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:

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.

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.

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).

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 .
• 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.

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 annual fee. The Capital One Venture card has an annual fee of (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 -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.

The only way to exceed this rate — potentially getting 2, 3, or even 4+ cents of value — is to transfer your points to Wells Fargo’s airline and hotel transfer partners. Redeeming points this way will allow you to receive maximum value from your rewards for travel. That could include multiple-night stays at European hotels or a business class flight across the country.

Although you’ll get the most value for your points this way, award availability is never guaranteed and will always depend on the travel date and demand, among other factors. While it can take a lot of extra work to find a flight or hotel that’s bookable with points, it can be well worth it once you save hundreds of dollars on travel.

There are tons of examples of how to redeem points for travel, so we’ll go over the 22 best ways you can achieve this goal.

Earn Wells Fargo Rewards Points

To earn Wells Fargo Rewards points, you’ll need the right credit card in your wallet. Only select Wells Fargo cards earn Wells Fargo Rewards points, which are fully transferrable to the issuer’s transfer partners. Wells Fargo has other credit cards, such as cash rewards or 0% APR cards, that do not earn points.

Wells Fargo points-earning cards belong to the Wells Fargo Autograph card family. It’s possible to hold both Autograph cards at the same time.

Recommended Wells Fargo Cards (Personal)

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card and the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card strictly earn cash rewards. The cash rewards earned with these cards can only be converted into Wells Fargo Rewards points if you have either of the Autograph cards.

You can earn Wells Fargo Rewards points by making purchases such as travel and everyday spending on eligible credit cards.

Transfer Wells Fargo Rewards Points to Airline and Hotel Partners

Wells Fargo Rewards points can be transferred to numerous travel loyalty programs. All of the points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, except Choice Privileges, which has a 1:2 ratio.

Wells Fargo Airline Transfer Partners

Did you know you can earn miles with airlines you’ve never even flown before?

Wells Fargo partners with several international airlines. To join one of these programs, sign up for a free loyalty account with the airline and then transfer your Wells Fargo Rewards points, with a minimum of 1 point.

The ratios are easy to understand: transfer 1 Wells Fargo Rewards point to get 1 airline mile.

Wells Fargo Hotel Transfer Partners

Thanks to Wells Fargo’s partnership with Choice Privileges, you can take advantage of a generous 1:2 transfer ratio. By transferring 1 Wells Fargo Rewards point, you’ll get 2 Choice Privileges points, making this an excellent way to redeem points for hotel nights.

The 19 Best Ways To Redeem Your Wells Fargo Rewards Points for Flights

We highly recommend redeeming your Wells Fargo Rewards points to book flights with one of the program’s 5 airline transfer partners. Though they are all international carriers, these airlines are part of the 3 major alliances: Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance.

Below, we’ll show you how to maximize your points for domestic and international flights.

1. Book Qatar Airways QSuite to Doha (British Airways Avios)

Qatar Airways adopted Avios as its mileage currency in 2022, which is shared between Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling. You can book Qatar Airways flights by redeeming Avios via British Airways Executive Club or Iberia Plus. The latter 2 programs are transfer partners of Wells Fargo Rewards.

How much will this cost you, exactly? For 94,500 points transferred to British Airways and roughly $100 in taxes and fees, you can book a one-way ticket in Qatar Airways QSuite. Award availability can be hard to come by, but it’s a steal if you come across it.

The airline flies to its Doha (DOH) hub from a few major U.S. cities. Look for the aircraft with QSuite, as Qatar hasn’t fully rolled out this product fleetwide. You can often find it from Atlanta (ATL), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), and New York (JFK) to Doha (DOH).

2. Fly to Hawaii From the West Coast U.S. (British Airways Avios)

If a getaway to Hawaii is up your alley, take advantage of the favorable award rates by British Airways Avios. The carrier is a part of the Oneworld alliance, which means you can book domestic flights with its partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

Award availability is easy to find on routes from the West Coast to Hawaii, with multiple seats per flight. As a domestic flight, it will cost you 20,000 Avios and $5.60 in taxes and fees per person.

Here’s an example of routes you can book:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Kona (KOA)
• San Diego (SAN) – Honolulu (HNL)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Maui (OGG) 

3. Take Short-Haul Flights on Partner Airlines (British Airways Avios)

Domestic flights can be surprisingly expensive, sometimes costing you an arm and a leg. That’s why you can save lots of cash by booking short-haul flights with British Airways Avios on its partners American and Alaska.

Although British Airways has devalued redemptions several times recently, there are still some mileage deals to be found. Here’s a look at the award pricing you can expect based on the flight distance:

Here are some examples of routes that you can book and their award rates:

• New York (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX): 20,000 Avios and $5.60 in taxes and fees
• Raleigh-Durham (RDU) – Phoenix (PHX): 18,000 Avios and $5.60 in taxes and fees
• Tampa (TPA) – Dallas (DFW): 16,000 Avios and $5.60 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (DCA) – Boston (BOS): 12,000 Avios and $5.60 in taxes and fees

4. Fly From the West Coast to Tokyo (British Airways Avios)

We love using British Airways Avios because of their flexibility. In addition to quick trips within the U.S., you can also redeem them for long flights from the West Coast to Tokyo’s Haneda or Narita Airports.

A one-way ticket in economy will set you back 25,750 Avios, 77,250 Avios for business class, or 103,000 Avios for first class on partner Japan Airlines. The taxes and fees will run you a few hundred dollars.

Here’s a short list of routes you can book with British Airways Avios to Japan for these rates:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo (NRT) and Tokyo (HND) on Japan Airlines
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo (NRT) and Tokyo (HND) on Japan Airlines

5. Fly to Amsterdam, Paris, and Beyond in Business Class (Flying Blue)

Getting to Europe in a lie-flat seat can help ease the effects of jetlag from a long-haul flight. Wells Fargo Rewards points transfer to Flying Blue, the joint frequent flyer program of Air France and KLM. These international airlines are headquartered in Paris and Amsterdam, respectively, but they fly to virtually every European city from their hubs.

