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Introduction to the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is a great no-annual-fee travel credit card with a solid welcome bonus — especially if you spend a lot of money across its 3x bonus categories: restaurants, gas stations, travel, phone plans, transit, and popular streaming services (rates and fees). Plus, there's a good welcome bonus for new cardholders: 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Business Insider's credit card experts compared the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card to the best travel rewards credit cards and found it slightly less desirable than its "big sibling," the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card, which earns better returns on travel spending and comes with annual travel credit to spend. But if you want a Wells Fargo travel card without an annual fee, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is the option you should consider.
Apply Now
$0
0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening
19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% variable
Earn 20,000 bonus points
Good to Excellent
- Generous welcome bonus for a no-annual-fee card
- Great earning rates in useful categories, including dining, travel, and gas stations
- Useful benefits including cell phone protection and Visa Signature concierge
- Minimum spending requirement to earn bonus is slightly higher than similar no-annual-fee cards
- No airline or hotel transfer partners
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is one of the best credit card options if you're looking for a no-annual-fee card with a solid welcome bonus — especially if you spend a lot in its 3x bonus categories.
Wells Fargo Autograph Card- Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.
- Earn unlimited 3X points on the things that really add up - like restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases.
- $0 annual fee.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% variable APR thereafter.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Redeem your rewards points for travel, gift cards, or statement credits. Or shop at millions of online stores and redeem your rewards when you check out with PayPal.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
Wells Fargo Autograph Card Overview
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card offers various benefits including cellphone protection and car rental insurance. There's also a zero-interest intro period: 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening (then a 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% variable APR), which is helpful if you have big expenses coming up you need to pay for over time.
Depending on your spending habits, other no-annual-fee cards could be a better fit for you. Be sure to assess your typical expenses before you commit to this card — if you don't spend a lot in the bonus categories, you'll be stuck earning just 1 point per dollar on your other purchases.
If that's the case, a card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (2% cash rewards on purchases) or Chase Freedom Unlimited® (at least 1.5% back on all spending) could earn you more rewards on your spending. Be sure to check out our guide to the best cash back credit cards and best 2% cash back credit cards for all the top options.
Wells Fargo Autograph Card Rewards
Welcome Bonus
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card comes with a welcome bonus offer of 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months from account opening. This is a good bonus for a no-annual-fee card, and the relatively low minimum spending requirement makes it easy to earn.
How to Earn Rewards with the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card earns an unlimited 3 points per dollar across the following categories:
- Restaurants (eating places and restaurants, drinking places, fast food restaurants, caterers)
- Travel (airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rentals, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds)
- Gas (gas stations, automated fuel dispensers, and electric vehicle charging stations)
- Transit (passenger railways, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, parking lots, and garages)
- Popular streaming services (cable and other pay television, digital goods, books, movies, music, and continuity/subscription services)
- Phone plans (landline and cell phone providers)
Of note here is the popular streaming services category, which includes cable and other types of pay television. In addition, the streaming services that qualify (listed in full here) currently include:
- Apple Arcade
- Apple Fitness+
- Apple Music
- Apple News+
- Apple TV+
- Disney+
- ESPN+
- Pandora Plus
- Pandora Premium
- Peacock
- Prime Video
- Sling TV
- Spotify Premium
- YouTube TV
All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar, so the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card isn't a good card for non-bonus category spending.
Redeeming Rewards with the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
Cardholders have a wide variety of ways to redeem Wells Fargo rewards. Wells Fargo Autograph Rewards are worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed through Wells Fargo, and you can cash them in for:
- Purchases you've already made on your account (in the form of a statement credit)
- A credit to a qualifying Wells Fargo checking account, credit card, or mortgage (applied to the principal balance)
- Gift cards
- Flights, hotels, or car rentals through Wells Fargo Rewards
- Pay with points at participating merchants, such as PayPal
Note that cash redemptions online or by phone are available in $25 increments only; if you choose to make a redemption via a withdrawal from a Wells Fargo ATM, it's in $20 increments.
Maximizing Rewards for Travel
In addition to redeeming points in the methods listed above, cardholders can transfer rewards to Wells Fargo Autograph transfer partners for additional redemption value. Cardholders also have the option to transfer points to another Wells Fargo Rewards account they own, share them with another Wells Fargo customer, or add them to an existing rewards pool.
Wells Fargo Autograph Card Benefits and Features
Despite having a $0 annual fee, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card offers a substantial set of benefits that can save some cardholders quite a bit of money.
0% Intro APR
If you have big expenses approaching, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card can help you save on interest if you need to spread out payments over time. New cardholders receive an intro APR of 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening, followed by a 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% variable APR.
