Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card review: One of the best flat-rate cash rewards cards

Although the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card has a lower flat cash rewards rate (1.5 percent) on everyday purchases, it could more than make up for this slight drawback with its additional bonus categories. It packs unlimited, year-round 3 percent cash back earnings on dining and drugstores, along with 5 percent cash back on Chase Travel℠ and Lyft bookings (Lyft offer through March 2025). Plus, it has an edge if you’re paying off credit card debt since its intro APR offers are slightly longer than the Active Cash card’s, at 15 months. 

The Freedom Unlimited card can also be a much more lucrative pick if you plan to travel since this card carries exceptional travel protections for a no-annual-fee card, and Chase Ultimate Rewards cards are some of the best for pairing. 

While the Citi Double Cash® Card is a comparable 2 percent cash back card, you could earn less than 2 percent rewards if you aren’t on top of your payments. You’ll only earn 1 percent back when you make your purchase and the other 1 percent when you pay off your purchases.

However, the Double Cash does have a slight advantage over the Active Cash when it comes to benefits because of its network’s higher-tier World Elite Mastercard perks. The Double Cash card also has a slightly longer intro APR period for balance transfers, at 18 months, but the Active Cash could have a leg up if you need time to pay off upcoming expenses since the Double Cash doesn’t carry an intro APR for purchases.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card is an excellent option to pair with the Active Cash card. The Autograph Journey earns elevated rewards in several travel-related categories and restaurants. The Active Cash card could cover everything outside those categories to earn solid rates on your other purchases.

You can then combine earnings from both cards to redeem for cash rewards, travel bookings or transfers to Wells Fargo’s travel partners.

Another great option to pair with the Active Cash is the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card. The Attune earns an above-average rewards rate in many day-to-day categories, including eligible gym memberships, transit and entertainment. The Active Cash card can reward purchases not covered by the Attune Card, which can be a big help considering the Attune Card’s categories can be niche for a number of people.

If the Attune Card’s reward opportunities are too few and far between for you, though, a different bonus category card that better suits your spending could be a great choice as well.

The Active Cash card is well-suited for people who prefer a straightforward, one-size-fits-all card to use for all of their spending. The card’s flat-rate cash rewards program makes it an excellent choice for any purchase. Many of the perks are ongoing and always available. All of this combined makes this a perfect card to use as much as you like.

Streamlined 2 percent cash rewards can be quite lucrative even if you already have several rewards cards for filling in gaps in your overall earnings. The Active Cash can rake in more rewards on purchases your other cards don’t cover. This is especially helpful if you often spend beyond your current card’s category rewards spending limit. 

For example, if one of your cards earns 3 percent cash rewards on your first $1,500 of purchases each quarter and just 1 percent after that, the Active Cash can pick up the slack and earn 2 percent cash rewards on additional purchases in that category.

The Active Cash card is more well-rounded than competing 2 percent flat-rate cards since it carries a solid welcome offer and quality intro APR offers on both purchases and qualifying balance transfers. There are also protections that cover cellphones, travel and your account, which are useful to anyone starting their credit journey. These perks make the Active Cash card a standout pick if you’re new to credit card rewards and want a single flat-rate cash rewards card. 

The primary criteria for a rewards or cash back card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average person’s spending habits, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The most recent BLS data estimates average total spending in 2023 was $77,280 per consumer. We then narrow our focus to which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards, subtracting expenditures like housing, vehicle purchases and education. This gives us a total “chargeable” annual spend of around $22,500.  

Some of the major spending categories that contribute toward the annual spend include:

• Groceries: $6,000
• Dining out: $3,900
• Entertainment: $2,500
• Gas: $2,400
• Apparel and services: $2,000

Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 26 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases, as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value.

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other rewards cards.

We also rate cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance. 

To start, each rewards or cash back card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other rewards or cash back cards. 

We also score each card based on how its annual fee influences its overall value. 

We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value, but if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score even if it carries a high annual fee. 

With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against other cards in the category when you subtract its annual fee.

We rate each card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards and factor this rating into a card’s overall score. 

Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you redeem for some options versus others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners. 

We also score each card’s set of features – its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. 

We break down these tiers as follows:

• Tier 1 has less than standard card features (an ultra-streamlined card that offers basic utility and next to nothing in the way of ancillary benefits. 
• Tier 2 includes the benefits you’d expect on standard Visa or Mastercard credit cards, such as free access to your credit score, car rental insurance and $0 liability for fraudulent charges. 
• Tier 3 includes “prime card” or better-than-average card features like cellphone insurance, lost luggage insurance, concierge services and purchase protection. 
• Tier 4 includes luxury features such as airport lounge access, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs. 
• Tier 5 includes the sort of exemplary benefits you’ll find on top-tier luxury cards, such as high-value travel credits, cardholder memberships and other unique and valuable perks.

To ensure the best approval odds, you should apply with a good to excellent credit score (a FICO score of 670 or higher or a VantageScore of 661 or higher). To gauge your approval odds before you apply, you can use Bankrate’s CardMatch™ tool to see if you are a match.

Unfortunately, no — the Active Cash is made of plastic. In fact, the only metal credit card Wells Fargo offers is the Bilt Mastercard®. This isn’t unusual, though, since issuers usually reserve metal designs for their premier cards.