What’s more, you can book SkyTeam alliance partners Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic via Flying Blue, giving you significantly more options to get to Europe in business class.

While award pricing is variable, meaning it will highly depend on the route and travel demand, you can expect one-way tickets in business class to start at 50,000 Flying Blue miles. Taxes and fees will run you about $250, but this is a bargain compared to the thousands of dollars you’d normally pay for the same ticket. Check out the starting rates on a nonstop flight from Boston (BOS) to Paris (CDG):

Want to fly elsewhere in Europe? You’ll get the same economy pricing on a flight from Boston (BOS) to Rome (FCO) via Paris (CDG):

6. Snag Cheap Economy and Premium Economy Flights to Europe (Flying Blue)

If you need to book multiple seats in business class, it will be significantly harder to find the standard 50,000-mile pricing as shown in the previous example. That’s why booking economy and premium economy is a great alternative, as you’ll consistently find more award space to book your entire group on 1 itinerary.

Summer is peak travel season in Europe, and you certainly can’t beat Flying Blue’s award rates in a pinch. You can book an entire round-trip fare for 40,000 Flying Blue miles in economy or 70,000 Flying Blue miles in premium economy if you prefer more comfort.

7. Save up to 50% on Flights With Flying Blue Promo Rewards (Flying Blue)

But wait, there’s more. Flying Blue’s Promo Rewards program updates mileage deals every month with 25% or 50% off economy and business class redemptions originating from Europe. This can be a great option to book flights between Europe and North America, within Europe, or elsewhere in the world.

For instance, when Promo Rewards offers 50% off on routes between Europe and North America, you will only pay 12,500 miles in economy and 26,500 miles in business class. While Promo Rewards do not discount the taxes and fees associated with a ticket, it’s still an underrated way to book discounted award flights.

8. Fly to Asia in Business Class From the Continental U.S. (Flying Blue)

Award seats to Asia are incredibly rare to come by. Flying Blue partners with several Asian airlines you can redeem miles with, including Japan Airlines and Korean Air. Here are a few options for travelers looking to book flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Seoul (ICN), which are pretty reasonable compared to cash rates.

9. Fly to Hawaii on Delta in Economy From the Continental U.S. (Flying Blue)

You can book Delta Air Lines award travel with Wells Fargo Rewards points through Flying Blue. An excellent redemption using Flying Blue miles is for a flight from the continental U.S. to Hawaii. A round-trip ticket in economy will only cost roughly 35,000 Flying Blue miles and about $11.20 in fees.

Flying Blue also partners with other big rewards programs: Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy. There’s no shortage of ways to earn Flying Blue miles.

10. Fly to Mexico on Delta or Aeromexico in Economy From the U.S. (Flying Blue)

Flights between the U.S. and Mexico are a bargain with Flying Blue. You can book flights on Delta and Aeromexico with Flying Blue miles on various routes starting at just 16,000 miles in each direction.

Here are a few examples of routes you can book:

• Detroit (DTW) – Cancun (CUN) on Delta
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Puerto Vallarta (PVR) on Delta
• Raleigh-Durham (RDU) – Mexico City (MEX) on Aeromexico

11. Take Cheap Economy Flights to Tahiti From the U.S. (Flying Blue)

Air France operates a unique nonstop route between Los Angeles (LAX) and Tahiti (PPT), so you can redeem Flying Blue miles to get away as far as French Polynesia. A one-way economy flight will cost you around 27,500 miles and $100 in taxes and fees.

Premium economy is also quite affordable at 40,000 miles if that’s more of your style. For the 8-hour flight, it might be worth the splurge.

12. Book Cheap Economy Class Flights to Dublin From Several U.S. Cities (Aer Lingus AerClub)

Another Wells Fargo Rewards transfer partner is Aer Lingus AerClub. This airline program earns Avios, and you can transfer Avios between British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

Although they share the same currency, each frequent flyer program has its own award pricing and sweet spots. Most famously, Aer Lingus charges 26,000 Avios (off-peak) or 40,000 Avios (peak) to book a round-trip ticket between the U.S. and Ireland.

That’s a great deal, and here are a few routes you can find this mileage rate from cities in the Northeast:

• Boston (BOS) – Shannon (SNN) and Dublin (DUB) 
• New York (JFK) – Shannon (SNN) and Dublin (DUB) 
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Dublin (DUB) 

Aer Lingus also flies nonstop to Ireland from other U.S. cities beyond the Northeast, including Los Angeles (LAX) and Miami (MIA). Because these airports are a bit further away, round-trip flights in economy will cost 32,500 Avios (off-peak) or 50,000 Avios (peak). You can book all Aer Lingus Avios awards here.

13. Fly to Spain From the U.S. in Business Class (Iberia Plus)

Looking to book a one-way business class ticket between the U.S. and Spain? How does 34,000 Avios sound? Iberia Plus offers one of the most affordable ways to get to Spain (or Europe, for that matter) with points and miles.

While Iberia’s product is nothing worth writing home about, we can’t complain about a comfortable lie-flat seat across the Atlantic. The airline charges 34,000 Avios (off-peak) and 50,000 Avios (peak) for certain routes to Spain:

• Boston (BOS) – Madrid (MAD)
• Chicago (ORD) – Madrid (MAD)
• New York (JFK) – Barcelona (BCN) and Madrid (MAD)

14. Fly to Spain From the U.S. in Economy or Premium Economy (Iberia Plus)

Iberia’s economy and premium economy rates are incredibly reasonable. These can be a great alternative to business class, as there will usually never be more than 1 to 2 award seats available at a time.

If you’re trying to book a flight for a family, you can often book up to 9 award seats in economy and premium economy instead — and save quite a bit on Avios.

