Why the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card Is Better Than Most Cards in Your Wallet

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While cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card get all the attention in the rewards space, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is much more rewarding for the average consumer. Not only does it earn unlimited 3X points in popular card spending categories, but it also offers valuable perks at no annual fee.

For most consumers, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card can be a better card than one tied to an airline or transferrable rewards program. Even as a seasoned travel rewards expert with over a dozen credit cards, I still often reach for the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card over more glamorous cards in my wallet. There's no learning curve for redeeming points since points are worth a flat 1 cent each toward travel, gift cards or other purchases. While I have credit cards that earn more points on dining, few cards in my wallet earn an unlimited 3X on gas, transit, streaming or offer cellphone protection.

If you're looking for elevated rewards on everyday purchases with easy redemption options, this is the card for you.

Unlimited 3X Rewards on Everyday Spending Categories

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While many credit cards offer luxury perks like airport lounge access and hotel elite status, they often carry high annual fees. Their sign-up bonuses and travel benefits can be enticing, but what makes a card worth having is how much it rewards your regular spending. The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card offers some of the most lucrative and comprehensive spending category bonuses of any card out there. 

The card earns a generous unlimited 3 points per dollar spent on some of the most common spending categories like restaurants, gas, transit, streaming and more, allowing you to maximize your rewards on daily spending. To give you an idea, we've broken down how much the average household can expect to earn annually using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2022 report on consumer expenditures, the Allianz Annual Vacation Confidence Index and J.D. Power.

Using an average of $48,000 worth of annual spending on non-housing costs, the average household could earn nearly 80,000 points yearly with the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card. That's almost $800 worth of rewards for a no-annual-fee card. 

Considering most premium travel cards earn just 1 point per dollar spent in these categories, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card can be an excellent option for maximizing every dollar spent.

Solid Welcome Bonus

The welcome bonus on the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card isn't as high as premium credit cards, but still quite generous relative to the spending requirement: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.

You can easily hit the bonus spending requirement if you time your opening around a large purchase or use your card for all of your everyday expenses.

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

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Rates & Fees

• Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work Read the review
• APR20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$0
• Welcome Bonus 20,000Points More Info

  Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value. Dollar Equivalent: $200 (20,000 Points * 0.01 base)

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card can easily become your go-to card as most American households spend a bulk of their budget on restaurants, gas and travel costs. Not to mention, you likely subscribe to a streaming service (or two) and pay a monthly cellphone bill, which can cost hundreds if you have a family plan. Simply put: With this card, you can earn points on all of these day-to-day expenses, all with no annual fee.

• Overview
• Pros & Cons

Overview

The Wells Fargo Autograph^SM Card offers an impressive 3x point rewards rate across six bonus categories: restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and cell phone plans, easily ranking it as one of the most robust earning cards out there.

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Pros

• Wide array of category bonuses: Unlimited 3x points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit and commuting, popular streaming services and phone plans
• Get up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your eligible Wells Fargo card (subject to a $25 deductible).
• No foreign transaction fees
• No annual fee

Cons

• Rewards are worth up to 1 cent each

Cellular Telephone Protection

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Cellphone protection is a benefit most premium cards don't even offer. Even popular travel rewards cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, with steep annual fees, don't offer cellphone protection as a standard benefit. With the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card, you'll receive up to $600 in cellular telephone protection against eligible damage and theft yearly.

You need to charge the cost of your monthly cellphone plan to the card and pay a $25 deductible per claim. Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card cardholders can file up to two claims per year under this policy. While $600 may not be enough to offset the full cost of the latest iPhone, it is a substantial amount to recover if your phone is damaged or stolen.

Valuable Travel Protections

Another unique benefit of the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is that it offers valuable travel protections. Cardholders enjoy a secondary auto rental collision damage waiver, which kicks in if their personal insurance rejects their claim. The card also offers travel and emergency services assistance, which can come in handy during your travels. 

You might appreciate the card's roadside dispatch benefit on your daily commutes, which provides access to 24/7 assistance, towing, or locksmith services.

I recently downgraded my Chase Sapphire Preferred and only have one other premium card in my wallet (the Citi Prestige), which offers no travel protections whatsoever. The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card’s travel protections are sufficient for my current travel needs, especially considering its lack of an annual fee.

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0% Intro APR Offer

If you need extra time to pay off purchases without incurring interest, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card has a highly competitive introductory APR offer. Cardholders receive 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases. After the offer ends, a 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% (Variable) APR applies based on creditworthiness.

While it's best to pay off credit cards in full and avoid carrying a balance, that's not always possible. At least with the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card's intro APR offer, you get a little more cushion to carry a credit card balance (even if for a brief period) without having to worry about interest.

Simple Redemption Options

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card's point redemption options are simpler than other credit cards. While the program lacks travel transfer partners to which you can transfer your points for first-class flights, redeeming rewards is straightforward since points are worth 1 cent each.

Redemption options include:

• Cash rewards
• Travel
• Gift cards
• Statement credit
• Checkout with participating merchants
• Credit to qualifying Wells Fargo accounts
• Wells Fargo ATM withdrawals (in $20 increments)

Their simple redemption program is ideal for consumers who don't want to deal with complicated award charts and are trying to decide the best way to maximize every point across numerous transfer partners.

Knowing exactly what each point is worth and being able to use them toward any travel purchase provides a level of flexibility and ease that's not found in other rewards programs. Also, loyalty programs constantly change their values, and some may raise redemption rates under dynamic pricing and impose blackout dates. Cash back-equivalent rewards can take the hassle out of redeeming points.

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10 Ways to Redeem 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Travel

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It Has No Annual Fee

Despite all the impressive cardholder benefits and elevated rewards, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card has no annual fee. That's incredibly valuable because you won't have to weigh the card's perks and rewards against the annual fee to determine whether it's worth paying.

A significant part of building an excellent credit score is the length of credit history. Having a few cards in your wallet long-term can boost your score. With a no-annual-fee card like the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card, you won't be tempted to cancel and negatively impact your score. Nor will you have to pay out of pocket to continue keeping a card that's positively impacting your credit score.

Bottom Line

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a rewards credit card that better suits the average consumer's spending habits. Between its simple redemptions and practical benefits, it outperforms many competitors that carry high annual fees. It may not have all the bells and whistles of a premium credit card but makes up for it with useful travel perks like waived foreign currency conversion fees, cellular telephone protection, and a strong intro APR offer. If you want to earn more points and have an easier time redeeming them, this might be your best card option.

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