Wells Fargo Rewards Program Review: Earn, Redeem, Partners

Wells Fargo operates the Wells Fargo Rewards program, and both the bank and the rewards program have been on a tear over the past year. The flurry of activity includes introducing new credit cards and launching points transfers — neither of which is a small feat.

While the program still has considerable ground to make up before it truly rivals the heavyweights in points programs — American Express and Chase — Wells Fargo is off to a good start with its first 2 credit cards to anchor the refreshed program and a fair (though small) set of transfer partners available at the initial launch.

There’s still room for improvement, though. Limited credit cards won’t be enough to compete in a crowded points and miles space, and providing just a handful of points transfer options won’t be sufficient in the long term. That said, the program has numerous positives.

Let’s dig into everything you need to know about Wells Fargo Rewards to teach you how to earn and redeem points in this blossoming program.

What Is Wells Fargo Rewards?

Wells Fargo Rewards is a credit card rewards program offered by Wells Fargo that offers points on daily spending and via welcome bonus offers for new applicants. To earn Wells Fargo Rewards points, you need to have a Wells Fargo credit card that earns these points, not a co-branded card earning points in another program like Choice Privileges, for example.

Once you’re approved for a card that earns Wells Fargo Rewards points or cash rewards, you’re automatically enrolled in the program. There’s no requirement to sign up.

The number of points you earn on each transaction varies. It depends on the card you hold and the type of transaction you’re making (more specifically, the merchant category assigned to the purchase). You might earn 5x points per dollar or 1x.

Wells Fargo Rewards points can be earned and redeemed in multiple ways. Redemptions include everything from a check in the mail to paying with points while shopping online and — the newest option — transferring points to travel partners. Flexible rewards points like these provide value by giving you options, letting you use your points in the way that provides the most value when it’s time to use them. Far and away, though, the most valuable option is usually transferring your points to hotel and airline programs to redeem for award travel.

With the right combination of Wells Fargo Rewards-earning credit cards, you’ll be able to maximize earnings on purchases and then have a plethora of options when it’s time to use your points.

Which Credit Cards Earn Wells Fargo Rewards Points?

Multiple Wells Fargo cards can help you earn rewards points, though each awards points at different rates. That means building an optimal combination of cards can be a better strategy than trying to choose the 1 perfect card for you.

The good news here is that you can combine Wells Fargo Rewards across your accounts — including moving rewards from your cash rewards-earning cards to points-earning cards — to pool them and make additional redemptions possible. We’ll discuss redemptions further down, but it’s worth pointing out that you have more options for using your rewards if you’ve got a points-earning card in your wallet. If your cards only earn cash rewards, you lose a key option.

Let’s look at the cards that can help you earn Wells Fargo Rewards points and how each is unique.

Hot Tip:

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph card has a $0 annual fee (rates & fees), yet it provides benefits such as cell phone protection and earns 3x points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. You earn 1x points on all other purchases.

While you’ve long been able to redeem Wells Fargo Rewards with this card at a flat 1 cent per point for statement credits, a check in the mail, or even paying at checkout when shopping online, the expansion of the rewards program means this card now has access to Wells Fargo’s transfer partners. That’s quite unique, as Citi and Chase heavily restrict their transfer partners, requiring you to hold a card with an annual fee to access all of the partners.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card launched earlier in 2024 with a $95 annual fee (rates & fees) and an impressive set of benefits. Its launch also coincided with the announcement of points transfers from Wells Fargo Rewards, which we’ll discuss in the redemption section below.

With the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, you enjoy benefits like cell phone protection, lost baggage reimbursement, trip cancellation and interruption protection, and travel and emergency services assistance. You also earn rewards handsomely when paying for travel: 5x points on hotels, 4x points on airfare, 3x points on other travel and restaurants, and 1x on other purchases.