15. Fly Lufthansa First Class Without Surcharges to Europe (Avianca LifeMiles)

Avianca is part of the Star Alliance, unlocking epic redemptions on highly sought-after carriers. Travelers can use Avianca LifeMiles to book flights on Lufthansa, particularly for its first class product on the Boeing 747-8i, which is an example of a great redemption.

It can be incredibly difficult to find the award space for Lufthansa’s first class, as the carrier mostly puts last-minute redemptions up for grabs. If your plans are flexible — we’re talking 3 days or less — you may be able to score this coveted redemption for just 87,000 LifeMiles. These routes include Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Frankfurt (FRA).

16. Fly to Australia and New Zealand (Avianca LifeMiles)

Flying to Australia or New Zealand can often cost well over $1,500 for a round-trip ticket. Booking your tickets with LifeMiles can be a great way to save money instead. A one-way economy ticket costs 40,000 LifeMiles, while a business class ticket costs 80,000 miles, although the award space for the latter option will be significantly more difficult to find.

Here are some example flights you could book:

• Chicago (ORD) – Auckland (AKL) on Air New Zealand
• Houston (IAH) – Auckland (AKL) on Air New Zealand
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Melbourne (MEL) on United Airlines
• San Francisco (SFO) – Auckland (AKL) on United Airlines
• Vancouver (YVR) – Sydney (SYD) on Air Canada

17. Fly to Asia in Business Class (Avianca LifeMiles)

Avianca LifeMiles offers excellent redemption opportunities to Asia. You can book a one-way ticket for 85,000 LifeMiles and under $30 in taxes and fees! It can be worth the time to search for business class seats with partners such as United Airlines and Asiana Airlines.

To get even cheaper business class tickets, consider positioning yourself in Hawaii. You could book an ANA flight from Honolulu (HNL) to Tokyo (HND) for just 48,000 LifeMiles and $27.80 in taxes and fees.

You can use LifeMiles to book several nonstop routes to Asia:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Seoul (ICN) on Asiana Airlines
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo (NRT) on ANA
• San Francisco (SFO) – Seoul (ICN) on United Airlines

18. Fly From New York to Portugal in Business Class for a Record Low Rate (Avianca LifeMiles)

There’s no shortage of ways to book business class seats to virtually every corner of the world — due in part to Avianca LifeMiles availability.

Another great partner to consider is TAP Air Portugal, where flights to (or from) Portugal will cost 63,000 miles in business class:

• Chicago (ORD) – Lisbon (LIS)
• Miami (MIA) – Lisbon (LIS)
• Newark (EWR) – Porto (OPO)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Lisbon (LIS)

However, Avianca has a quirk with its award pricing on the nonstop route between New York (JFK) and Lisbon (LIS). This business class flight can be booked for just 35,000 miles instead, so it’s worth booking a positioning flight to JFK even if you’re not based in the New York area.

19. Fly to Türkiye in Business Class on Turkish Airlines (Avianca LifeMiles)

If Türkiye is on your bucket list, transfer 63,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points to Avianca LifeMiles to book a one-way business class ticket on Turkish Airlines. Some aircraft are updated with newer business class seats than others, but these seats will generally provide plenty of legroom and elevated dining onboard.

In general, we love booking with LifeMiles to be freed from out-of-pocket fuel surcharges that often plague international award flights on other loyalty programs. Turkish Airlines operates several nonstop routes that you can book from Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), and New York (JFK) to Istanbul (IST).

The 3 Best Ways To Redeem Your Wells Fargo Rewards Points for Hotels

Although Wells Fargo Rewards only offers 1 hotel partner — Choice Privileges — cardholders can transfer points to the program at a 1:2 ratio. Essentially, you’ll get double the rewards by transferring Wells Fargo Rewards points to Choice Privileges.

The loyalty program offers upscale stays with its Ascend Collection properties and brands like Radisson Blu. However, Choice is also a partner with Preferred Hotels, which is a collection of hundreds of independently owned luxury hotels and resorts around the world. Guest rooms start at 25,000 points per night, so you’ll only need half that amount when transferring points from Wells Fargo.

Once you’ve transferred points to your Choice Privileges account, visit the Choice Hotels website and toggle Use Choice Privileges points instead under the Special Rates section. However, to book Preferred Hotels properties, you’ll need to visit this dedicated link upon logging into your loyalty account.

1. Book Preferred Hotels Properties in the U.S. (Choice Privileges)

We highly recommend booking Preferred Hotel properties to maximize your Wells Fargo Rewards points. Here’s a shortlist of the properties you can book within the U.S.:

• The Guest House at Graceland in Memphis: About 45,000 Choice points per night
• The Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles: About 51,000 Choice points per night
• Hotel Nikko in San Francisco: About 29,000 Choice points per night
• Northern Hotel in Billings: About 29,000 points per night
• Pendry Hotel in San Diego: About 67,000 Choice points per night
• Red Rock Casino Resort Spa in Las Vegas: About 25,000 Choice points per night
• Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando: About 35,000 Choice points per night

Don’t forget to halve the rates quoted above when transferring Wells Fargo Rewards points to Choice Privileges, which makes the deal even sweeter.

2. Book Preferred Hotels Properties Abroad (Choice Privileges)

The Preferred Hotels collection offers a ton of properties outside of the U.S., too, so don’t overlook these options when you’re planning your next vacation. Whether you’re interested in visiting Italy or Japan, these are our favorite properties you can book with Choice points:

• The Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore: About 55,000 points per night
• Hotel Chinzanso in Tokyo, Japan: About 40,000 points per night
• Hotel Sea Cliff in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: About 25,000 points per night
• Hotel Villa Cipriani in Asolo, Italy: About 45,000 points per night
• L’Hôtel du Collectionneur in Paris, France: About 60,000 points per night
• Lancaster Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand: About 25,000 points per night
• Porta Hotel in Antigua, Guatemala: About 25,000 points per night
• The Social House in Nairobi, Kenya: About 25,000 points per night

3. Book Affordable Hotels Starting at 8,000 Points Per Night (Choice Privileges)

There are nearly 2 dozen brands that fall under the Choice Hotels portfolio, most of which are budget hotels such as Comfort Inn and Sleep Inn. With award nights starting at just 8,000 Choice Privileges points (4,000 Wells Fargo points!), this could be one of the most affordable ways to book hotels with points.

