Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Review

Overview

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ is a flexible travel rewards card from Wells Fargo, running on the Visa network. The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ earns up to 3x on dining, gas, and travel, so it pays you the most exactly where you already spend. There is no annual fee, which means every dollar of rewards is pure profit. New cardholders can earn 20,000 bonus points ($200 value) after $1,000 in 3 months.

It earns its keep without an annual fee, which is rare for a card with real bonus categories. That combination makes it a strong everyday keeper that you never have to justify paying for.

Our 4.5 out of 5 rating

Each score weighs the rewards rate, value after the annual fee, welcome offer, points flexibility, and perks, with every point valued at a flat 1 cent. This is our editorial assessment to help you compare cards, not a guarantee of approval or of the value you will get.

Rewards: how it earns

Where the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ earns its rewards is its bonus categories: 3x on dining (about $90 a year on the $3,000 a typical household spends there), 3x on gas (about $65 a year on the $2,160 a typical household spends there), and 3x on travel (about $54 a year on the $1,800 a typical household spends there). Across a full year of average household spending, the card returns roughly $457 in rewards before any welcome bonus, so the more your spending overlaps those categories, the better it does.

Every point and mile above is valued at a flat 1 cent, the same honest standard we use for every card. Run your own spending through the calculator to see what this card would actually return for you.

Pros and cons

The welcome bonus

The current welcome offer is 20,000 bonus points ($200 value), earned after you spend $1,000 in 3 months. Valued honestly at a flat 1 cent per point, that is worth about $200. The spending requirement works out to roughly $333 per month, so make sure it fits your normal budget rather than pushing you to overspend. Stacking the welcome offer on top of a typical year of rewards and accounting for no annual fee, the first year is worth roughly $657.

Is the annual fee worth it?

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ has no annual fee, so there is no break-even math to worry about. Every dollar of rewards is profit, and you can keep it open for free, which also helps the average age of your credit over time.

Benefits and protections

Beyond the rewards, the perks and protections worth knowing about include:

• 20,000 bonus points ($200 value) after $1,000 spend in first 3 months
• Cell phone protection up to $600 (when you pay your monthly bill with this card)
• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Travel accident insurance
• Visa Signature Concierge service
• Zero liability protection

Statement credits

This card does not come with recurring statement credits. Its value is in the rewards rate and welcome offer.

Ecosystem and transfer partners

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ earns Go Far Rewards, one of the more valuable currencies in rewards because of where the points can go. You can move points 1 to 1 to 8 airline and hotel partners: Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, JetBlue TrueBlue, Choice Privileges, and Aer Lingus. As a hub card, this is the one you route points through before transferring out. The sweet spots are usually premium-cabin flights and high-end hotel nights, where a single point can be worth well more than the 1 cent we value it at here.

Who should get it, and who should skip it

It is best for people whose biggest monthly spending is dining and gas and who want to maximize those categories without paying an annual fee.

Skip it if your spending does not line up with its bonus categories, or if you would rather not think about where you swipe at all.

How it compares

If the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ is not quite the right fit, these related cards are worth weighing against it:

Frequently asked questions