The card also provides a $50 annual statement credit when you spend at least $50 with an airline. The best part about this perk is that it covers spending directly with an airline and doesn’t have complicated restrictions like airline credits on other travel cards. This benefit alone covers more than half of the card’s annual fee.

Hot Tip:

Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card

The Wells Fargo Active Cash card keeps things simple. It has a $0 annual fee (rates & fees) and earns an unlimited 2% cash rewards on all purchases. Rather than needing to track bonus categories, you know what you’re earning every time you swipe the card.

And while the card is advertised as earning cash rewards, you can combine rewards from Wells Fargo’s cash rewards cards with points-earning credit cards if you have both types. That means this card can help you earn Wells Fargo Rewards when used as part of a bigger credit card strategy.

If you don’t have either of the cards with “Autograph” in the name, your redemptions on this card are limited to cash-equivalent options like gift cards, paying with points for purchases, and getting a statement credit. The card also has cell phone protection, which isn’t common on no-annual-fee cards.

Signify Business Cash℠ Card by Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo launched the Signify Business Cash℠ Card in early May 2024. With no annual fee and an unlimited 2% cash rewards structure, the card may feel familiar.

However, the Signify Business Cash card has enhanced features. It provides primary auto rental collision damage waiver and up to $250,000 of travel accident insurance on trips paid for with the card. The most interesting benefit, however, is likely its take on lounge access. Rather than a full Priority Pass Select membership that grants unlimited visits to airport lounges, you get a membership that provides discounted pay-as-you-go admission prices.

Bottom Line:

How To Earn Wells Fargo Rewards Points

Welcome Bonus Offers and Credit Card Bonus Earning Categories

The best way to earn a lot of Wells Fargo Rewards points quickly is from a welcome bonus offer on the credit cards outlined above. After the introductory period, you’ll continue to earn rewards according to each card’s bonus and everyday spending rates.

If you have more than 1 Wells Fargo credit card, take note of the various earning rates to ensure you’re swiping the right card for each purchase to maximize your earnings.

Discontinued Options

Wells Fargo no longer offers a refer-a-friend program for earning rewards.

Moreover, while cardholders can use the Wells Fargo Rewards portal to book trips, it doesn’t provide bonus points beyond what the credit card earns on the purchase.

How To Redeem Wells Fargo Rewards Points

Finding simplicity and value together isn’t common for points and miles, and this is an area where Wells Fargo shines. Although the program lags behind competitors in the number of ways you can earn points, you’ll find a solid list of redemption options when it’s time to use your points.

Wells Fargo Rewards Transfer Partners

The list of Wells Fargo transfer partners is admittedly much smaller than what you find with Capital One, Chase, Citi, and American Express. As a fledgling program in the transferable points space, that’s understandable, for now. However, Wells Fargo needs to grow this list — potentially with some unique partners — if it really wants to compete in a crowded credit card rewards market.

At present, there are 5 airline transfer partners and a single hotel partner. Airline transfers happen at a 1:1 rate, while transfers to Choice Privileges (the lone hotel program) run at a 1:2 ratio. You can transfer as many or as few points as you wish in each transaction; there are no transfer minimums.

The current quoted number of transfer partners is a bit misleading, however. You can freely and instantly transfer Avios between programs that use this currency, including Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, and Qatar Airways. Thus, the ability to transfer to British Airways gives you the ability to transfer points from Wells Fargo to the other Avios programs, meaning that adding Iberia and Aer Lingus to this list makes the list longer without actually providing more utility.

While this short list is a negative, its key positive is the potential value available. The redemption options discussed below provide 1 cent per point in value — nothing more. However, there’s potential for much more with transfer partners, assuming you learn how to use them. That requires time, effort, and understanding, but transferring 10,000 points to an airline to redeem for a flight costing $200 would give you a redemption value of 2 cents per point — double the value of the options below.

You need to hold either the Wells Fargo Autograph card or the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card to access points transfers.