How To Transfer Your Wells Fargo Rewards to Airline and Hotel Transfer Partners

1. Head over to Wells Fargo’s website and log into your account.

2. Select Wells Fargo Rewards from the homepage.

3. Open the Use Rewards dropdown and select Rewards Points Transfer.

4. You’ll need to link accounts with each loyalty program before initiating a transfer. In this case, we’ll select Avianca LifeMiles. Add your partner account number and select Continue.

5. Enter the number of points you want to transfer, hit Accept the terms and conditions, and click Submit. Transfers are final, so make sure you’ve confirmed your award availability before this point!

Final Thoughts

The only way to exceed a redemption value of more than 1 cent per point with Wells Fargo Rewards is to book travel via transfer partners. While these programs may not be familiar to you, alliances offer dozens of ways to get maximum value from your hard-earned points.

With the right amount of Wells Fargo Rewards points, you can vacation just about anywhere. We hope this guide provided you with some travel inspiration and helpful redemption tips.

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* This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by Upgraded Points after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability, and how much Upgraded Points would pay to buy these points.
** Calculated as bonus points divided by the dollars spent to achieve the bonus.

Best Personal Card Welcome Bonus Offers Card Details

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Not only does the Amex Platinum card have one of the best welcome offers, but it’s also one of the best travel rewards cards that you can apply for. While it has a large annual fee, frequent travelers are more than able to make up for the expense thanks to the various credits it offers. The Amex Platinum card regularly tops our lists of excellent travel cards, as it offers hotel and rental car elite status and is the best credit card for airport lounge access — including access to Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (upon enrollment), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more.

Check out some of the best ways to redeem the Amex Platinum card’s welcome offer.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of our top picks for starter travel rewards credit cards because of its combination of bonus categories, benefits, and the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Cardholders earn 5x points on travel purchased through the Chase Travel portal, 3x points on dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services, and 2x points on all other travel purchases. Plus, on your account anniversary, you earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.

You also receive statement credits for hotel stays, along with excellent travel and purchase protections. When you redeem your points, you receive a 25% bonus when you book with Chase Travel, or you can transfer your points using Chase’s excellent airline and hotel partnerships.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is the premium, big brother version of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and offers more perks and higher bonus categories, but has a higher annual fee.

It earns 10x points on hotels and rental cars purchased through the Chase Travel portal, 5x points on flights purchased through the Chase Travel portal, and 3x points on dining and general travel purchases. Cardholders receive a $300 annual travel credit, lounge access to Priority Pass and Chase Sapphire Lounges, and top-notch travel and purchase protection.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers the same great access to Chase airline and hotel transfer partners that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has, but when you redeem points through the Chase Travel portal with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, your point bonus value increases by 50%.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is a great all-in-one premium rewards card. It offers 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and an uncapped 2x miles on all other purchases.

Plus, you receive lounge access to Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and Capital One Lounges, a $300 annual travel credit, 10,000 annual bonus miles, cell phone protection, and more.

Look at all the best ways you can put the Capital One Venture X card welcome offer to good use.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

While the Capital One Venture card doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles of the Capital One Venture X card, it currently has the same great welcome offer and plenty of solid perks.

It also earns an uncapped 2x miles on all purchases, has a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, and more.

Need more redemption ideas? Read our full guide on the best ways to redeem Capital One miles.

American Express® Gold Card

The Amex Gold card is easily one of our favorite rewards cards. Amex Membership Rewards points are among our favorite points to earn, and the Amex Gold card is great at earning them. With it, you earn 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 annually), 4x points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery (up to $50,000 annually), and 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or at AmexTravel.com.

Cardholders also receive great benefits (some of which require prior enrollment), such as Uber Cash up to $120 annually (up to $10 monthly Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.), up to $120 in dining annually (up to $10 each month at select restaurants and food delivery services), travel protections, and access to Amex Offers.

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

The Citi Strata Premier card is among the best all-around starter travel rewards cards. It’s excellent at earning points, as it offers 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com, along with 3x points on airfare, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations.

The Citi Strata Premier card helps keep you covered with trip delay insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, lost or damaged luggage insurance, and MasterRental coverage, which is secondary car rental insurance.

While we don’t value Citi ThankYou Points quite as highly as other transferable points currencies, they are still incredibly useful when redeemed through the ThankYou portal. You also have access to excellent transfer partners, including Avianca, Turkish, and Virgin Atlantic.

If you need inspiration, read through our complete guide to some of the best ways to redeem your Citi ThankYou Points.

British Airways Visa Signature® Card

The British Airways Visa card has many benefits for cardholders, including bonus categories and perks such as 10% off British Airways flights starting in the U.S., up to $600 in award flight statement credits each year, and the Travel Together Ticket.

You might think that you don’t need British Airways Executive Club Avios if you have no plans to travel to the U.K. anytime soon, but Avios are also useful for booking short-haul awards within the U.S., with awards with Oneworld partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines as low as 8,250 Avios one-way.

Citi®/AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

The AAdvantage Executive World Elite card underwent a major refresh in 2023, which added new perks.

In addition to Admirals Club access for you and up to 2 traveling companions, the card still offers a free checked bag for you and up to 8 traveling companions, a 25% rebate on inflight food and beverage purchases, priority boarding, and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit.

The new perks of the card include 4x miles on American flights on up to $150,000 in spending, and then 5x miles for the remainder of the year, plus 10x miles on rental cars booked through aa.com/cars and hotels booked through aa.com/hotels.

There are also new statement credits, including an annual statement credit of up to $120 for Avis or Budget car rentals (which earns a $1 statement credit per $1 spent on eligible rentals), up to $10 in monthly statement credits for Grubhub, and up to $10 monthly in Lyft credits after taking 3 eligible rides in a month.

