Wells Fargo Autograph Card Review 2023

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The no-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card earns 3x points with no limits on restaurants, gas stations, travel, phone plans, transit, and popular streaming services. 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. 

Wells Fargo Autograph Card Review: Is It the Best Credit Card for You?

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card offers a decent array of benefits, including cell phone protection and car rental insurance. There’s also a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening (then a 19.99%, 24.99%, or 29.99% 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 cash-back 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 Insider’s guide to the best cash back credit cards and best 2% cash back credit cards for all the top options.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Wells Fargo Autograph Card Rewards

Wells Fargo Autograph welcome bonus offer

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. That’s worth $200 when redeemed as cash, gift cards, travel, and more.

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 from the Wells Fargo Autograph

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card earns 3 points per dollar with no spending caps in the following categories:

• Dining (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, movie, music, and continuity/subscription services)
• Phone plans (landline and cell phone providers)

All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar, so this isn’t a good card to use for non-bonus category spending.

Of note here is the popular streaming services category, which actually 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

How to use Wells Fargo Autograph Rewards

Cardholders have a wide variety of ways to redeem Wells Fargo rewards. Points are worth 1 cent each, 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.

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.  

Unlike many popular travel rewards credit cards, there’s no option to transfer your points to airline and hotel partners for outsized value. You’ll always get the same value per point, no matter how you redeem.

Wells Fargo Autograph Card Benefits and Features

Despite having a $0 annual fee, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card actually offers a substantial set of benefits that can save cardholders money.

Introductory 0% 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 a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening, followed by a 19.99%, 24.99%, or 29.99% 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.

Cell phone protection

There are only a handful of no-annual-fee cards out there that come with cell phone protection, including the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card. When you use the card to pay your monthly wireless bill, you’ll receive cell phone coverage for damage or theft up to a maximum of $600 per claim (with a $25 deductible).

There’s a maximum of two claims per 12-month period, and coverage is secondary to other insurance you may have, like cell phone insurance programs, homeowner’s, renter’s, automobile, or employer’s policies. Keep in mind, too, 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.

In the US, this coverage is secondary to any personal auto insurance you may have; otherwise, it’s primary rental car insurance regardless of your other coverage.

Travel and emergency services assistance

If you’re away from home and run into an emergency, as a Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card holder you can call a 24-hour toll-free number to speak to a benefits administrator. 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 need to 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 keep in mind that cash advance and interest fees will apply to the cash advance.

My Wells Fargo Deals

My Wells Fargo Deals are offers for cash back when you shop with certain merchants such as Starbucks and Airbnb, meet any specified requirements, and pay with your Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card. The deals are personalized, and you can access them through your card account.

Wells Fargo Autograph Card Annual Fee and Other Costs

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card doesn’t charge an annual fee, and it doesn’t add foreign transaction fees, so it’s a good card to use if you’re traveling abroad.

Like most other cards, there are fees for other activities, including:

• Cash advances
• Balance transfers
• Late payments

If you’re looking for a balance transfer credit card, you’ll want to look elsewhere, either with another Wells Fargo credit card (such as the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card) or an option from another issuer.

How the Wells Fargo Autograph Card Compares

Wells Fargo Autograph vs other Wells Fargo cards

Wells Fargo Autograph vs other no-annual-fee rewards credit cards

*3% back on up to $6,000 spent in purchases in a calendar year, then 1% back

Wells Fargo Active Cash vs Autograph

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 equally. 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 (worth $200).

The main difference between the Active Cash and Autograph 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 all purchases with no limits. 

However, if you spend a lot in the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card’s 3x bonus categories (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.

These cards’ benefits are roughly similar, with one major difference: their intro APR offers. With the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you’ll get an intro APR that applies to purchases and balance transfers (0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 15 months from account opening, then a 19.99%, 24.99%, or 29.99% Variable APR). That’s an improvement over the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card’s 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening (followed by a 19.99%, 24.99%, or 29.99% Variable APR).

Wells Fargo Autograph Card Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Methodology: How we reviewed the Wells Fargo Autograph 

When Insider’s 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 Insider’s guide to how we rate credit cards.