Wells Fargo Autograph Card vs. Capital One Venture Card [Detailed Comparison]

Having a go-to card in your wallet for daily purchases is convenient and ensures every purchase earns rewards. Selecting the right rewards-earning card to match your spending and accomplish the task can be an important step.

The cards we’ve selected for today’s comparison could fit perfectly into the role of rewarding every purchase you make. The popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the less familiar Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card offer strong earning potential, flexible redemption options, and useful benefits.

Join us as we dig deeper into the cards’ similarities, differences, and reasons you might choose one card over the other.

Wells Fargo Autograph Card vs. Capital One Venture Card — Overview

We plan to dive into the details of all the features and benefits of the Wells Fargo Autograph card and the Capital One Venture card. But first, a quick overview of how the cards compare may be helpful:

The Value of a Welcome Offer

Immediately after you’re approved for the Wells Fargo Autograph card or Capital One Venture card, you have the opportunity to earn a valuable welcome bonus offer.

The welcome offer can be earned by meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period for each card, typically the first few months after card approval.

Welcome offers are key to adding value in the first year of card membership and can be worth hundreds of dollars.

These welcome offers change, so review these card snapshots for the most recent information:

Rates & Fees

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers great 3x bonus points and cell phone protection with no annual fee.

Learn More(at Wells Fargo's secure site)

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers great 3x bonus points and cell phone protection with no annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.

20,000 points

Annual Fee

$0

APR

0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases, 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable APR thereafter.

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is an excellent no annual fee card that offers 3x points on 6 different bonus categories. Choose from multiple options when you’re ready to redeem your rewards, and take advantage of great perks including cell phone protection, auto rental collision damage waiver, and no foreign transaction fees.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3x points per $1 spent on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans
• 1x points per $1 spent on other purchases
• No annual fee

Cons

• Points are worth a fixed 1 cent per point, so it isn’t possible to get outsized value

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Select “Learn More” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
• Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s a $200 cash redemption value.
• Earn unlimited 3X points on the things that really add up – like restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases.
• $0 annual fee.
• 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable APR thereafter.
• Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
• Redeem your rewards points for travel, gift cards, or statement credits. Or shop at millions of online stores and redeem your rewards when you check out with PayPal.
• Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature^® Concierge.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases, 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable APR thereafter.
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

Welcome Offer

Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel.

$250 Capital One Travel Credit + 75,000 miles

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,600

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent Credit (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit

Cons

• $95 annual fee (rates & fees)
• Limited elite benefits

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

Bottom Line:

The Wells Fargo Autograph card and Capital One Venture card come with valuable welcome offers that can be earned in the period immediately following card approval.

Earning Potential

Using your card daily helps you accumulate rewards faster. The Wells Fargo Autograph card and Capital One Venture card earn well on several daily spending categories and travel.

Here are all the ways you earn points on our featured cards:

Wells Fargo Autograph Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph card is perfect for frequent travelers, as you receive elevated earnings on all your travel purchases. Dining, gas, and transit are also 3x bonus-earning categories.

If cell phone protection is important to you (we’ll discuss the coverage shortly), you can use your card to pay your monthly bill and earn 3x points. Select streaming services also receive bonus earnings.

Capital One Venture Card

The Capital One Venture card may work well if you spend heavily on expenses unrelated to travel. Expenses such as tuition, medical bills, home renovations, and repairs all receive 2x earnings, versus 1x on the Wells Fargo Autograph card.

It’s a card you want to carry with you, as the card earns 2x miles on every purchase you make. Plus, if booking a rental car or hotel via Capital One Travel, you earn 5x miles.

Bottom Line:

The Wells Fargo Autograph card works well for travelers with its 3x points on travel, dining, and transit. Streaming and phone services also earn 3x points. The Capital One Venture card earns 2x miles on all purchases, making it perfect for large expenses and everyday earnings.