Cardmembers can also earn 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year, plus an additional 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points in the same status qualification year.

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card

The Alaska Signature card is a must-have for frequent Alaska flyers. It offers perks such as free checked bags, priority boarding, 20% back on Alaska Airlines inflight purchases, and Alaska’s annual companion fare.

Plus, Alaska has a really generous partner award chart that allows you to book flights like a one-way business class ticket between the U.S. West Coast and Tokyo for just 60,000 miles.

Best Business Card Welcome Bonus Offers Card Details

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The Amex Business Platinum card offers a welcome offer large enough to redeem for some big-time travel value. The card is a great fit for traveling business owners looking for a premium credit card that offers the best airport lounge access, expedited security screening through Global Entry and CLEAR Plus, and helpful annual statement credits with companies including Dell, Indeed, and Adobe (enrollment required).

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred card is a great all-around business rewards card that offers 3x points on your first $150,000 spent annually on travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable, and phone services; and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines. Business owners really rack up points with this card.

Even with only a annual fee, it offers access to Chase transfer partners, your points are worth 25% more through the Chase Travel portal, and you have great coverage, including cell phone insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty protection, and rental car insurance.

Read through our guide on the best ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points to see just how much value this welcome offer can provide you.

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Another great -annual-fee business card option, the Ink Business Unlimited card earns an unlimited 1.5% cash-back on all purchases and offers useful perks for business owners, including employee cards at no additional cost, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection. Further, it’s also one of the best 0% APR business credit cards.

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

The Ink Business Cash card is a fantastic -annual-fee business credit card for those whose spending habits align with its bonus categories.

You can earn 5% cash-back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each year and 2% cash-back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each year.

American Express® Business Gold Card

The Amex Business Gold card is a compelling option for those looking to earn as many points as possible on their business expenses. You earn 4x points on the top 2 categories in which your business spends the most every month (up to $150,000 in combined purchases every calendar year) from the following categories:

• Transit purchases, including trains, taxicabs, ride-share services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
• U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers
• Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)

The card also offers 3x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com, up to $20 in monthly statement credits for purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores, a monthly statement credit for a Walmart+ membership, and more (enrollment is required).

Ink Business Premier® Credit Card

The Ink Business Premier card is a hit for business owners with large expenditures, as the card earns an uncapped 2.5% back on every purchase of $5,000 or more and 2% back on every other purchase.

While the card earns Ultimate Rewards points, the rewards can’t be combined with cards that have access to Chase transfer partners, such as the Ink Business Preferred card. That said, the card is still compelling, especially with its lucrative welcome bonus:

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

If you’re a frequent Southwest flyer, the Southwest Performance Business card can offer great value. It earns 4x points on Southwest purchases, 3x points on hotel and rental car partners, and 2x points on local transit, social media and search engine advertising, and internet, cable, phone, and select streaming services.

You get 4 complimentary Upgraded Boardings each year, 9,000 annual bonus points, inflight Wi-Fi credits, and up to a $500 annual fee credit towards point transfers.

Beyond the value you can receive from the welcome bonus offer, this welcome offer gets you 64% of the way to the 135,000 points needed to earn the highly coveted Southwest Companion Pass. That allows a companion to travel with you for only the price of taxes and fees on your companion’s ticket — talk about big-time value!

Capital One Venture X Business Card

In addition to its massive welcome offer, the Capital One Venture X Business card is great for business owners. With it, you always earn at least 2 Capital One miles per dollar spent, access Capital One’s transfer partners and over 1,400 airport lounges, and breeze through airports with priority security screening with the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application credit.

How To Choose the Right Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offer

While a credit card welcome bonus offer is great, it’s not the only factor that determines whether or not a card is a good fit for you. Consider the card’s bonus categories, benefits, protections, redemption options, and annual fee in addition to the welcome bonus offer.

If most of the card’s perks seem like a good fit for you, then the welcome bonus offer you receive is just that — a bonus!

Is a Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offer Worth It?

A credit card welcome bonus offer is extremely worth it if you can meet the spending requirement. A new welcome offer can kick-start your rewards balance and get you that much closer to your next vacation. The best welcome offers can be worth thousands of dollars in travel.

Consider this: If the welcome bonus offer on a card like the Amex Gold card is 60,000 points, you could earn the 60,000-point bonus, or you would need to spend a combined $15,000 on its 4x bonus categories of U.S. supermarkets and restaurants before earning that 60,000 points with regular spending. This is why a great card welcome bonus offer can be so lucrative!

Methodology: How We Selected the Best Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offers

We rank the best credit card welcome bonus offers based on the dollar valuation the bonus provides. Of course, not all loyalty programs offer the same value proposition, so we determine the value of a current bonus offer based on our monthly points and miles valuations. For instance, if a welcome bonus offer is 60,000 points and we value those points at 2 cents each, the bonus is worth $1,200.

Final Thoughts

There you have it: the best credit card welcome bonus offers for this month! Keep in mind that though a card’s welcome offer might be great, it might not necessarily be the right card for you. Make sure you weigh which cards can offer you the most value, beyond just the welcome offer, when deciding what new card to add to your wallet.

We update this page each month, so remember to check back regularly, as new welcome bonus offers are released to see which cards make our top list.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits may provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Unfortunately, Amex no longer offers a simple tool for checking your progress toward a welcome bonus offer, but there are some workarounds to help you ensure you complete the requirements on time. Here’s how you can track the progress toward your bonus on the Amex website and mobile app.

Chat With a Representative

Hands down, the simplest way to confirm this information is by logging into the Amex website and starting a chat. First, inform the chat agent that you want to confirm the requirements for your bonus and track your progress, then you’ll go through the process of verifying your identity.

From here, the agent can provide useful details like the day you opened the account, the bonus you’re working toward, its spending requirement, and the deadline. You also can check how much you’ve spent on the card so far.