That's not the longest zero-interest credit card 0% APR offer available today, but it's still a decent deal. Just be sure you have the means and a plan to pay off your balance before the intro period expires, otherwise, you may be on the hook for high interest charges.
If you're looking for a 0% offer to pay down existing credit card debt, look elsewhere for a balance transfer credit card — either with another Wells Fargo credit card such as the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card, or an option from another issuer.
Cellphone Protection
Only a handful of no-annual-fee credit cards have cell phone protection, but the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is one of them. When you use the card to pay your monthly wireless bill, you'll receive cellphone coverage for damage or theft up to a maximum of $600 per eligible claim after a $25 deductible.
There's a maximum of two claims per 12-month period, and coverage is secondary to other insurance you may have. Keep in mind, also, that lost phones are not covered. You can read about all the exclusions and limitations here.
Car Rental Insurance
When you use the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card to pay for your car rental and decline the rental agency's collision loss/damage insurance, you can be covered for damage or theft on eligible rentals.
Within the U.S., these coverage benefits are secondary to any personal auto insurance you may have. If you're traveling internationally, you'll receive primary rental car coverage regardless of any other insurance benefits you may have. There are some exceptions, so read the fine print before you travel to make sure you're covered.
Travel and Emergency Services Assistance
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card members can call a 24-hour toll-free number to speak to a benefits administrator when they experience an emergency away from home. The benefits administrator can help send messages to your immediate family on your behalf, refer you to local English-speaking medical professionals, arrange shipment of lost luggage, and more. The assistance is free, but you'll be responsible for any costs incurred such as paying for medical services.
Roadside Dispatch
If you run into trouble while driving, you can call the 24/7 dispatch network to arrange services like standard towing, tire changing, lockout service, and fuel delivery. There is a cost for each service, currently set at $69.95.
Visa Signature® Concierge
If you need help finding and booking travel itineraries, dinner reservations, event tickets, and more, you can call the Visa Signature® Concierge hotline for assistance. You'll be responsible for the costs associated with anything you book.
Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection
As a Visa Signature card, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card grants you access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, a group of hotels where you'll be eligible for a best available rate guarantee, room upgrades when available, complimentary breakfast for two, and more. You must book through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection website to be eligible for these benefits.
Emergency Cash Disbursement and Card Replacement
If you lose your Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card, you can get an emergency cash advance and a card replacement within one to three days after contacting Wells Fargo. Just remember that cash advance and interest fees will apply to the cash advance.
Wells Fargo Autograph Card Annual Fee and Other Costs
Annual Fee
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card doesn't charge an annual fee. This makes it an automatic financial positive in your wallet, because you don't have to pay anything out of pocket for the privilege of earning cash back rewards.
Ongoing APR
After an initial zero-interest period (0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening), cardholders will receive a variable APR of 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% variable. We never recommend carrying a balance beyond the 0% intro APR period because high interest rates quickly kill any financial benefit from credit card rewards. But if having a low APR is important to you, focus on boosting your creditworthiness by working toward building and maintaining an excellent credit score.
Foreign Transaction Fee
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card also doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, so it's a good card to use if you're traveling abroad.
Other Fees
As with most other credit cards, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card charges fees for cash advances, balance transfers, and late payments.
Wells Fargo Autograph Card Comparison
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card vs. Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is another very popular Wells Fargo credit card. So how does it compare to the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card?
Looking solely at each card's welcome bonus value, they stack up similarly. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months from account opening, and the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card comes with 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The main difference between the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card and Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is their earning rates. If you don't want to remember bonus categories and prefer simplicity, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is the better choice, because it earns 2% cash rewards on purchases with no limits.
However, if you spend a lot in the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card's 3x bonus categories of restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans, you could end up earning more rewards overall. Your spending habits are really the main factor in deciding which of these cards is best for you.
Read our Wells Fargo Active Cash card review.
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card vs. Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card is a different iteration of this popular travel rewards card. Despite the $95 annual fee, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card offers significantly more perks for frequent travelers than the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card. For starters, the Autograph Journey℠ Card comes with a $50 annual statement credit toward airfare with a $50 minimum airline purchase, which goes a long way toward offsetting the card's annual fee for anyone who flies once or more per year.
You can have both cards, so you don't need to cancel your Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card to open a Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card or vice versa. Both cards offer the ability to combine points between accounts, and Wells Fargo Rewards can also be transferred to select airline and hotel partners.
The Autograph Journey℠ Card also earns 3x on restaurants purchases, but earns 5x on hotels and 4x on airlines where the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card only earns 3x on all travel. Outside of flights and hotels, the Autograph Journey℠ Card also earns just 3x on all other travel, and 1x on all other purchases.
