Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa® Card review 2024: Don’t stop believing in industry-leading travel rewards for an under-$100 annual fee
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BLUEPRINT
Updated 2:20 p.m. UTC April 3, 2024
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Wells Fargo has made its official debut in the travel rewards scene with a brand-new credit card — and an improved loyalty program to boot.
As the more sophisticated sibling to the no-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card, the new Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa® Card * The information for the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. comes with a $95 annual fee and impressive earnings across all things travel.
We’ll dive deeper into the card’s offerings and its key differentiators from the competition in our full Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card review.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card basics
- Annual fee: $95.
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Rewards: 5 points per $1 on hotels, 4 points per $1 on airlines, 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases.
- APR: 21.24%, 26.24%, or 29.99% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers. An intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies for 120 days from account opening. After that, a fee of up to 5% for each balance transfer, with a minimum of $5, applies.
- Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.
- Does the card offer preapproval? No, but the issuer does offer pre-qualification.
- Other benefits: $50 annual statement credit for airfare purchases, trip cancellation and interruption protection, travel and emergency assistance services, secondary auto rental collision damage waiver, lost luggage baggage reimbursement, access to roadside dispatch, travel accident insurance and cellphone protection.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card review
In an era where we’re continuing to see issuers increase their annual fees, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is easy on the eyes (and your wallet) with a down-to-earth $95 annual fee.
This metal card is a fantastic traveler’s card as it gives you the freedom to book flights, hotels, or other travel-related activities and earn bonus rewards virtually anywhere you go. This is an important differentiator, as many rewards cards require you to use a specific travel portal in order to earn bonus points or miles.
For instance, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey offers a $50 annual statement credit for airfare purchases which can be easily used at virtually any airline of your choice. The ever-popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — with an identical annual fee — also offers a $50 statement credit, but it can only be used when booking hotel stays specifically through Chase Travel℠.
With the initial list of six transfer partners, Wells Fargo is entering the competitive travel rewards space. While its programs are limited for now, we can expect to see more value added as Wells Fargo signaled in a press release their plans to introduce more travel partnerships down the line. For now, there’s still tremendous value to be found with airlines spanning all three major airline alliances (Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance) and one hotel program.
While this credit card may not give you access to airport lounges, airline upgrades or other swanky travel benefits, it’s an economical choice for travelers solely focused on making the most of their trip expenses.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is also one of the best credit cards in case of a rainy day, as it offers complimentary travel protections with high coverages, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance (up to $15,000 limit), lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 limit), and cellphone coverage (up to $1,000 limit with a $25 deductible). These underrated benefits make the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey even more valuable for the frequent traveler. Overall, it’s a welcome addition to the travel cards arena, with plenty of value for a reasonable annual fee.
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Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
Pros
- Complimentary travel insurance protections built into the card: Get peace of mind with trip cancellation and interruption protection, lost luggage reimbursement, access to travel and emergency assistance services and more.
- Maximize your rewards on all travel purchases: With its high rewards rates on booking not limited to the issuer’s travel site this card can help you rack up a large haul of points.
- Easy-to-use $50 airfare credit: Whether you’re buying airfare or paying for seat assignments and checked luggage, cardholders will enjoy an annual $50 statement credit for eligible purchases.
Cons
- Travel transfer partners are limited for now: There are currently five airline and one hotel loyalty partners, but Wells Fargo says to expect more to come shortly.
- No bonus points on other popular everyday categories: While this card offers generous points on dining, it comes with a fairly standard flat rate on all other purchases such as gas, groceries and other everyday spending.
- No elite travel perks: The main event with this card is its points potential. There’s no lounge passes or elite status boosts with hotel or car rental programs like you might find with more premium travel cards.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card rewards
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns an outstanding 5 points per $1 on hotels, 4 points per $1 on airlines, 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. There’s no limit to the amount of rewards you can earn, and you’re not limited to using a travel portal to earn these points — unlike other competing cards.
The introductory welcome bonus is 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening. At the bare minimum, these points are worth $600 but could be maximized even further by leveraging Wells Fargo’s new transfer partners.
Starting April 4, 2024, cardholders will be able to transfer points to these select partners: Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Choice Privileges, and Iberia Plus. All points will transfer at a 1:1 rate, with the exception of Choice Privileges, where cardholders can transfer 1 Wells Fargo point and earn 2 Choice hotel points.
Points are worth a flat 1 cent apiece otherwise for several other redemption options:
- Redeem to account.
- Redeem to account automatically ($25 increments).
- PayPal Pay with Rewards.
- Gift cards (minimum $10).
- Redeem for purchases on statement credit (minimum $1).
- Wells Fargo travel portal bookings.
Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card has around $25,087 in annual expenses that can be charged to a credit card. Here’s how our sample household’s rewards could break down:
| SPENDING CATEGORY | SPENDING AMOUNT | POINTS PER DOLLAR | POINTS EARNED |
|---|---|---|---|
Hotels
| $868
| 5 points
| 4,340 points
|
Airlines
| $1,188
| 4 points
| 4,752 points
|
Other Travel
| $885
| 3 points
| 2,655 points
|
Dining
| $3,526
| 3 points
| 10,578 points
|
Other
| $18,620
| 1 points
| 18,620 points
|
TOTAL
| $25,087
| 40,945 points
|
Our sample cardholder earned 40,945 rewards points annually, which is worth $409.45 when redeeming to your Wells Fargo account, gift cards, or even travel bookings through Wells Fargo’s portal. However, price-conscious fliers know you can receive exceptional value from travel transfer partners. Here are a few examples of ways to maximize Wells Fargo’s transfer partners:
- Book flights between the East Coast and Madrid, Spain, in business, for just 34,000 Iberia Avios and $280 in taxes and fees.