Getting all of this information in 1 place — while also being able to ask questions — makes the process simple. You’ll know the bonus deadline and how much progress you’ve made.

Use Spending Trackers on the Website

First, the bad news: There’s no dedicated tracker for your American Express welcome bonus offer. While you can find bonus trackers with other banks online, Amex sadly doesn’t offer this. However, you can accomplish roughly the same thing in a few ways.

Benefit-Related Spending Trackers

American Express offers spending-related benefits on several of its credit cards. Whether you’re working toward a free night award on a hotel credit card or elite status benefits on an airline card, you can track your spending progress toward these.

While that’s not the same as explicitly tracking the spending toward a welcome bonus, all spending on your card should show up in these trackers, helping you know what you’ve spent so far toward your new Amex card’s welcome offer.

To access these spending trackers, log into your account and select the relevant card in the top right corner. Then, click on Rewards & Benefits in the menu.

On the next page, click Benefits to see the perk offered on your card — as well as the spending trackers for those that require spending on your card to unlock the benefit. Depending on how many benefits there are, you may need to click Show all.

Not all of the spending trackers will be helpful here. For example, the tracker for the airline fee credit on The Platinum Card® from American Express won’t help you know how much you’ve spent toward a welcome bonus offer because only certain purchases apply with a preferred airline that you select in advance.

However, another benefit on the Amex Platinum card does count all of your year-to-date spending: earning guest privileges at the Centurion Lounges. You could use this tracker to see what you’ve spent on your card, and this number should be the same — or relatively close — as the spending that counts toward the welcome bonus offer you’re working on.

Spending Reports

It’s also possible to find a year-to-date spending report and use that to check your bonus progress. This can be helpful if your card doesn’t have the trackers discussed above — or if you just wish to see the information in a different way.

To access this report, click on View All in the recent transactions when looking at the home page for your credit card. On the next page, under your charges and balance, look for the option View Your Spending Report.

The default view for your spending report will be recent transactions — those that posted since your last statement closed. In the Date Range menu, choose the option for Year to Date. Voilà, you’re now seeing how much you’ve spent on your card this year. That helps you know how much you’ve spent toward the welcome bonus offer.

Caveats

It’s worth noting that these reports aren’t an exact measure of how much progress you’ve made toward an Amex welcome bonus offer. When you apply for a new card, American Express always highlights certain types of purchases that don’t count toward completing the welcome offer.

Excluded purchases include prepaid gift cards, person-to-person payments, and cash-like transactions, such as buying traveler’s checks. If you’ve made any of these types of purchases, then you might see spending on your report that doesn’t count toward the welcome bonus. Be sure to clarify with Amex directly how much progress you’ve made toward the spending requirement before the deadline.

Final Thoughts

Some credit card issuers make it easy to track progress toward the new account bonus on your credit card. Unfortunately, American Express lacks a specific tool for tracking your welcome bonus offer progress. You can use reports to get close to this number, but the chat function is the winner for finding this information easily.

Since the card launched, Bilt has added several options to redeem rewards with transfer partners. Now, the card has 16 transfer partners, among other ways to redeem rewards.

Here are a few frequently asked questions about Bilt Rewards, including how you can redeem them, what partners you can transfer to, and how to maximize them.

12 FAQs About Bilt Rewards

1. What Are Bilt Rewards?

Bilt Rewards is the loyalty program associated with the Bilt card. Cardholders can earn Bilt Rewards points on their purchases.

Bilt card users can earn points for the following bonus categories:

• 3x points at restaurants
• 2x points on travel booked directly with airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies
• 1x points on rent payments with no transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
• 1x points on other eligible purchases

Additionally, on the first of each month (known as Bilt Rent Day), you can earn double points on all purchases (minus rent). However, to qualify for these earnings, you must make at least 5 qualifying transactions per month.

Each redemption offers a different value, but transferring rewards to one of Bilt’s transfer partners, such as Hilton Honors and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, is likely to offer the most value.

2. Is Bilt Rewards Worth It?

The Bilt card is awesome as it lets you earn rewards on your rent without any rent payment transaction fees, which is a rare opportunity. The combination of charging rent as a big purchase and then adding on smaller purchases like travel and dining makes it a valuable card. Plus, the Bilt card gives you great consumer protections, including travel and purchase protections, no foreign transaction fees, and access to special events. If you’re a renter, it could be a great card for your wallet.

As a homeowner, it could be a bit of a harder sell. HOA payments can be charged to the Bilt card, but the ability for homeowners to maximize the value of the card remains limited for now.

3. How Do I Check My Bilt Rewards Points?

You can check your Bilt Rewards balance in your account.

When you log in to the website, you will see your points balance in the upper right-hand corner.

When using the Bilt app, the points balance will be in a similar upper right-hand corner position.

4. How Much Are Bilt Rewards Points Worth?

We value Bilt Rewards at 1.8 cents per point. That means if you save up 100,000 Bilt Rewards points for your next trip, you’ll have roughly $1,800 worth of points. However, the actual value you achieve is determined by how you redeem the points.

Valuing any loyalty program is subject to subjectivity. Additionally, valuations can change rapidly as brands and companies devalue rewards based on business needs.

For example, Bilt recently ended its partnership with American Airlines AAdvantage, negatively affecting the overall value of the rewards.

As you’re earning rewards, be mindful of not only earning heaps of points but also redeeming them simultaneously. Letting points sit stale can be a net negative, as the value of the points can fall without warning as brands change their respective programs.

5. How Much Are 2,500 Bilt Rewards Points Worth?

According to our valuations, 2,500 Bilt Rewards points are worth $45.

6. How Much Are 5,000 Bilt Rewards Points Worth?

We value 5,000 Bilt Rewards points to be worth $90.

With 5,000 Bilt Rewards points, you can get a $25 credit towards rent, though this is far below our value of $90.

You could also book a fitness class in Chicago with 3,750 Bilt Rewards points worth an estimated $67.50 (though you could purchase this outright for $32, so it’s not a great redemption).

