Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® Card review: Earn travel rewards with fair credit
A rare chance for fair credit cardholders who like to travel to earn rewards
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Snapshot
3.2
Bottom line
This card is one of the best and only travel cards on the market for people with fair credit, with rewards rates rivaling some premium travel cards. However, these perks come at a high price, making the card less than ideal if your main goal is to build credit rather than earn rewards.
on Credit One Bank's secure site
See Rates & FeesIntro offer
N/A
Rewards Rate
1X - 10X
Annual fee
$95
Regular APR
29.49%* Variable
4.2
Cardholder rating
Online tools
Customer service
Information safe
Extra perks
3.2
Bankrate score
Cost of membership
Ease of building credit
APR
Features
Why you'll like this: It’s one of the few travel cards available for fair credit and includes an exceptional rewards rate on eligible travel purchases.
Reward Details
Card Details
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Credit One Bank Wander Card overview
While it’s far from being the best travel credit card out there, the Credit One Bank Wander Card fills a gap in the travel rewards card market: It’s one of the few travel cards available for people with fair credit. It offers a surprisingly high rewards rate and doesn’t restrict you to only earning rewards with specific airlines or hotels. Plus, since it’s an unsecured card, you don’t have to worry about putting money down for a security deposit as you would with a secured card.
However, it comes at a cost of $95 per year, which is high for a card for fair credit and costly for cardholders who may prefer focusing on building credit rather than paying just to access it. This fee is comparable to some of the best travel and rewards credit cards available, but its rewards don’t deliver the same value. Although the card provides a variety of redemption options, its rewards program can’t compete with the flexibility of top travel cards from Chase, American Express and Capital One.
If you have fair credit, you may be eager to earn big rewards on travel with the Credit One Bank Wander Card, but a lower-cost credit-building card may make more sense to establish healthy habits until you qualify for better cards.
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Rewards
- 10X points on eligible hotel and car rentals booked using a Credit One Bank travel partner
- 5X points on eligible travel, including flights, dining and gas purchases
- 1X points on all other purchases
Expert Appraisal: Exceptional
See our expert analysis -
Welcome offer
- None
Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
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$95 annual fee
- Ongoing APR: 29.49%* Variable
- Up to $39 late payment and returned payment fees
- 5 percent cash advance fee (minimum $10)
- No foreign transaction fees
Expert Appraisal: Unimpressive
See our expert analysis -
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Other cardholder perks
- Zero fraud liability
- Flexible payment due date
- Free credit score access
- Automatic credit increase opportunities
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis
Credit One Bank Wander Card pros and cons
Pros
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The card offers generous rewards rates that aren’t limited to specific hotel or airline brands, which means more flexible redemption options.
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You can get prequalified online without a hard inquiry on your credit report, which is a major plus if you’re not sure you’ll be approved.
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You can qualify for the card with fair credit, which is rare for a travel rewards card.
Cons
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The rewards program and redemption options come with more restrictions than most other reward cards.
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The annual fee is very high for a card available to consumers with fair credit.
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Credit One Bank's rewards travel providers may change, making it hard to plan future redemptions.
How to build credit with the Credit One Bank Wander Credit Card
The Credit One Bank Wander Credit Card can be a valuable tool for building credit when used responsibly. To effectively boost your credit score with this card, make sure to make on-time payments, keep your credit utilization low and monitor your credit report regularly. By using the Credit One Bank Wander Credit Card wisely and demonstrating good credit habits, you can establish a positive credit history and work towards achieving a stronger credit profile over time.
Why you might want the Credit One Bank Wander Credit Card
The Credit One Bank Wander Credit Card is an excellent choice if you want reward flexibility but don’t yet have the credit score for a better rewards card. Also, this card allows you to offset its annual fee through the rewards earned on everyday expenses like gas and dining.
Recommended credit score: Accessible to a wider group
Since nearly all travel cards require you to have at least good credit for approval, the Credit One Bank Wander Card is a rare find and a gift for those with less than good credit. This card is particularly useful for frequent travelers and hotel stays due to its higher rewards rates on eligible travel, gas, hotel and rental car bookings.
Rewards rate: Big on travel and shopping
The Credit One Bank Wander Card offers generous rewards rates for consumers with fair credit. In fact, it probably has the highest and most extensive rates in the credit-building card category. You can earn 10X points on eligible hotels and car rentals using a Credit One Bank travel partner, 5X points on eligible travel, including flights, dining and gas purchases and 1X points on all other purchases.
The card’s rates even rival those of some premier travel rewards cards on the market, making it a competitive rewards option if you don’t prioritize travel perks such as credits for expedited security screening or transferring points to travel partners (neither of which are available with the Wander card).
