Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® card

Are you interested in a no annual fee cash rewards card, free from rotating bonus categories and activation? The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa card will earn you an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase and a $150 cash back bonus when you spend $500 within three months of account opening.

This card has a lesser rewards structure compared to other cash back cards, but the $150 sign-up bonus is hard to beat in terms of a low qualifying spend.

Here are the details:

One of the biggest perks of the Cash Wise Visa lies in the 20% bonus on digital wallet transactions for your first year of card ownership. This means you’ll receive 1.8% cash rewards when using Apple Pay® or Google Pay™ for qualified purchases. Plus, there’s no fee for using your qualifying digital wallet to pay.

In addition to this perk, the card’s sign-up bonus value is $150 cash rewards. All you have to do is spend $500 within your first three months of account opening.

Is this card right for you?

The Cash Wise Visa offers a 0% introductory APR on purchases for 15 months and on qualifying balance transfers (13.99% to 25.99% variable thereafter), meaning you’ll have 15 months, on qualifying balance transfers, to pay off any transferred balance or large purchases without paying interest. One downside is you’ll be charged a 3% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum) for your first 120 days of card ownership. After 120 days, the fee jumps to 5% ($5 minimum).

For example, if you have $3,000 worth of debt on another credit card that you transfer to the Cash Wise Visa, you could make 12 monthly payments of $250 and erase the debt while paying zero interest. Due to the balance transfer fee, you’d owe 3% of $3,000, or $90, for balance transfers made within the first 120 days. If you wait longer than 120 days, you’ll owe $150. Similar cards offer better purchase and balance transfer APR offers, so this should not be the main reason you apply for the Cash Wise Visa.

How to use this card

With the Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa, you won’t have to worry about maxing out bonus categories. You’ll simply need to spend $500 within your first three months of card ownership in order to receive the $150 welcome bonus.

You have a few options when it comes to redeeming your $150 bonus:

• Have your rewards deposited directly into your Wells Fargo checking or savings account
• Apply your rewards to the principal balance of your Wells Fargo mortgage
• Withdraw your cash rewards at a Wells Fargo ATM
• Pool your rewards with another Wells Fargo cardholder
• Spend your rewards at Earn More Mall (Wells Fargo’s online shopping portal)
• Donate your cash back earnings to a charity

Additionally, by paying your monthly cell phone bill with the Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa, you can get up to $600 in protection against damage or theft (minus the $25 deductible).

Learn more about the Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card’s rewards structure by reading our Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards guide.

The bottom line

If you’re interested in a low-maintenance cash rewards card with no annual fee, the Cash Wise Visa could be your pick. You’ll enjoy a solid cash back welcome bonus and the option to earn 1.8% on every qualified purchase for your first year when making payments with a qualifying digital wallet.

Be aware of the balance transfer fee before you plan on using the Cash Wise Visa to pay off debt. If this your main purpose in applying for the card, we suggest looking elsewhere for a card with longer introductory APR on balance transfers and no balance transfer fee.