Skip to Main Content

Best Wells Fargo credit cards for March 2023

Updated March 27, 2023

More than just a bank, Wells Fargo provides several reasons to choose one of its credit cards for cash rewards or balance transfers. While its lineup of consumer credit cards isn’t as extensive as other issuers’ selections, you may be able to find the best Wells Fargo credit card that meets your financial needs.

Info
Image of Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Best for cash rewards

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

chance of approval
Info
Apply now Lock
on Wells Fargo's secure site
Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5
4.3 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

$200 cash rewards
Info

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
chance of approval
Info
Info
Info
Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5
4.3
Info
chance of approval
Info
Apply now Lock
on Wells Fargo's secure site
Info
Image of Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

Best for Balance Transfers

Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

chance of approval
Info
Apply now Lock
on Wells Fargo's secure site
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
4.7 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

N/A

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

17.74% - 29.74% variable APR

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
chance of approval
Info
Info
Info
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
4.7
Info
chance of approval
Info
Apply now Lock
on Wells Fargo's secure site
Image of Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

BEST FOR REWARDS CATEGORY VARIETY

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Apply now Lock
on Wells Fargo's secure site
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
4.0 Bankrate review
Info

Intro offer

20,000 Points
Info

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR

Recommended credit

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info
Info
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
4.0
Info
Apply now Lock
on Wells Fargo's secure site

Compare Bankrate’s top Wells Fargo credit cards

Here’s a look at the best Wells Fargo credit cards for 2023, according to our experts:

Card name Best for Bankrate score
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card Cash rewards 4.3 / 5
(Read full card review)
Wells Fargo Reflect Card Balance transfers 4.7 / 5
(Read full card review)
Wells Fargo Autograph Card Rewards category variety 4.0 / 5
(Read full card review)
Hotels.com Rewards Visa® Credit Card Occasional hotel guests N/A
(Read full card review)

A closer look at Wells Fargo’s top credit cards

Wells Fargo Active Cash Card: Best for cash rewards

  • What we love about the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card: Its simple yet valuable cash rewards. Flat-rate cards often offer 1.5 percent cash rewards, but Active Cash’s 2 percent offer is one of the highest unlimited cash rewards cards available.
  • Who this card is good for: Simplicity lovers who want to earn a good rate of cash rewards on a variety of purchases.
  • Alternatives: Though 2 percent cash rewards is a standout feature for the Active Cash Card, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card or the Discover it® Cash Back could offer more cash back earning opportunities for people who want to maximize their rewards earnings in key spending categories like dining or groceries.

Read our Wells Fargo Active Cash Card review.
Jump back to offer details.

Wells Fargo Reflect Card: Best for balance transfers

  • What we love about the Wells Fargo Reflect Card: Its lengthy introductory period on balance transfers. This card has one of the longest intro APR offers on purchases and qualifying balances transfers from account opening on the market. (0 percent for up to 21 months, then variable 17.74 percent to 29.74 percent APR by making on-time monthly minimum payments during the intro period.)
  • Who this card is good for: Anyone currently carrying high-interest credit card debt and looking for an extra-lengthy promotional APR window on transferred balances; ditto for people planning a large purchase they’ll need some time to pay off.
  • Alternatives: The card doesn’t tout traditional rewards, so it may not be a fit for people who want a card that holds value for the long haul. The Discover it® Balance Transfer Card and its cash back offer on quarterly rotating categories, for example, could prove more rewarding for savvy spenders.

Read our Wells Fargo Reflect Card review.
Jump back to offer details.

Wells Fargo Autograph Card: Best for rewards category variety

  • What we love about the Autograph: It has a fantastic variety of spending categories with which cardholders can earn points. While many travel cards only offer elevated rewards on travel, restaurant, or gas purchases, the Autograph includes those purchases and many more.
  • Who this card is good for: People whose spending casts a wide net and want a card that captures most of their everyday categories.
  • Alternatives: The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card also earns similar rewards rates in some of the Autograph’s categories for no annual fee. However, the SavorOne shines with its grocery category, which the Autograph notably lacks.

Read our full Wells Fargo Autograph Card review.
Jump back to offer details.

Hotels.com Rewards Visa Credit Card: Best for occasional hotel guests

  • What we love about the Hotels.com Rewards Visa Credit Card: You don’t have to pay an annual fee for this hotel credit card. It also offers some flexibility in where you can book given it’s associated with a travel search engine as opposed to a singular hotel chain.
  • Who this card is good for: Travelers without loyalty to one hotel chain and who often book rooms through travel search engine sites like Hotels.com.
  • Alternatives: Frequent travelers, brand loyalists or big spenders can reap more benefits associated with premium travel or hotel credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Hilton Honors American Express Card.

Read our Hotels.com Rewards Visa Credit Card review.
Jump back to offer details.


What is Wells Fargo?

Founded in 1852, Wells Fargo is a multinational financial services company headquartered in San Francisco, California. In addition to traditional banking services like checking and savings accounts, it offers loans, business credit cards, personal loans, business loans, consumer credit cards and more.

However, while it is a giant in the finance industry, it only advertises three consumer credit cards, including one of the best rewards cards, and three business credit cards available on its website. This lineup isn’t as impressive as other issuers, but it does mean that Wells Fargo loyalists have straightforward choices and less option paralysis for opening a new credit card.

Types of Wells Fargo credit cards

While Wells Fargo doesn’t have a large portfolio of consumer cards, the ones they do offer are competitive. 

