In March 2024, we saw the launch of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card. This is a card with a reasonable annual fee, some amazing bonus categories, and it even earns transferable points.
Arguably, this is the most underrated card out there, in the sense that it doesn’t get talked about much, but it has an almost unrivaled rewards structure. Increasingly, people are suggesting that this is the go-to card that everyone should have, given how the credit card space has evolved.
In this post, I want to take a closer look at the card. Yes, this is a great card, and it’s one that people should be aware of. However, I’ll also share why I struggle a bit with figuring out how this fits into my credit card strategy.
In this post:
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card basics
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Visa Card is a surprisingly great product, which can easily compete with cards like the American Express® Gold Card (review) Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review), and Citi Strata Premier® Card (review). Let’s cover all the basics of the card, and then I’ll share my take.
Welcome bonus of 60K points
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey has a welcome offer of 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within the first three months. That’s a solid bonus, but nothing earth shattering.
$95 annual fee (before $50 credit)
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey has a reasonable $95 annual fee, which isn’t waived for the first year. This is in line with the annual fee on other mid-range cards. The card also offers a $50 annual statement credit with a minimum of a $50 airline purchase annually.
I’d basically factor that into the math on the annual fee, and as I see it, that means the card costs $45 per year to hold onto. So that’s really attractive pricing.
Valuable 3-5x points bonus categories
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey has an incredible rewards structure. It offers:
- 5x points on hotels
- 4x points on airlines
- 3x points on travel and dining
- 1x points on all other purchases
There are no foreign transaction fees, so the card is useful for purchases in the United States and abroad.
Points redemption options
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey has its own transferable points currency. As of now, points earned on the card can be transfered to the following programs:
- Aer Lingus AerClub at a 1:1 ratio
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio
- Avianca Lifemiles at a 1:1 ratio
- Choice Privileges at a 1:2 ratio
- British Airways Club at a 1:1 ratio
- Iberia Club at a 1:1 ratio
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio
Alternatively, you can redeem points for one cent each toward a variety of purchases, like travel bookings through the portal.
Is the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey worth it?
Many people argue that we should forget about most other card issuers, and instead focus on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey. I mean, essentially paying $45 per year to earn 3x points on travel and dining, 4x points on airlines, and 5x points on hotels, is a bonus structure that’s tough to beat… no?
So why isn’t this the most popular card on the market? I can only speak for myself, but as I see it, there are two main issues — the value of the points, and just overall credit card fatigue.
Wells Fargo points are rather limiting
I appreciate that Wells Fargo has a transferable points currency, but the transfer partners are the most limiting of any of the major programs. Essentially, you have Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca Lifemiles, Choice Privileges, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, and various flavors of “Avios.”
These are the programs that most frequently belong to transferable points currencies, so those are rewards that are easy to earn. Here’s the thing, though. Not only are those currencies really limiting, but Wells Fargo also doesn’t offer transfer bonuses, while we frequently see bonuses of 20-30% with other programs.
Actually, the programs that Wells Fargo partners with are consistently those that have the most transfer bonuses with other currencies. It’s one thing if Wells Fargo partnered with Emirates Skywards or Singapore KrisFlyer, where we almost never see transfer bonuses, but that’s not the case here.
My point is to say that I’d estimate that I value other transferable points currencies at somewhere around 25-40% more than Wells Fargo points. That factors in both the lack of transfer bonuses, and the lack of partners.
So while I value other points currencies at 1.7 cents each, maybe I value Wells Fargo points at 1.3 cents each, give or take (I might have to put more thought into that, but that’s the initial number that comes to my mind).
Credit card fatigue also factors into this
I’ve written about the concept of credit card fatigue, and about how with all the changes we’ve seen to other cards, managing a credit card strategy increasingly feels like a chore. To me, the issue is that if earning Wells Fargo points isn’t a “one size fits all” solution, then it kind of feels like a chore to add yet another card to my portfolio, which will only offer limited incremental value.