How To Make a Transfer

To initiate a transfer, log in to your Wells Fargo Rewards account and click on the number of points showing in your balance. Alternatively, if you’re already logged in, you can go directly to the transfer page.

Once you click on your rewards balance, the next page will show information about Wells Fargo Rewards. Look for Use Rewards in the top right. When you hover over this, a new menu drops down. Click on Rewards Points Transfer.

On the next page, you should see your rewards balance and a prompt to choose a transfer partner. Expand the Airlines and Hotels menus by clicking the plus symbol (+) at the side to choose a program.

After selecting a transfer partner, provide your loyalty account number for that program. If you don’t have one yet, Wells Fargo provides a handy link to sign up for an account.

Notice that you can’t edit the name when linking the account; the name on your Wells Fargo account and transfer partner account must match.

In this example, I’m linking to my Aer Lingus AerClub account. After I entered my rewards number, Wells Fargo displayed a confirmation message that the account was verified and ready for points transfers.

On the next page, I could transfer as few or as many points as I wanted after agreeing to the terms and putting in the number of points I wanted to send.

Wells Fargo Airline Transfer Partners

While the list is admittedly small, Wells Fargo’s airline partners cover the 3 major airline alliances. Air France and KLM (who share the Flying Blue program) are members of SkyTeam, Avianca is in Star Alliance, and Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia are members of Oneworld.

Covering all 3 alliances should give you access to all their booking partners, such as transferring points to Avianca LifeMiles to book United Airlines flights, covering nearly all parts of the globe.

Obviously, there’s an expectation that this list will continue to grow. We hope that happens sooner than later.

Wells Fargo Hotel Transfer Partners

Right now, there’s just 1 hotel transfer partner: Choice Privileges. This is also the only partner with a supercharged transfer rate, happening at 1:2. That means you get 2 Choice points in your account for every 1 Wells Fargo Rewards point you transfer.

This matches the 1:2 transfer from Citi ThankYou Rewards and beats the 1:1 transfer from American Express Membership Rewards. While Choice isn’t a program many think of for fancy hotel stays, it is a program you shouldn’t overlook for value on your next vacation.

Redeem Wells Fargo Rewards Points via the Wells Fargo Rewards Portal

Redeeming points in the Wells Fargo Rewards portal allows you to book everything from flights and hotels to activities, rental cars, cruises, and vacation packages. When searching for travel, you’ll see prices listed in cash and the number of points required.

It’s worth comparing costs before immediately assuming that the ability to pay with points in the portal is a net positive. Prices in Wells Fargo’s portal aren’t always the cheapest option. If you want to book a flight with points, consider whether you can transfer points to the airline (or one of its partners) for a redemption. Alternatively, if booking directly with the airline costs less, pay for the flight with your credit card and then redeem points against the purchase later on, receiving a statement credit.

Hot Tip:

Transfer Points to Other People

Wells Fargo allows you to share points with other users who also have a Wells Fargo Rewards account. This includes those earning points from Wells Fargo’s business cards.

To find this feature from the rewards portal, hover over My Rewards at the top right. Choose Transfer from the drop-down menu. Don’t confuse this with Rewards Points Transfer that we covered above.

On the next page, if you see an error saying that you don’t have any eligible accounts to send points to, that means you haven’t linked any other users. You need to link these other accounts first; Wells Fargo doesn’t make this simple. First, click on Use Rewards and then Redemption Values. On the next page, scroll down to find Gift to Others.

On the next page, fill out the information to send points to someone else. Note that you must redeem in 2,500-point increments.

Once you link another account, the transfer page asks how many points you want to share and provides a disclaimer before you confirm the transfer.

Redeem for Experiences

Those with cards in the Autograph family can access Wells Fargo’s Autograph Exclusives, which are curated events with early availability for cardholders — like getting tickets before the general public to concerts that are guaranteed to sell out.

While it’s not possible to redeem rewards for entertainment experiences directly, you can buy tickets to concerts, festivals, and more with your Wells Fargo credit card and then reimburse yourself with points through the options below.