Redemptions

Once you’ve earned a collection of rewards on either the Wells Fargo Autograph card or Capital One Venture card, you have the pleasure of redeeming them for travel or other items of value.

Fortunately, you have several redemption options from which to select:

Wells Fargo Autograph Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph card earns flexible Wells Fargo Rewards points. The points have a fixed redemption amount of 1 cent when redeemed for travel via Wells Fargo Rewards, a credit toward eligible Wells Fargo accounts, gift cards, shopping, and charitable donations.

Redeem Points for Award Flights

The opportunity for greater potential value may be realized when you transfer points to Wells Fargo transfer partners.

Currently, Wells Fargo’s 5 airline partners include Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus. It’s not a large selection, but it gives you access to all the major airline alliances.

We like redeeming Wells Fargo Rewards points by transferring to Air France-KLM Flying Blue when the airline program offers monthly Promo Rewards. Select award tickets can be discounted 25% to 50%, making it possible to score inexpensive long-haul flights for fewer miles.

Redeem Points for Free Hotel Nights

Choice Privileges is the only Wells Fargo hotel program partner, but it’s a great option. With a transfer ratio of 1 Wells Fargo Rewards point to 2 Choice Privileges points, your rewards go a long way.

While properties extend over 50 countries, properties in the Nordic countries can present a Choice Privileges sweet spot. For example, Selma Spa, Ascend Hotel Collection, in Sunne, Sweden, is a relaxing retreat embedded in nature that can cost up to $300 per night. You can secure a free hotel night for just 16,000 Choice Privileges points. That’s just 9,000 transferred Wells Fargo Rewards points!

Capital One Venture Card

The Capital One Venture card earns miles that are not frequent flyer miles but miles that function as reward points.

These flexible reward miles have a fixed value of 1 cent each when redeemed for travel via Capital One Travel, statement credits, gift cards, shopping, and donations.

Redeem Miles for Award Flights

With more than a dozen Capital One airline transfer partners, the best potential value may be realized when miles are transferred and used for award flights.

For example, you can purchase transcontinental business class in the U.S. on United Airlines by transferring just 25,000 Capital One miles to Avianca LifeMiles.

Redeem Miles for Free Hotel Nights

Capital One has 3 hotel transfer partners, including ALL – Accor Live Limitless (2:1 transfer ratio), Choice Privileges (1:1), and Wyndham Rewards (1:1).

The best value may be found with Wyndham Rewards. Redeeming 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points (30,000 transferred Capital One miles) can secure a high-end property like the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, which would normally cost up to $600 per night.

Based on the available options at redemption time, we value Wells Fargo Rewards points at about 1.5 cents each and Capital One miles at about 1.8 cents each.

Bottom Line:

The best potential value for rewards earned on the Wells Fargo Autograph card or Capital One Venture card is to transfer points to airline or hotel partners. The Capital One Venture card has more transfer partners from which to select.

Travel Protections and Benefits

There’s always the possibility that something could go wrong during your trip. Travel protections can help ease the frustration and worry.

Travel benefits can provide perks during your journey or save you money.

Here are the travel protections and benefits the Wells Fargo Autograph card and Capital One Venture card have in common, followed by those unique to each card:

• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver — Reserve and pay for your entire car rental with your card and decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW insurance to receive coverage for theft or damage.
  • Wells Fargo Autograph Card: Within the U.S., coverage is secondary, meaning you must first file a claim with other applicable insurance before card coverage applies. Outside of the U.S., where coverage is available, coverage is primary, even if you have other insurance.
  • Capital One Venture Card: This card comes with MasterRental Insurance, which offers secondary coverage in the U.S. if you have car insurance and primary coverage if you do not have insurance or when renting internationally.
• Roadside Dispatch — The Wells Fargo Autograph card offers roadside dispatch, and the Capital One Venture card offers Master RoadAssist. Both coverages provide a 24/7 roadside service call, which includes limited towing, jump-starting, lockout service, tire-changing, emergency fuel delivery, and standard winching.
• Travel Assistance Services — The dedicated 24/7 phone line can help arrange emergency transportation, translation services, legal and medical referrals, and more.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Neither of our featured cards charges foreign transaction fees (rates & fees of the Capital One Venture card).