- Book flights between the West Coast and Hawaii, in economy, for just 16,000 British Airways Avios and $5.60 in taxes and fees.
- Book hotel nights at thousands of properties worldwide starting at 8,000 Choice Privileges points.
In all three examples above, you’d achieve way greater value than redeeming your points at a flat rate of 1 cent apiece. This is why it’s nice to have the flexibility of transfer partnerships to take your rewards even further.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card perks
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card comes with some of the best-in-class travel protections offered by any card — even those that charge much higher annual fees. That’s because it’s branded as a Visa Signature card, which grants important coverages that could potentially save you money on a wide range of things.
You’ll get access to Visa Signature® concierge services, the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection with extra perks, and emergency cash disbursement and card replacement. Other travel coverages include trip cancellation and interruption protection, travel and emergency assistance services, auto rental collision damage waiver (secondary coverage in the U.S.), lost luggage baggage reimbursement, roadside dispatch, and travel accident insurance.
Notably, Autograph Journey cardholders can get reimbursed up to $15,000 for lodging, flights, and activities if the trip is interrupted for a covered reason due to trip cancellation and interruption coverage, which is one of the highest limits we’ve seen on any travel card.
Last but not least, the Autograph Journey is a natural fit for those who hold other eligible Wells Fargo cards as you’ll be able to pool the rewards. This can be a lucrative rewards strategy if you pair the Autograph Journey with the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, which earns 2% cash rewards on purchases. All the rewards can be combined and used to book travel, either directly through Wells Fargo or by transferring to one of its airline or hotel partners.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card drawbacks
While the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card comes with top-tier travel protections, it falls short in terms of everyday coverages. We’d expect to see things like purchase protection or extended warranty, which are offered by competing cards and catered more to everyday scenarios. That said, cellphone protection is a valuable perk to have, so the importance of these benefits will depend on your lifestyle needs.
It’s also worth noting that the auto collision damage waiver provides secondary coverage in the U.S., meaning the benefit won’t kick in until you pay the deductible from any other rental car insurance you may have. The Autograph Journey’s similarly-priced competitor, the Chase Sapphire Preferred, offers primary auto rental coverage.
How the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card compares to other travel cards
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is well-known for its rewarding perks for a $95 annual fee. If you’re deciding between the two $95-annual-fee cards, pay close attention to the earning rates. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is more suitable for everyday purchases, as it offers 5 points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per $1 on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. On the other hand, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card is a better earner for travel purchases.
Another notable difference between the two cards is that with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card you can redeem your points to book travel through Chase for 25% more value. So, 60,000 points will be worth $750 when used this way. Chase Ultimate Rewards® is one of the most powerful rewards currencies as it can be transferred 1:1 to over a dozen airline and hotel partners, with domestic airline partners like United MileagePlus and Southwest Rapid Rewards. The better choice for you will depend on if you value the redemption options on the Sapphire Preferred more than enhanced earning opportunities on the Autograph Journey.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card vs. Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
For those staunchly opposed to annual fees, the Wells Fargo Autograph Card is the foundational level travel card in the Wells Fargo Rewards program. With no annual fee, the card is a fantastic earner across diverse categories, earning 3 points per $1 at restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans and 1 point per $1 on other purchases.
The Wells Fargo Autograph card is also one of the best no-annual-fee cards for travel on the market, between its broad elevated rewards categories and the ability for users to transfer their points to Wells Fargo’s airline and hotel partners. But frequent travelers will likely get more value out of the high rewards on travel offered by the Autograph Journey, even with its $95 annual fee.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
There are several travel cards with $95 annual fees, and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another one from a major competing bank. This Capital One card offers the benefit of simple rewards: 5 miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and purchases through Capital One Entertainment and 2 miles per $1 on other purchases.
Capital One miles can be transferred to more than a dozen airline and hotel transfer partners, which includes some overlap to British Airways Avios, Avianca LifeMiles, among others. These miles can also be redeemed for any travel purchased within the past 90 days on your statement credit at a rate of 1 cent apiece.
Is the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card worth it?
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card is one of the best new travel cards to hit the market. The $95 annual fee is justifiable after considering the $50 annual statement credit for airfare purchases. Not to mention, frequent travelers can accrue a pile of points in no time by leveraging the rewards rate on their trip expenses. Hopefully, we’ll see Wells Fargo continue improving its transfer partner roster, which will add even more value to the new Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card is right for you if:
- You’re a frequent traveler who flies often and stays at hotels regularly and you want a card that won’t break your budget.
- You want access to robust travel protections and cellphone protection — perks that are often found on more premium rewards cards.
- You’re an existing Wells Fargo customer and want to level up your rewards game with access to new transfer partners.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Wells Fargo, like most issuers, doesn’t disclose the requirements for approval. However, as a rewards card, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card likely requires a good or better credit score, which FICO defines as starting at 670 or higher.
Starting April 4, 2024, Wells Fargo Autograph Journey and Wells Fargo Autograph cardholders will be able to transfer their points to Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Choice Privileges and Iberia Plus.
The credit card application can be approved instantly, but a decision could take up to five to seven business days to be mailed to you.
On March 9, 2024, you can start to apply for the card at select Wells Fargo branches. It will be available online and in-person nationwide starting March 20, 2024.
*The information for the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa® Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