Redeem for Merchandise

From the Use Rewards menu, if you click on Merchandise, you can use rewards toward shopping purchases.

There’s a search bar, which you can use to search for items like pillows or guitars. There’s also a categories filter if you use the drop-down arrow under the search bar. Prices are displayed in points only (not cash), though you can narrow down the search results by brand and with 3 important filters: in-store pickup available, free shipping included, and on sale.

If you choose the Apple category rather than Merchandise above the search bar, you will be taken to an interface where you can solely shop for Apple products.

Get Cash Rewards as a Statement Credit, Deposit, or Check

It’s possible to redeem points at 1 cent apiece for cash rewards. There are 3 options for receiving this cash back: as a statement credit on your credit card account, into your Wells Fargo checking account, or as a check in the mail.

You can redeem as little as 1 point here and can choose between one-time redemptions or recurring redemptions in 2,500-point increments.

Gift Cards

From the Use Rewards menu, select Gift Cards. On the following page, you’ll see any current deals highlighted. Using the search bar, type in the brand or category you’re looking for. Alternatively, use the drop-down menu to filter by category, such as restaurants or movie theaters. Points are worth 1 cent each on gift cards.

Online Shopping With PayPal

It’s possible to link your Wells Fargo Rewards account with PayPal here or from the Use Rewards menu after selecting Pay with Rewards. From here, you can choose to pay with points when checking out with PayPal online. Points are treated like cash here, offering a penny per point on redemptions.

Limited-Time Offers

An intriguing option in the Use Rewards menu is Limited-Time Options. While it might catch your eye at first, the result is that you’ll go to the On Sale page of the merchandise redemptions page (described above).

How Long Does It Take To Redeem Wells Fargo Rewards Points?

When redeeming points, they should be deducted from your account balance immediately. And you’ll also see points applied immediately when using them for online shopping or gift card redemptions.

If you redeem for a statement credit or check in the mail, Wells Fargo says this should take effect within 5 to 7 business days (plus time for the check to arrive in your mailbox).

As the newest feature, points transfers have a question mark. The points are deducted from your Wells Fargo account immediately but may take up to 2 or 3 days to appear in your connected loyalty account from the airline or hotel program.

Using Your Wells Fargo Rewards Dashboard Portal

Navigating the Wells Fargo Rewards Portal

After logging in to your Wells Fargo account and clicking on your points balance, you’ll arrive at the Overview page for Wells Fargo Rewards. On the top left, you’ll see your name, the last 4 digits of your account number, and your number of points.

On the top right, you’ll see options for My Rewards and Use Rewards.

The My Rewards menu has the following options:

• Rewards Activity/Orders: View your earning and redemption history, including filters by specific dates or ranges.
• Rewards Summary: View your current points balance and past statements, which include earning and redemption activity broken down by type and contributing account (in case you have more than 1 card or authorized users on your account).
• My Rewards Bonuses: Get explanations for the bonus categories available on your linked accounts.
• Rewards Settings: Set sharing preferences for your points with any authorized users on your account, automatic redemption preferences, and combine accounts if you have more than one.
• Transfer: Move points between your linked accounts.
• Wish List: If you save any items from the Merchandise page to your wish list, they will appear here.

On the Use Rewards menu, you’ll find the redemption options discussed above.

Redeem Your Points

If you want to see all of your redemption options in one place, click on Use Rewards and choose Redemption Values. This list provides an overview of redemption options, and clicking on any of them will take you directly to the redemption page. It’ll also give you information about how much your points balance is worth toward each redemption type, though you’ll only find View Options for the value on points transfers and limited-time offers.

Combine Your Points and Cash Rewards Into 1 Card

If you have more than 1 Wells Fargo credit card — whether they earn a mix of points and cash rewards or are a mix of personal and small business cards — you can combine the rewards into 1 account to make redemptions simpler. This also lets you move rewards from cards that don’t have access to points transfer partners onto a card that does, enabling this feature.

