After months of speculation, Wells Fargo has announced the launch of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa® Card*The information for the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa® Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . If you’re a credit card travel rewards enthusiast, you’ll want to have this card on your radar.
This $95-annual-fee card will offer a welcome bonus worth at least $600 in travel, exceptional earning rates on airline and hotel spending, $50 each year to help cover airfare, and a strong roster of travel protections. Overall, it’s a substantial upgrade from the original, no annual fee Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card.
But perhaps the most exciting development is a new points transfer feature, which will allow eligible Wells Fargo credit card holders to move their rewards to airline and hotel loyalty program partners, including British Airways Executive Club, Choice Privileges and Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
Applications for the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey open on March 20, 2024 (and in select branches on March 9). In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at the newest addition to Wells Fargo’s credit card lineup.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card rewards
Wells Fargo has been revamping its credit card offerings since it introduced the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card and Wells Fargo Reflect® Card in 2021. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey will be the fifth card Wells Fargo has launched since Wells Fargo Reflect.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey has its rivals beat with its earning rates on all airfare and hotel stays, and it offers a competitive rate of return on other travel and dining:
- 5x points on hotels
- 4x points on airlines
- 3x points on other travel
- 3x points on dining
- 1x points on other purchases
None of the card’s bonus categories are capped at a certain amount of spending or earning. As with other Wells Fargo-branded cards, your points are worth 1 cent apiece toward cash redemptions (such as a statement credit or deposit to an eligible Wells Fargo account), travel booked through Wells Fargo, gift cards or Pay With Rewards purchases made through PayPal.
But with the upcoming addition of Wells Fargo transfer partners, you can potentially get a higher value than that if you use your rewards strategically.
What is the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card’s welcome bonus?
New Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card holders can earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first three months (worth at least $600). That’s a solid bonus and similar to those offered by other rewards credit cards in the same annual fee range.
What are Wells Fargo’s transfer partners?
Unlike other banks with flexible points programs, such as American Express Membership Rewards®, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Citi ThankYou® Rewards and Capital One miles, Wells Fargo has thus far not offered the ability to transfer its rewards to airline and hotel partners.
Starting April 4, 2024, Wells Fargo will roll out its new points transfer feature on the Autograph Journey and Autograph cards.
More partners will be added later this year, according to the issuer, but for now, Wells Fargo’s transfer partners are:
- Choice Privileges: The loyalty program of Choice Hotels, Choice Privileges includes brands such as Radisson, Quality Inn, Clarion and Ascend Hotel Collection.
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue: You can redeem Flying Blue miles not only for flights on Air France and KLM, but also on SkyTeam partners such as Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic and Korean Air.
- Avianca Lifemiles: This airline is a member of the Star Alliance, which means you can redeem Avianca Lifemiles for flights on partners such as United Airlines, Air Canada and Lufthansa, as well as on Avianca.
- British Airways Executive Club: British Airways Avios are useful even if you don’t fly British Airways because you can use them to book award flights on Oneworld partners such as American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Cathay Pacific.
- Aer Lingus AerClub: Aer Lingus also uses Avios as its rewards currency, but it’s not a member of Oneworld, so its partner redemption options aren’t as good. However, you can transfer Avios between your Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia accounts to unlock different pricing and partner options.
- Iberia Plus: Iberia is a member of the Oneworld alliance so has similar partners to British Airways. Plus, its award pricing can be cheaper in some cases.
You can transfer Wells Fargo points to each of these partners at a 1:1 ratio (1 Wells Fargo Rewards point = 1 partner point) except for Choice Privileges, which has a better transfer rate of 1:2 (1 Wells Fargo Rewards point = 2 Choice Privileges points). That’s a terrific sweet spot for folks who enjoy redeeming rewards for Choice Hotel stays — and only one other bank rewards program (Citi ThankYou Rewards) offers a similar ratio.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey benefits
A great credit card should come with travel insurance that can protect you if things go sideways on a trip and offer money-saving perks such as cell phone protection and statement credits to help offset any annual fee. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey delivers on both these counts, offering a generous suite of benefits that are helpful at home and away.
Annual airfare credit
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card holders receive a $50 annual credit toward airfare purchases. That’s a nice discount if you buy at least one plane ticket each year, but note that the purchase can’t be made with a third-party booking site such as Expedia.
You also can’t split the credit, meaning your purchase must be at least $50 to trigger the credit (so a $25 purchase would not qualify for a $25 credit, for example).
If you’re able to take advantage of this perk, it could effectively reduce the card’s annual cost to just $45 ($95 annual fee minus $50 airline credit).