Wells Fargo Autograph Card

• Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection Benefits — Book with your card and receive elite-style benefits. These include a best-rate guarantee, room upgrade upon arrival (when available), complimentary Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast for 2, a $25 food-and-beverage credit, late checkout upon request (when available), and VIP guest status.

Capital One Venture Card

• Lost or Damaged Luggage Insurance — Pay for your plane ticket with your card, and you could receive up to $1,500 per incident if your luggage is lost or stolen. There is a limit of 2 claims per 12-month period, and coverage is secondary to other coverage, including the airline’s.
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Reimbursement — Pay for your application or renewal fee with your card and receive reimbursement of up to $100 as a statement credit.
• Lifestyle Collection Hotel Benefits — Book your stay via Capital One Travel and receive a $50 experience credit, a room upgrade (when available), complimentary Wi-Fi, and early check-in and late checkout (when available).

Bottom Line:

The Wells Fargo Autograph card and Capital One Venture card come with collision damage waiver rental car insurance, roadside dispatch, elite-style hotel benefits, and do not charge foreign transaction fees (rates & fees of the Capital One Venture card). In addition, the Capital One Venture card offers lost or damaged luggage insurance and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Should something go wrong with an eligible purchase made with your card, shopping protections can provide economic relief. Shopping benefits can help save you money on select purchases.

Here are the shopping protections and benefits of the Wells Fargo Autograph card and Capital One Venture card:

Wells Fargo Autograph Card

• Cell Phone Protection — Pay your monthly bill with your card, and if your phone is damaged or stolen, you could receive up to $600 per claim. There is a maximum of 2 claims per 12-month period and a limit of $1,200.
• Introductory APR on Purchases — Pay back large or multiple purchases over time without incurring interest charges. Receive a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases, 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR thereafter.
• My Wells Fargo Deals — Log in to your online card account, select the offers you like, and add them to your card. Once you make the required purchase, you earn additional cash-back.
• Wells Fargo Exclusives — Cardmembers enjoy access to exclusive events and can purchase up to 6 tickets per event.

Capital One Venture Card

• Purchase Assurance — Pay for an eligible item with your card and receive purchase protection coverage for damage or theft within the first 90 days after purchase.
• Extended Warranty — An extra year of warranty coverage is added to eligible items with manufacturer’s warranties.
• Capital One Offers — Access the Capital One Offer links via your online card account. Make a purchase using the links and receive cash-back as a statement credit.

Bottom Line:

The Wells Fargo Autograph card has valuable cell phone protection and an introductory 0% APR on purchases (terms apply). The Capital One Venture card protects eligible purchases with purchase assurance and extended warranty coverage.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

It’s smart to consider card fees when selecting a rewards-earning card.

The Wells Fargo Autograph card has a $0 annual fee. The Capital One Venture card has an annual fee of $95 (rates & fees).

Neither of our featured cards charges an additional fee to add authorized users (rates & fees of the Capital One Venture card).

Final Thoughts

Since the Capital One Venture card has an annual fee and the Wells Fargo Autograph card does not, you need to realize greater value to benefit from the Capital One Venture card.

If your spending does not match the bonus earning categories of the Wells Fargo Autograph card or you are not a frequent traveler, the Capital One Venture card may be a better option. For example, if you’re spending heavily on tuition, repair bills, renovations, medical bills, or at grocery stores, you’d earn 2x rewards with the Capital One Venture card versus 1x.

Or, if you prefer to not keep track of bonus earning categories, the Capital One Venture card could be an appropriate choice. You still have excellent options at redemption time.

Otherwise, the $0-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph card is an excellent choice for earning on travel and having flexible travel redemption options. Plus, it comes with valuable cell phone protection.