To accomplish this, choose My Rewards at the top right and then Transfer.

Everything Else You Need To Know

What Are Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth?

Most redemptions provide 1 cent per point in value. But 2 options don’t, and the value obtained varies.

With the limited-time offers, you need to compare the sale price for merchandise (in terms of how many points are required) to the cash price of those goods. If a lamp is on sale for 10,000 points, how much would that lamp cost at a store? Divide the cash price by the points price to find out the redemption value. For example, if the lamp costs $150 at a nearby store, then $150 divided by 10,000 points is 0.015 — 1.5 cents per point used.

With points transfers, follow the same math. If you would send 10,000 points to an airline to book a flight and the flight costs $200, then $200 divided by 10,000 is 0.02 — 2 cents per point. However, you need to subtract any cash component of the booking. With some airlines, this could be $5 or $6. If you’re redeeming for a business-class award ticket with British Airways, it could be hundreds of dollars. Thus, the math looks more like this: (Cash cost of the ticket minus the cash portion to pay when redeeming miles) divided by the number of points used. That will tell you the real cents-per-point redemption value here.

Bottom Line:

Do Wells Fargo Rewards Points Expire?

Wells Fargo’s terms and conditions for its credit cards say that points don’t expire as long as your account remains open. If you close your account, you may forfeit any points balance at that time. If you’re considering closing your only Wells Fargo credit card, it could make sense to redeem your points or move them to a transfer partner first.

Comparing Wells Fargo Rewards to Other Transferable Points Programs

The Wells Fargo Rewards program has several positives but also some negatives. We’ve outlined how to earn and redeem points, understand the value of your redemptions, and maximize your earning strategies with a multiple-card strategy. But how does this program stack up against its competitors?

Wells Fargo Rewards vs. Amex Membership Rewards

There are more cards for earning American Express Membership Rewards points, and Amex has a much broader list of transfer partners than Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo’s list of partners pales in comparison to Amex’s 20+ partners. Plus, Amex offers transfers to programs you might be more familiar with, such as Delta SkyMiles, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy. However, Amex does charge a fee of $0.0006 per point (maximum of $99 per transaction) when transferring points to U.S.-based airline programs.

Both Amex and Wells Fargo provide travel portals for redemptions, and Wells Fargo has a clear advantage here. Points are consistently worth 1 point on these redemptions. With AmexTravel.com, you get 1 cent per point on flights only and obtain less value on other types of travel.

Where American Express has an advantage is in Amex Offers. Cardholders can enroll in targeted offers for bonus points or extra cash-back when shopping at merchants participating in these offers. Offers could include your neighborhood supermarket or an airline — or anything in between — and these provide quality savings year after year.

Wells Fargo Rewards vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards

Multiple credit cards can help you earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, and this breadth is an advantage over Wells Fargo’s smaller card portfolio. Another advantage for Chase is its nearly 15 transfer partners for points and the familiarity provided by programs like Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, and United MileagePlus.

Both programs have limits to which cards can transfer points to partners. With Chase, cards with no annual fee can’t access transfer partners, and points can only be redeemed for cash-back or in the Chase Travel portal. That’s similar to Wells Fargo’s requirement to have one of the Journey cards to access points transfers.

Chase Offers provide bonus cash-back via targeted offers that cardholders can enroll in, but where Ultimate Rewards really outshines Wells Fargo is in its Chase Travel portal. Depending on which card you have, points can be worth as much as 1.5 cents apiece toward everything from flights and hotels to theme park tickets. Moreover, you also have the option of paying for travel in the portal and earning bonus rewards at a higher rate than what Wells Fargo’s cards offer, though the actual earning rate varies by Chase card.