7. How Much Are 10,000 Bilt Rewards Points Worth?

With 10,000 Bilt Rewards points — worth an estimated $180 — you could have enough points for a free night at a Hyatt hotel when you transfer your points to World of Hyatt.

8. How Much Are 20,000 Bilt Rewards Points Worth?

We value 20,000 Bilt Rewards points to be worth $360 when redeemed for travel.

You could also make a purchase through the Bilt Collection and score a Beast Blender. These retail for $99, so, again, you’ll maximize your points by redeeming them for travel instead.

9. What Can You Use Bilt Rewards Points For?

Bilt Rewards points can be used for several different redemptions, including:

• Travel with various airline and hotel partners
• Booking travel on the Bilt Rewards Travel Portal (1.25 cents each)
• The Bilt Collection purchases, which includes a variety of art, home decor, and lifestyle goods
• Fitness classes
• Payment for part or all of your Amazon purchases (Bilt cardholders only, 0.7 cents each)
• Payment for part of your rent
• Saving for a home down payment
• Statement credit (Bilt cardholders only, 0.55 cents each)

10. How Much Are Bilt Rewards Points Worth in Cash?

Bilt Rewards aren’t redeemable for cash. The most cash-like redemption is redeeming your points towards your rent. Bilt cardholders can redeem their points as statement credits.

11. What Partners Can I Transfer Bilt Rewards Points To?

Bilt Rewards can be transferred to 12 airline partners and 4 hotel partners. Bilt occasionally runs transfer bonus promotions.

12. What Is the Best Way To Redeem Bilt Rewards Points?

Transferring Bilt Rewards points to a travel partner is one of the best ways to redeem points. Here are some of our favorites:

• Transfer points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue for Air France or KLM business class flights
• Transfer points to British Airways Executive Club for Qatar Airways Qsuite
• Transfer points to Cathay Pacific Cathay for British Airways first class
• Transfer points to Emirates Skywards for Emirates first class and business class flights and JetBlue Mint in the Americas
• Transfer points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for ANA business class and first class flights
• Transfer points to World of Hyatt for luxury hotel stays at properties like Grand Hyatt Kauai, Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, Park Hyatt New York, and Alila Ventana Big Sur

13. Do Bilt Rewards Points Expire?

No, Bilt Rewards don’t expire. However, your account must stay open and active to retain your points. If your account is inactive or closed, your points are forfeited.

Final Thoughts

Bilt Rewards are unique as you can earn credit card points on rent, which is typically an expense you can’t put on a credit card. However, this card shouldn’t be the only card you use for your expenses, as other cards may reward you at a higher rate.

Conversely, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a long history of respect, having been touted as the card that earns double miles on every purchase. (We’ve all seen the popular “What’s in your wallet?” commercials.) The card also offers flexible redemption choices and useful benefits.

Based on what we know about these 2 cards, the duo became the perfect choice for our comparison today.

We’ll compare the attributes and any downsides of these 2 reward-earning cards to learn which consumer might be the perfect fit for each card.

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

The Value of a Welcome Offer

Welcome offers on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Capital One Venture card present the opportunity to jumpstart your rewards earning immediately after approval for either card.

Bonuses can be earned by meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period stated for each card, typically within the first 3 months.

Welcome offers can be worth hundreds of dollars at redemption time.

Here are the most current welcome offers and more information on our featured cards:

Earning Potential

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns Wells Fargo Rewards points, while the Capital One Venture card earns Capital One miles. These miles are not frequent flyer miles, they’re just referred to as miles but function as typical reward points.

The best card choice for earning rewards will be the one that closely matches your spending mix.

Here are all the ways to earn rewards on our featured cards:

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card boasts strong earnings for travel and dining purchases. If you’re spending heavily in these categories, the card may be better for you.

Alternately, the Capital One Venture card’s strength is its 2x miles on every purchase. If you have lots of expenses that don’t fall into bonus-earning categories, the card could deliver greater overall earnings for you. Plus, the card will earn 5x miles on hotels and car rentals via Capital One Travel.

For example, when paying tuition, medical bills, home renovations, high utilities, or other non-bonused categories, the Capital One Venture card will earn 2x miles. These categories have just 1x earnings with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card.

Matching bonus earning categories with your actual spending is important to receiving the highest earnings possible.

Earnings are just half the equation, as the true value is found at redemption time. We’ll explore those options next.

Redemption Options

The value you receive with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card or Capital One Venture card at redemption time is an important reason for selecting one card over the other.

First, we’ll examine the options for redeeming rewards earned on each card. Then, we can discuss how these choices ultimately deliver value.

Here are the redemption options for each card:

Redeeming Wells Fargo Rewards

One of the best ways to redeem Wells Fargo Rewards points is to transfer points to airline or hotel partners.

Redeem for Award Flights

Wells Fargo Rewards points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus.

While we expect the list to expand, these 5 key airline transfer partners currently provide access to all the major airline alliances.

For example, you can transfer Wells Fargo Rewards to Avianca LifeMiles to book United Airlines flights. Or to British Airways Executive Club to purchase American Airlines flights.

Redeem for Free Hotel Nights

Additionally, Wells Fargo Rewards points transfer to Choice Privileges hotel loyalty program at a 1:2 ratio. This means your points double each time you transfer.

Choice Privileges has many sweet spots where your rewards go far. One sweet spot is select Nordic countries where it’s possible to find great value. For example, the Comfort Hotel Grand Central puts you in the heart of Oslo, Norway, for just 16,000 Choice Privileges points (8,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points).

Or, closer to home, you could opt for luxury at the Michaelangelo Hotel in New York City’s Time Square, for just 45,000 Choice Privileges points (24,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points).

Redeeming Capital One Miles

Capital One has even more airline and hotel transfer partners than Wells Fargo.

Redeem for Award Flights

Capital One has more than a dozen airline transfer partners. This means you’ll have several options for purchasing award flights.

