Apple Card vs Wells Fargo Active Cash®
Side-by-side comparison
| Apple Card | Wells Fargo Active Cash® | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | No annual fee | No annual fee |
| Welcome offer | No current offer | $200 cash rewards bonus |
| Dining | 2x | 2x |
| Groceries | 2x | 2x |
| Gas | 2x | 2x |
| Travel | 2x | 2x |
| Streaming | 2x | 2x |
| Everything else | 2x | 2x |
| Est. yearly rewards* | $583 | $583 |
| Points type | Cash back only | Pools with Wells Fargo → transferable |
| Network | Mastercard | Visa |
*Estimated yearly rewards on typical household spending, every point valued at a flat 1 cent. Verified September 2026. See your own numbers in the calculator.
Welcome bonus and value over time
| Over time | Apple Card | Wells Fargo Active Cash® |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | None | $200 cash rewards bonus |
| To earn it | No minimum spend | $500 in 3 months |
| Est. first-year value* | $583 | $783 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $583 | $583 |
This one splits by time horizon. In year one the Wells Fargo Active Cash® is ahead by roughly $200, thanks largely to its welcome offer. But the Apple Card earns more every year after, so if you keep it, it overtakes the Wells Fargo Active Cash® over the long haul. Chasing the sign-up bonus and open to canceling before the second annual fee? Take the Wells Fargo Active Cash®. Planning to keep it for years? The Apple Card pulls ahead.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent.
Perks, credits, and redemptions
| Perks | Apple Card | Wells Fargo Active Cash® |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge access | None | None |
| Annual credits | None | None |
| Points & redemptions | Cash back only | Transferable (paired with a premium card) |
On perks and redemptions, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® earns transferable points with a higher redemption ceiling, while the other is capped nearer a flat cent. Weigh those against the fee, since credits and lounge access only count if you will actually use them.
Transfer partners and point value
Only the Wells Fargo Active Cash® earns transferable points. Its Wells Fargo Rewards move to Air France-KLM, Avianca, British Airways Avios, and Choice, where a point can be worth several cents on a premium-cabin redemption, far above its cash value. The Apple Card pays flat cash back, worth about a cent, so its ceiling is nearer a penny per point no matter how you redeem.
The verdict
On a typical year of household spending, the Apple Card earns about $583 a year in rewards and the Wells Fargo Active Cash® about $583, valuing every point at a flat 1 cent. The Apple Card has no annual fee, so its rewards are all profit. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® has no annual fee, so its rewards are all profit. These two are about as close as cards get: both pay a flat 2x on everything, neither charges an annual fee, and on that spending they finish within a few dollars of each other. The choice is not really about the rewards rate. The bigger difference is the ceiling: the Wells Fargo Active Cash® earns points you can move to travel partners for outsized value, while the Apple Card pays plain cash back. Favor the Wells Fargo Active Cash® if you will use travel transfers, the Apple Card if you want simplicity. One tiebreaker: the Wells Fargo Active Cash® adds cell phone protection, which the other does not. On the sign-up bonus, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® currently has the larger welcome offer. A welcome bonus is a one-time event, so weigh it apart from the ongoing rewards.