Wells Fargo Rewards vs. Capital One Miles

Multiple credit cards can help you earn Capital One miles, both via miles-earning cards and the ability to combine rewards from cash-back-earning cards — similar to what Wells Fargo offers. However, the number of cards available for this earning strategy is broader at Capital One.

You’ll find nearly 20 transfer partners at Capital One, including a shared partner in Choice Privileges. Wells Fargo’s 2:1 ratio is much better than Capital One’s 1:1 ratio with Choice. Beyond that, however, the breadth of Capital One’s partners is much better, though both programs suffer from their lack of U.S. airline partners. While the available partners can provide value, their unfamiliar programs (for the average U.S. traveler) take time to learn.

Like Wells Fargo, Capital One Travel allows you to redeem miles at 1 cent apiece. However, Capital One’s rental car, flight, and hotel options aren’t impressive compared to the added vacation packages, activities, and cruises that Wells Fargo’s portal provides.

Capital One’s shining feature is in the earning rate on those “other” purchases. With most credit cards, outside the bonus categories, you earn 1x point or 1% cash-back. With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, for example, you earn 2x miles on all purchases — or more on hotels and rental cars booked in the travel portal. That 2x everyday earning rate beats the everyday earning rate Wells Fargo (or nearly any other credit card) provides.

Wells Fargo Rewards vs. Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi offers a robust nearly 20 transfer partners for its ThankYou Points, including 1 retail partner: Shop Your Way. That’s definitely unique among the programs covered here. Citi offers 1:2 points transfers to Choice like Wells Fargo does, and Citi has a U.S. airline (JetBlue) in its stable. However, Citi also relies heavily on foreign rewards programs that may feel unfamiliar. Moreover, some of its transfer partners provide poor value, if we’re being honest.

Citi also has an odd issue where only 1 credit card presently has access to all of the points transfer partners: the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. While some of Citi’s no-annual-fee cards have access to 3 of the transfer partners, these come at reduced transfer rates. Citi previously had a premium card — the Citi Prestige^® Card — that provides points transfers, but it’s been closed to new applicants for several years now. As Wells Fargo is in expansion mode, it will soon surpass Citi in this area.

Both Wells Fargo and Citi allow you to cash out your points as a statement or redeem them in the travel portal, though Citi’s portal doesn’t offer vacation packages or cruises.

Wells Fargo Rewards vs. Marriott Bonvoy

It might surprise you to see a hotel program on this list, but Marriott Bonvoy offers points transfers to nearly 40 airline programs. And with numerous methods available for earning Marriott Bonvoy points — from credit cards to hotel stays and promotions — racking up Marriott Bonvoy points quickly isn’t complicated.

While Marriott’s breadth of partners is its greatest asset, the actual process of transferring points is its greatest weakness. Most transfers happen at a 3:1 ratio, meaning you get 10,000 airline miles after transferring 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Many programs — but not all — provide a 5,000-mile bonus if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at a time, so you could turn 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points into 25,000 airline miles. It’s OK, but it’s not great. Moreover, many of these transfers take several days to process. The airline award ticket you want to book could disappear in that time, which is frustrating.

In all reality, using Marriott Bonvoy points for hotel stays tends to provide better value.

Final Thoughts

Wells Fargo Rewards has multiple strengths, including its recent expansions with transfer partners and new credit cards. The sheer number of redemption options is also a net positive, though it’s worth remembering that most of them can’t match the value obtainable if you take the time to understand and use the points transfer partners.

However, the program has its drawbacks. The limited number of transfer partners is a glaring issue, as is the limited credit cards portfolio at present. Wells Fargo has hinted that both of these will expand in the near future, but when that will happen is anyone’s guess. Until then, we have to judge the program from what we see, and what we see is a limited portfolio of transfer partners that’s missing a whole extra digit in comparison to rival programs.

The ease with which you can earn and redeem Wells Fargo Rewards makes the program simple to use. If recent history is any judge, the program is pretty good right now and is on its way to becoming really good — hopefully sooner rather than later.