Cash rewards credit card 

For consumers who want the chance to earn cash rewards on all of their purchases, the Wells Fargo Active Cash is the best option to get the job done. This card offers one of the highest flat cash rewards rates available and you’ll be able to earn on all kinds of purchases while avoiding the hassle of tracking bonus categories. 

Travel rewards credit card 

One of the more recent additions to the Wells Fargo card portfolio is the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card. You’ll earn highly on travel-related categories like gas and transit, along with a few other niche categories like phone plans. While your earning categories are more expansive, your redemption options are not. You can earn points on qualifying travel purchases, but you can’t redeem those points for travel, and Wells Fargo’s lack of travel partners limits this card even more. 

Balance transfer credit card 

The Wells Fargo Reflect is the issuer’s flagship balance transfer card, offering one of the longest intro APR offers on the market. An extra plus is that this intro APR offer also extends to purchases, making the card a well-rounded debt management tool.

Hotel rewards credit card

Wells Fargo’s hotel rewards credit card is unique, especially given that it has no ties to one hotel chain. If you’re not a hotel brand loyalist, this card lets you earn on purchases you make through a travel search engine instead. 

Pros and cons of Wells Fargo credit cards

Pros

  • Checkmark

    Dominant presence: Because Wells Fargo has more than 5,000 branches and 13,000 ATMs, you can redeem cash rewards with the Active Cash card (in increments of $20) in various places.

  • Checkmark

    Cellphone protection: The GoFar Rewards program does allow you to redeem your rewards for travel, but Wells Fargo’s credit card portfolio is more geared toward cash rewards.

Cons

  • Fewer card options: Wells Fargo currently offers very few credit cards. If you’re interested in comparing a selection of offers, you may be better off with a different issuer.

  • Not ideal for travelers: The GoFar Rewards program does allow you to redeem your rewards for travel, but Wells Fargo’s credit card portfolio is more geared toward cash rewards.

Who should get a Wells Fargo credit card?

Someone who fits into one of the following consumer types might benefit from one of the best Wells Fargo credit cards:

Who should skip a Wells Fargo credit card?

The Well Fargo card portfolio might not be ideal for the following consumers:

How Wells Fargo credit card rewards work

Of Wells Fargo’s four consumer credit cards, only the Active Cash and Autograph cards seem to earn rewards in the Wells Fargo Rewards® program. However, you can redeem the cash rewards you earn with these cards in four different ways:

  • For purchases, similar to statement credits
  • As a direct deposit into a qualifying Wells Fargo checking account, credit card account or mortgage
  • Cash at an ATM in increments of $20 with a Wells Fargo ATM or debit card
  • Gift cards in increments of $25

While the flexible redemption options are nice, it’s hard to compare Wells Fargo’s rewards program to other high-caliber programs like American Express’s or Chase’s programs. Wells Fargo offers a bare-bones points system with the Autograph card, but you can’t redeem the points for travel like you can with other issuer rewards programs.

Wells Fargo credit card benefits

One of the best Wells Fargo credit cards, the Active Cash, includes a notable variety of benefits that Wells Fargo and Visa offer. With the Active Cash, cardholders enjoy benefits like cellphone protection when using an eligible card to pay your phone bill (terms apply) and luxury hotel collection benefits, thanks to Visa Signature. 

The Wells Fargo Autograph also cashes in on cellphone protection and Visa Signature benefits. This card even goes a step further to include travel and emergency assistance services, like emergency ticket replacement and lost luggage locator services among others. 

Unfortunately, the other two Wells Fargo consumer credit cards do not have Visa Signature benefits attached, but still come with their own features. For example, the Wells Fargo Reflect card offers 24/7 on-demand roadside assistance, locksmith and towing services and deals at select merchants through My Wells Fargo Deals. With the Hotels.com Rewards Visa card, cardholders have access to perks like trip cancellation and interruption reimbursement.

Are Wells Fargo credit cards worth it?

They can be. If you want one of the best balance transfer or cash rewards cards, then Wells Fargo is worth a look. If you hope to maximize your rewards with points and miles, Wells Fargo falls woefully short with its program compared to Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards. If you want a few more options, you may be better off searching through the card portfolio of another issuer with more variety.

How we chose our top-rated Wells Fargo credit cards

Bankrate's personal finance experts choose the best Wells Fargo credit cards according to our 5-star rating system. The list of criteria for rating credit cards includes:
  • Checkmark
    Rewards
    Whether the card offers cash back, travel points/miles or multi-purpose rewards for eligible purchases and the potential returns based on rewards rate (1 percent cash back per $1 spent, 1 mile per $1 spent, and so on).
  • Checkmark
    Perks and benefits
    Whether the card offers extras such as retail discounts, extended warranties on purchases, travel insurance and financial management tools.
  • Checkmark
    Annual fee
    Whether the card charges an annual fee and if so, how much the card's overall value and benefits might offset the fee.
  • Checkmark
    Introductory offers
    Whether the card has a sign-up bonus, welcome offer or similar sign-up incentive and how much it adds to the card's overall value.
  • Checkmark
    Variable APR
    How the card's annual percentage rate (APR) compares with current averages as an indicator of cost and value.
  • Checkmark
    Foreign transaction fee
    Whether the card charges a foreign transaction fee for international purchases and how the fee affects the card's overall value.

Have more questions for our credit cards editors? Feel free to send us an email, find us on Facebook, or Tweet us @Bankrate.

The information about the Hotels.com Rewards Visa 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 about Wells Fargo credit cards