciding points.

1. Points portability

Both the Chase and Wells Fargo cards let you transfer points to other credit cards that you have with the same issuer (Chase Sapphire Preferred to Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, for example) or to other 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 a few years ago when one of us had the Sapphire Preferred card and the other had the Sapphire Reserve card. Transferring the Preferred points to the Reserve card gave us a 50% boost in redemption value through Chase Travel, so we were able to upgrade to Premium Economy seats that were more comfortable for my husband, who’s over six feet tall.

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 for Wells Fargo’s card.

Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred wins here because you can transfer your points to tons of other travel partners or give your points balance a significant boost by transferring them to other Chase credit cards.

2. Points value

Wells Fargo’s program seems fairly straightforward, with a one-cent-per-point value no matter how you redeem them. Many of Chase’s redemption options are also available at this price point, but Chase pulls ahead if you’re willing to use its travel portal to book your tickets.

If you opt for this booking option, you’ll get an additional 25% in value and, as I mentioned above, a 50% boost if you transfer those points to someone else’s Chase Sapphire Reserve card. 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.

Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the winner because you can boost your value by 25% by using Chase Travel℠.

3. Lifestyle benefits

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 Lyft rides until March 31, 2025
5x total points on Peloton equipment and accessories (minimum $150 purchase, maximum 25,000-point bonus) 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

Wells Fargo only offers vague “My Wells Fargo Deals” and “exclusive access to live event” benefits.

Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the winner for offering clear lifestyle benefits compared to Wells Fargo’s vaguer offerings.

4. Travel earning and redemption flexibility

Let’s be clear: You can use either card to make any purchase and then redeem those points for any travel purchase of your choice. It’s just that some options will cast a wider net in terms of which purchases will count more, and in this arena, the Wells Fargo card has the upper hand.

You’ll earn more points on any hotel, airline, or travel purchase with the Wells Fargo card since it’s not limited just to travel purchases made through its own booking portal like Chase is. 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 booking portal. While the Chase Travel portal has tons of options with major travel carriers, it’s notably lacking in budget options like Spirit or Frontier.

Winner: The Wells Fargo 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.

5. Pay Over Time

It’s best to use your credit card as a sort of very short-term loan. Ideally, you should pay it off in full with each statement cycle so that you don’t owe any interest, which can chip away at your rewards and negate the benefits you get from using the card in the first place.

But 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. Simply make a purchase of $100 or more and then log into your account to set up a 3- 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.

Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a handy way to borrow money without having to apply for a new loan or pay interest.

6. Non-travel redemption options

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 your linked Chase or Wells Fargo account. However, Wells Fargo offers slightly more cash redemption options, including ATM cash withdrawals or paper checks.

Winner: The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card excels here because you can redeem points towards mortgage payments, deposits to your checking account, paper checks, and even cash at an ATM.

Which credit card should you choose?

When you should choose Wells Fargo Autograph Journey

You want cell phone insurance.
You’re already a happy Wells Fargo customer.
You don’t want to be shoehorned into one travel portal.
You want additional flexibility to redeem your points for cash.

When you should choose Chase Sapphire Preferred

You want to maximize your point value.
You don’t mind being more limited to one travel portal.
You’ll be redeeming points exclusively for travel rewards.
You want a card with more lifestyle benefits and non-travel coverages.

What factors to consider before choosing

It’s not always a straightforward choice between the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey and Chase Sapphire Preferred, but here are a few questions that can help you pick the right one.

Do you already bank with Wells Fargo? You’ll have more options to redeem your rewards for cash if needed.
Do you want to maximize your travel reward redemptions? The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers more rewards on everyday spending categories and more ways to stretch your points further.
Do you want more flexibility in redeeming your rewards? The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns rewards on a wider range of travel purchases.

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.

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

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

4.9

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

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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

Benefits and Drawbacks

Card Details

Top-Notch Rewards Rates + Travel Perks