The Credit One Bank Wander Card also includes a bonus program known as the More Cash Back Rewards Program, which allows you to earn up to 10 percent more cash back on eligible purchases at participating merchants. Credit One frequently adds adds new offers to the program, much like other issuers’ card-linked offer programs, such as Amex Offers.
Why you might want a different travel card
While the rewards rate and accessibility are great, the card’s $95 annual fee still stings due to the limited card benefits. Plus, redeeming the points you earn with this card can be challenging because of its redemption limitations.
Annual fee: High for a fair-credit card
The Credit One Bank Wander Card’s $95 annual fee is higher than what you'd find on other credit cards for fair credit or travel cards without premium benefits. This fee is worth factoring into your budget, as it can potentially offset a sizable portion of your yearly earned rewards.
There are more affordable cards available for building credit, and they may be more valuable in your wallet than this one. Many credit-building cards do not charge hefty fees and offer features to help you build credit quickly. Still, the fee might be justified if you believe you will spend enough in the Wander card’s categories to offset it each year.
Benefits: Only the basics are included
This card includes essential card protections and features, including zero liability, contactless payments and access to free credit scores. These perks can provide you with peace of mind and are easy to use. However, these perks are industry standard and underwhelming considering the card’s annual fee.
The only unique feature is Credit One’s Credit Protection Program. In the case of involuntary unemployment or disability, you can waive your minimum payment for up to six months by paying 96 cents per $100 of your new monthly balance. For instance, if you have a $1,000 balance on your card, you’ll only need to pay $9.60 under the Protection Program.
However, there's a catch. Instead of activating immediately, it will take 30 days for your policy to go into effect. Your account will be frozen during this time, but compound interest will continue to accrue. Since this can increase your balance while you might not be able to make your minimum payment initially, you may want to consider a more cost-effective debt management plan that won’t risk overextending and closing your account.
Welcome offer: No intro bonus available
Unlike most travel rewards cards, the Credit One Bank Wander Card does not have a welcome bonus. In the past, this card has offered bonuses as high as 10,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days (equivalent to $100 toward a statement credit, gift cards or travel), so if your priority is earning rewards rather than building credit, now may not be the best time to apply.
That said, sign-up bonuses are generally hard to find on cards for fair credit. There's also no telling if Credit One will offer a bonus on this card again, so it's still worth a look if the Wander card aligns with your goals.
Redemption: Plagued by travel restrictions
You have several options for redeeming your rewards with this card: statement credits (in 1,000-point increments), gift cards, merchandise and travel. However, while the statement credit, gift card and merchandise options are cut and dry, travel redemptions come with a few caveats.
Many travel card rewards programs guarantee at least 1 cent per point in redemption value when you redeem for travel. The value you receive from your Wander card points, however, will vary depending on your booking details. In addition, you can only redeem for travel through Credit One Bank’s travel portal, which partners with Aspire Loyalty Travel Solutions, LLC. This means you can’t use or transfer your points to book directly with airlines, hotels and other travel vendors for a better deal.
How the Credit One Bank Wander compares to other rewards cards for fair credit
While the Credit One Wander card is a rewards card, it’s better to compare it to other cards that accept fair credit. If you don't travel often, a flat-rate rewards card might be a better fit. Or, if your focus is building credit, you may want to consider a secured card instead.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Rewards rate
10X points on eligible hotel and car rentals booked using the Credit One Bank travel partner. 5X points on eligible dining, gas, and travel purchases. 1X points on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Rewards rate
Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Rewards rate
3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings. 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Is the Credit One Bank Wander Card right for me?
The Credit One Bank Wander Card is a worthy choice if you’re looking to earn travel rewards while also improving your credit score. Its generous rewards rates across various categories and standard card protections offer significant advantages for potential cardholders, such as:
Budget-conscious travelers who prefer flexible redemption options
Social butterflies who will maximize this card's rewards-earnings on hotel, rental car and dining purchases
Those with fair credit who would like to build their credit over time
Alternative picks
If you're looking for a rewards card with a low annual fee that also includes a welcome bonus, you may want to consider either the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (See Rates & Fees) or the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Secured Credit Card.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Best for occasional travelers
Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card
Best for no-annual-fee travel
*The information about Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
Frequently asked questions
How we rated this card
We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.
Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).
We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:
What cardholders think
Credit One Bank® Wander® American Express® with Dining, Gas & Travel Rewards
In May 2024 and March 2025, Bankrate collaborated with a third-party vendor to survey 8170 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and our vendor collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder's product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate's own reviews of these cards.
Community Reviews
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