Perhaps I’m just too much on the “hamster wheel” with other card issuers, but where do we really come out ahead here? The way I view it:
- I do better on airfare spending with The Platinum Card® from American Express (review)
- The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is industry leading for hotels, but with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (review) now offering 4x points on direct hotel bookings, that’s pretty lucrative as well
- The American Express® Gold Card (review) is better for dining spending
- I think we can all agree that the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey isn’t a good card for everyday, non-bonused spending, since it only earns 1x points in those categories
- If anything, it’s the 3x points on non-hotel and airline spending that’s most compelling on this card
I guess to sum it up, my issue is that the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey very much feels like it should be a “one size fits all” card in terms of the rewards structure. The issue is that redemption options are so limiting, and that makes it hard to figure out where this would fall into my strategy.
Maybe if I cancel a vast majority of my credit cards and just give up, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey would be an easy option. But I’m just not quite there yet, I guess? And I’d also be kind of sad if I were primarily earning points that could be transfered to so few partners.
Bottom line
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is a lucrative card, no doubt. It has a reasonable $95 annual fee that’s largely offset by a $50 airfare credit. The card also offers 5x points on hotels, 4x points on airlines, and 3x points on travel and dining.
That’s an incredible value rewards structure, though the issue is that Wells Fargo partners with a very limited number of airlines, and we almost never see transfer bonuses. Yes, I absolutely think that for some people, this is a great option. I just struggle to figure out how this card would fit into my overall credit card strategy.
What do you make of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card?
This will probably be my next card. I already have 9 Chase cards (6 biz and 3 personal), 2 Amex (biz blue and plat); and Venture X Biz. I am an older female solo (now) traveler who is not comfortable driving internationally and who likes taking 3 or 4 week trips to visit a country. Thus, for my last two month long trips to South Africa and New Zealand, I used a travel agent to...
This will probably be my next card. I already have 9 Chase cards (6 biz and 3 personal), 2 Amex (biz blue and plat); and Venture X Biz. I am an older female solo (now) traveler who is not comfortable driving internationally and who likes taking 3 or 4 week trips to visit a country. Thus, for my last two month long trips to South Africa and New Zealand, I used a travel agent to book some activities, private transfers, and accommodations (safari lodges and non Hyatt/Marriott hotels). For these kinds of trips, I can still get 4x points on the Autograph Journey (as opposed to 1x for CSR going forward). More importantly, the AJ provides $15k in trip cancellation and interruption insurance as opposed to the 10K for CSR or CSP. At my age (and I'm not even 65!) and for the price of these trips, trip interruption and cancellation insurance for a $15K trip is about $1500. So I really value the $15K in trip cancellation insurance offered as part of the AJ card. I can always use Avios points to transfer to Qatar to fly Q suites.
Great, review. Thanks, Ben.
This card doesn't even have trip delay insurance. The fact that you can't safely book travel on this alleged "travel" card is utterly disqualifying.
What’s most surprising is that not every single person in the USA with a credit score has this card already, compliments of Wells Fargo falsifying applications.
Talk about The Bank of Corruption.
If you think the 3x on non-hotel & airline travel is the most compelling aspect of the card, a better option may be the no fee Autograph card. WF has a more narrow definition of travel compared to Chase. The Autograph Journey gives 3x on things like cruises and online travel agencies, but the no fee version gives 3x on those travel items plus 3x on gas and transit, which includes parking, tolls, ferries, trains,...
If you think the 3x on non-hotel & airline travel is the most compelling aspect of the card, a better option may be the no fee Autograph card. WF has a more narrow definition of travel compared to Chase. The Autograph Journey gives 3x on things like cruises and online travel agencies, but the no fee version gives 3x on those travel items plus 3x on gas and transit, which includes parking, tolls, ferries, trains, etc. In terms of return on spend, I think a no fee combo of the Autograph and Attune would include a fairly diverse set of categories that are less well covered on other cards.
For those of us who have a number of cards, the 5x on hotels can be underwhelming. I would later earn 4x Hyatt points with my WoH card than 5x WF points. Also would probably rather earn 14x Hilton points on my Aspire than 5x WF. I tend to stay at the major hotel systems for the elite benefits.