Cell phone protection
As with other Wells Fargo cards, when you use the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey to pay your monthly wireless bill, you’re protected against non-cosmetic damage to your cell phone as well as theft or involuntary and accidental parting (basically when the location of the phone is known, but you can’t get it back). This card’s benefit is particularly generous, with up to $1,000 per claim (less a $25 deductible) with a maximum of two claims per 12 months.
To compare, other Wells Fargo cards have a maximum claim limit of $600 or $800, depending on the card. Chase’s Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers the same maximum coverage on up to three claims per 12 months, but it comes with a much higher deductible ($100 per claim).
Travel protections
In the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey’s slate of travel protections, the trip cancellation and interruption insurance stands out as quite generous.
If you need to cancel or cut short a trip for a covered reason, such as illness or a natural disaster, this protection provides up to $15,000 per traveler to cover non-refundable trip expenses (with a coverage limit of $20,000 per 12-month period per account).
To compare, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s benefit only covers up to $10,000 per person, with a maximum of $20,000 per trip. But the Sapphire Preferred’s maximum coverage per 12-month period is $40,000 for trip cancellation and $40,000 for trip interruption, so it could keep you covered on more trips. For its part, the Citi Premier® Card doesn’t offer any kind of travel insurance at all.
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Featured Offer
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
60,000 bonus points
Regular APR
21.49% – 28.49% Variable
Annual Fee
$95
Credit Score Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Excellent, Good
On Chase Bank USA, NA's Secure Website
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey also comes with rental car insurance against covered accidents or theft of the vehicle. In the US, this coverage is secondary. That means if you have personal car insurance, you’ll have to file a claim with your provider first, then you’ll get coverage for any remaining costs (such as your deductible). The best credit cards for rental car insurance all offer primary coverage, but secondary protection can still come in handy.
In the unfortunate event that your bags go missing, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey can typically provide up to $3,000 per trip to replace your items. If the unthinkable happens and you have an accident that causes serious injury or death while on a trip, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey provides up to $1 million in coverage per account.
Other benefits
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card holders also receive other protections that come standard on many other credit cards, including:
- Roadside dispatch
- Travel and emergency assistance services
- Emergency cash disbursem*nt and card replacement
In addition, because it’s a Visa Signature card, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey gets you access to the Visa Signature Concierge service, which can help you secure restaurant reservations or concert tickets. Card holders can also book through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection and receive perks such as complimentary breakfast for two and room upgrades (when available).
Wells Fargo is also planning to give Autograph card holders access to exclusive concerts in certain US cities this year through its Autograph Card Exclusives platform.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey application restrictions
You can apply for the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey even if you already have a Wells Fargo card such as the Wells Fargo Active Cash or Autograph Card.
But you’ll have to wait to apply until at least six months have passed since you last opened a Wells Fargo credit card.
How the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey credit card compares
Wells Fargo should give other issuers a run for their money with the launch of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey. It charges a similar annual fee to many of the top entry-level travel rewards credit cards, is stacked with benefits and will soon offer airline and hotel transfer partners.
In fact, the card bears a close resemblance to our pick for the best Chase credit card (and our top travel rewards credit card for beginners), the Sapphire Preferred. So let’s compare the two.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
The cards have similar welcome bonuses and the same annual fee, and each comes with a $50 annual credit — although the Sapphire Preferred’s is more restrictive because it only applies to hotels booked through the Chase Travel portal.
We receive compensation from our partners for Featured Offer placements, which impacts how and where their offer is displayed.
Featured Offer
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
60,000 bonus points
Regular APR
21.49% – 28.49% Variable
Annual Fee
$95
Credit Score Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Excellent, Good
From a rewards-earning perspective, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is a clear winner if you spend a lot on airfare, hotels, other travel and dining. The Sapphire Preferred has a higher earning rate on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal (5x), but for flexibility you can’t beat the Autograph Journey’s 5x on hotels, 4x on airlines and 3x on travel and dining.
The Sapphire Preferred does have an edge when it comes to travel and purchase protections, offering primary car rental insurance, trip delay insurance, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty. Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partner list is a lot more useful, too, including programs such as United MileagePlus, World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. Depending on your travel and spending habits, it may be a better fit for you.
That said, Wells Fargo says it will be adding more partners throughout 2024. So even if this card isn’t on your application list right now, the equation might change later this year as the issuer fleshes out its transfer options. Stay tuned.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by CNN Underscored Money: Citi Premier® Card and Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa® Card*The information for the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa® Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. . The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