Read our Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card review.
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
We'd be remiss not to mention one of the most versatile no-annual-fee credit cards around. If you'd like to join the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem with some of the most flexible travel rewards available, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a great product to consider.
This card earns a minimum of 1.5% (in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards points) on every dollar spent and first-year cardholders earn double on the first $20,000 they spend that year, for a total of at least 3% cash back. Travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ earns 5% cash back (so 6.5% in Year 1), while dining and drugstore purchases earn 3% back per dollar spent (4.5% back in the first year).
Your rewards can be redeemed as cash back, or transferred to several Chase travel rewards credit cards including the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
When you transfer Ultimate Rewards points between these accounts, your rewards can be transferred to Chase's airline and hotel partners for significantly higher value.
Read our Chase Freedom Unlimited review.
Wells Fargo Autograph Card Consumer Insights
In addition to compiling our own research, Business Insider's credit card experts scoured online forums such as Reddit to see what everyday customers have to say about the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card.
"It's A Great Card"
In response to a thread asking if the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is worth getting or not, one Redditor simply said, "It's a great card." The cardholder commented on the benefits of earning 3x on many major expenses, the convenience of avoiding annual fees, and the fact that this card is designed to give travelers peace of mind while on the go.
Another cardholder agreed and said they pair this credit card with the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card for additional benefits. "Honestly a great combo," the Redditor said. (The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns a flat 2% cash rewards on purchases, making it a great option for paying expenses outside of the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card's 3x bonus categories.)
Great Customer Service
Another Redditor who has both the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card and the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card said that they prefer the customer service from Wells Fargo over that of two major competitors. "Overall, Wells Fargo has given me better customer service than Amex or Chase," this cardholder said, pointing out that Wells Fargo's mobile app is a bit dated compared to the other two companies "but still good."
Other cardholders commented that they have also experienced great service from Wells Fargo, with one member stating that they have had "no issues" over a decade-plus of business. One dissenting voice, however, said that Wells Fargo had "the worst customer service."
Easy to Add Authorized Users
One potential cardholder asked if it's easy to add an authorized user on the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card. Another member added a data point: "I added my spouse to [my card] with no issue or additional charge."
Wells Fargo Autograph Card Drawbacks and Considerations
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card has many great qualities, but there are a few considerations to keep in mind when deciding if it's the right card for you.
No Premium Travel Perks
As a no-annual-fee credit card, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card naturally offers fewer perks than more premium counterparts such as the Autograph Journey℠ Card. Not only do cardholders earn fewer points per dollar spent, but cardholders of the basic Autograph card will not get benefits such as a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck or airport lounge access.
Limited Wells Fargo Transfer Partners
While rewards earned on the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card can be transferred to a number of Wells Fargo Autograph airline and hotel partners, other no-annual-fee travel rewards credit cards may offer a wider range of transfer possibilities.
For example, the Chase Freedom Flex® also earns 3x on travel spend, and Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned on this card can be combined with rewards from some of the best Chase cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to transfer to more than a dozen Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partners such as Southwest, United, Marriott, and Hyatt.
Alternatively, rewards earned from the $95-annual-fee Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (rates and fees) can be transferred to 18 airlines and hotel chains across Capital One transfer partners.
Wells Fargo Autograph Card Frequently Asked Questions
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card could definitely be worth it if you're looking for a credit card that earns cash rewards with no annual fee. It earns 3 points per dollar on a wide variety of common purchases: restaurants, travel, gas, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. While rewards are earned as points, each point is equal to 1 cent and you can't transfer them to travel partners to get more value.
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card requires a credit score in the good to excellent range to be considered for approval, which translates to a FICO score of at least 670.
Yes, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card has a metal core that's coated in plastic.
No, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card does not add foreign transaction fees, so you won't get charged extra for international purchases.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed the Wells Fargo Autograph Card
When the Business Insider credit cards team reviewed the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card, we assessed a number of factors in comparison to similar no-annual-fee credit cards:
- Ease of use — Are the cards' rewards straightforward and simple to redeem, or is there a complicated earning structure? Are there various options for using rewards?
- Rewards earning potential — Does the card earn at a competitive rate compared to other cards of the same type? Are there generous, useful bonus categories, and are any of them capped at a spending limit?
- Card features — Most no-annual-fee credit cards are light on benefits. Does the card offer perks that you wouldn't expect, like cell phone protection, travel insurance, or statement credits?
- Annual fee — If the card has an annual fee, is it justified? Do the card's earning potential and other perks make paying a fee worth it?
To read more about our methodology, check out our guide to how we rate credit cards.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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