Another thing to note--the Autograph Journey currently cannot be product changed. I had signed up for Journey version for the bigger SUB, hoping to downgrade it to the no fee Autograph after a year. All the data points so far indicate that is not (currently) possible.
I think this card is amazing. The 5X points for hotels is extremely lucrative, and the other bonus categories (4X airfare, 3X restaurants/travel) are very competitive.
In addition, you can pair it with the Wells Fargo Active Cash Visa and transfer those points over to the Autograph Journey. This allows you to earn 2X points on general spending, and since it's a VISA, you can use it a Costco for 2X points.
All for 1...
I think this card is amazing. The 5X points for hotels is extremely lucrative, and the other bonus categories (4X airfare, 3X restaurants/travel) are very competitive.
In addition, you can pair it with the Wells Fargo Active Cash Visa and transfer those points over to the Autograph Journey. This allows you to earn 2X points on general spending, and since it's a VISA, you can use it a Costco for 2X points.
All for 1 annual fee of $95, which is discounted to $45 after the $50 airline credit.
I like that Wells Fargo has upped their game and hope to see more transfer partners in the future!
I think the ideal 'card portfolio' is the following:
Amex Platinum for lounges and airfare (5X points)
Amex Gold for groceries (4X points) and dining (4X points)
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey for hotels (5X points) and travel (3X points)
Wells Fargo Active Cash for general spend (2X points)
Sleeping on Citi which has a unique transfer partner in EVA.
My non-SUB lineup:
Prestige - 5x flights/dining, 3x hotel
Rewards+
Double Cash
Custom Cash - 5x gas
Custom Cash #2 - 5x grocery
Citi Prestige is 10x points per USD for hotels atm.
Prestige is a sound card, but unfortunately, it is now closed to new applicants. Glad that you are taking advantage of it, though!
Being able to get 5x on hotels and 4x on airfare without having to go through a travel portal is an advantage (benefits of booking direct, avoid the frequent horror stories about portals), as is being able to cash out points a 1cpp if you want. Also, the effective annual cost is $45 after the $50 airfare credit compared to much higher numbers on some other cards.
It has travel insurance although not quite as good as the CSR.
I routinely get 25-40% transfer bonuses from Citi for my points. For me the extra points from WF are not as valuable because of lack of a broad range of partners.
Wish there were more cards with transferable points to united
The cash redemption option seems to be broader than what you wrote. On its website, WF says you can redeem your Journey points as a statement credit, or redeem them in 2500 point increments for a check, at a 1¢/point value. So if you don’t feel like jumping through the point-transfer hoops or using the company travel portal, you still get decent basic value.
Also, it appears that you can combine Autograph Journey points with...
The cash redemption option seems to be broader than what you wrote. On its website, WF says you can redeem your Journey points as a statement credit, or redeem them in 2500 point increments for a check, at a 1¢/point value. So if you don’t feel like jumping through the point-transfer hoops or using the company travel portal, you still get decent basic value.
Also, it appears that you can combine Autograph Journey points with other WF credit card points. So if I’m reading this correctly, you could use an Autograph Journey/no-fee Autograph combo to get 3x points on categories Journey doesn’t support, like rail fares, tolls, streaming services and phone bills. It doesn’t specifically say you can swap all these points for airline miles, but it doesn’t specifically say you can’t, either.
Yes, the rewards T&Cs for the $0 AF Autograph card list points transfers as an available redemption option, just like on the Autograph Journey. One of the rare $0 AF cards that offers transfer partners.
Will you comment on the ATL situation? Seems annual now for Delta
Awww… thanks Ben. I’ll shut up now ;)
I know this card isn’t for everyone but it’s a fantastic, underrated option nonetheless. Especially for those of us who value point multipliers above all else.
I have decided to go after several of these smaller cards with no AF or $100 max to replicate csr when it was $300. Then drop csr when it's time comes later this year. It will simplify my life a lot. No more monthly homework to chase Chase credits. The trade-off is good enough because I do have cc fatigue.
As a CSR holder since inception, I don’t feel it is reasonable to compare the WF card to the CSR. With WF, I wouldn’t need to do much to keep it to a $45 net annual fee, but with CSR someone would have to approach that like trying to manage a three ring circus, where the main act is good, but the side rings really suck for most travelers. So far, I’m cancelling the CSR...
As a CSR holder since inception, I don’t feel it is reasonable to compare the WF card to the CSR. With WF, I wouldn’t need to do much to keep it to a $45 net annual fee, but with CSR someone would have to approach that like trying to manage a three ring circus, where the main act is good, but the side rings really suck for most travelers. So far, I’m cancelling the CSR when my renewal approaches in 2026. I’d prefer limited opportunities with the Wells card more than matched by a negligible net annual fee compared to Chase wanting $795 from me and another $195 for my wife’s card. $990 up front isn’t going from my pocket to Jamie Dimon’s, even if I manage to net that down to $690.
Yeah, how about also that WF is just a shady, shitty company that we shouldn't support?
And chase is not? I agree wf is trash but I do bare minimum business with them because as someone who used to work for the federal reserve most banks are awful. Without the feds intervention banks would only lend money to wealthy folks living in the wealthiest neighborhoods. Everybody else would be treated like the lowest class citizens.
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6851727
If you only spend on 5x and 4x categories and never carry a balance they will lose money on you so if you really hate them, get the card and cost them money.
While it's true that WF has a trust issue with the consumers, their current CEO has done a good job turning things around. They just now came out of the Fed doghouse with regards to capital requirements. They seem to be on the right path at the moment.
It’s going to be a few more years before I stop viewing WF as a sketchy bank. So it really doesn’t matter to me what the credit card rewards look like, I don’t want an account there.
@Lucky: Points can also be transferred to Aer Lingus.
@ Daniel B. -- Somehow that disappeared when I created a bulleted list. Fixed, thank you!
@Lucky: the sad thing is, Aer Lingus only has 1 business class seat available when the schedule opens up (for 50k Avios + around $180 tax) and ONLY in 2 out of 12 US cities it flies to.
Ben, thanks for covering this card. One thing to note is that the Autograph Journey does not have the same broad travel category earnings as the CSR (until October), Amex Green, or, oddly, the no-AF Autograph card. So if the “other travel” at 3X is the most compelling part of this card for a certain person, they should seriously consider the free Autograph instead.
I’m not sure what is truly included in the other travel category. I used it on the trams and metro in Prague last month, and they didn’t trigger the 3%. I just assumed they would be considered other travel.
It's a really weird list. I guess if you are a cruiser it is a good substitute. I suppose this card and Amex Green are best for direct car rental? Don't think this definition covers Airbnb/Vrbo, does it? I suppose it would cover booking.com, agoda, etc ("other portals") if it covers discount travel sites/travel agencies.
Other Travel: 3 points (1 base plus 2 bonus points) are earned per $1 spent on net purchases made at...
It's a really weird list. I guess if you are a cruiser it is a good substitute. I suppose this card and Amex Green are best for direct car rental? Don't think this definition covers Airbnb/Vrbo, does it? I suppose it would cover booking.com, agoda, etc ("other portals") if it covers discount travel sites/travel agencies.
Other Travel: 3 points (1 base plus 2 bonus points) are earned per $1 spent on net purchases made at retailers whose merchant category code is classified as: timeshare, or vehicle/auto rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds.
End of the day the lack of transfer partners makes this a sub-par option. But if you are someone that spends a lot of $ on cruises and gets a lot of value out of Flying Blue, could make sense.
Once transferred to Avios, my understanding is that points can be transferred between Avios programs including Aer Lingus and Qatar (?).
@ Klaus_S -- That's correct, so if you have access to one Avios currency, you have access to all of them.
@Klaus-S, yes, that is my understanding too.
Expanding its base of transfer partners is the number one priority for this card. Air Canada, Emirates, and Singapore to round out the standard set.
If it offered a 3X grocery store bonus then this would be my default card.
Citi Strata Premier is your card then.