For example, transferring your Capital One miles to Avianca LifeMiles allows you to book Star Alliance flights from the U.S. to Europe. For just 63,000 miles, you can book a flight in business class on SWISS.

Redeem for Free Hotel Nights

Capital One miles transfer to 3 hotel rewards programs: ALL – Accor Live Limitless (2:1 ratio), Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio), and Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio).

Perhaps the best value of the 3 programs, with the highest potential for outsized value, is Wyndham Rewards. A luxury property such as the Viva Azteca by Wyndham, an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, can be booked for 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points (30,000 Capital One miles).

Learn more about how to book some of the best Wyndham properties with points in our article on this topic.

Another flexible option (although not the best value) is using Capital One miles for hotels by redeeming them for 1 cent each for a statement credit toward previous hotel purchases (within 90 days).

We value Wells Fargo Rewards points at about 1.5 cents each and Capital One miles at about 1.8 cents each, due to the available options at redemption time.

Travel Protections and Benefits

Protections can provide needed assistance should something go wrong during your travels. Travel benefits can save you money on select travel-related purchases or provide perks you can enjoy during your journey.

Here are the travel protections and benefits you’ll find on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Capital One Venture card and those unique to the individual cards:

• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver/MasterRental Insurance — The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card offers an auto rental collision damage waiver, while the Capital One Venture card offers MasterRental Insurance. Reserve and pay for your rental with your card, and decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW insurance to review coverage for damage and theft. Both cards offer secondary coverage within the U.S. and primary coverage internationally. Terms, exclusions, and conditions apply.
• Baggage Insurance — The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card offers lost luggage reimbursement, which reimburses you up to $3,000 per trip, and the Capital One Venture card offers lost or damaged luggage insurance, which covers $1,500 per person per trip. Limits apply.
• Roadside Dispatch — The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card offers roadside dispatch, and the Capital One Venture card offers Master RoadAssist. This coverage provides a roadside service call 24/7. Services include limited towing, jumpstarting, lockout service, tire-changing, emergency fuel delivery, and standard winching.
• Travel Assistance Services — Receive access 24/7 for help when traveling. Services include medical/legal referrals, translation services, arranging emergency transportation, and more.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — A typical foreign transaction fee can cost you 3% of the transaction. No worries with our featured cards, as neither card charges these fees (rates & fees of the Capital One Venture card).

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

• $50 Airline Statement Credit — Use your card to purchase $50 or more with the airline and receive a statement credit for $50.
• Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance — If your trip needs to be canceled or is disrupted for a covered reason, you could receive up to $15,000 per person, per trip, up to a maximum of $20,000 every 12 months per account.
• Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection Benefits — Use your card to book your stay and receive benefits that include a best-rate guarantee, room upgrade on arrival (when available), and a $25 food/beverage credit. Complimentary breakfast for 2, free Wi-Fi, VIP guest status, and late checkout (on request and when available) are also included.

Capital One Venture Card

• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Reimbursement — Pay your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application or renewal fee with your card and receive reimbursement, up to $100, as a statement credit.
• Capital One Lifestyle Collection Hotel Benefits — Enjoy a $50 experience credit to use on-site, room upgrades (when available), complimentary Wi-Fi, and early check-in/late checkout (when available).

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Shopping protections are an added benefit for qualifying items purchased with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card or Capital One Venture card.

Our featured cards can also offer shopping benefits that can save you money on select purchases or provide access to exclusive events.

Here are the shopping protections and benefits that are included with each card:

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

• Cell Phone Protection — Pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card to receive protection for theft or damage. This valuable benefit provides up to $1,000 per claim, a maximum of 2 claims in 12 months, up to $2,000 total. There is a $25 deductible per claim.
• My Wells Fargo Deals — You’ll find shopping offers from select merchants and service providers in your online card account. Add the offer to your card, and complete the required purchase to receive a cash-back statement credit.
• Autograph Exclusives — Enjoy access to exclusive events and the opportunity to purchase up to 6 tickets per event.

Capital One Venture Card

• Purchase Assurance — With Purchase Assurance protection, eligible items purchased with your card receive coverage for damage or theft within the first 90 days after purchase.
• Extended Warranty — An extra year will be added to the manufacturer’s warranty for eligible items purchased with your card.
• Capital One Offers — Find Capital One Offers in your online card account, make the required purchase with the merchant, and receive a cash-back reward as a statement credit.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Any fees associated with card membership should be considered when selecting a rewards card.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card has an annual fee of . The Capital One Venture card has an annual fee of (rates & fees).

Authorized users can help you earn more rewards faster. Additional users can be added to our featured cards for no additional fee (rates & fees of the Capital One Venture card).

Final Thoughts

When we compare the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Capital One Venture card for earnings, both have strong potential.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns well on a wide range of travel categories, and dining. The Capital One Venture card will fare better for those with heavy expenses in non-bonus categories, yet the card still provides 2x earnings on travel/dining.

The better card for earning rewards overall will, of course, depend on your spending mix.

At redemption time, the Capital One Venture card has the edge. You’ll have many more airline transfer partners than with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card.

Finally, while overall protections and benefits are similar, you may find value in the cell phone protection on the Wells Fargo Autograph card.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Cardholders have the opportunity to enjoy athlete meet-and-greets with former Olympians, curated dining experiences, lounge access at the Visa Lounge in the heart of Paris, and more. In the past, I’ve found some of these experiences to sometimes be less than impressive, but you may be running as fast as an Olympian to these perks.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Cardholder Benefits at the 2024 Olympics

If you happen to be in Paris during the Olympics, check out the many on-the-ground benefits for Chase Sapphire Reserve card members, provided by Visa.

Lounge Access and Olympian Meet and Greet

Cardmembers will get access to the Visa Lounge, located in central Paris. It will be open between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to midnight CEST. The lounge will have gourmet food and excellent views of the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower.

In addition, the lounge will have fun engagements like a meet and greet with former Olympians.

Here’s who will be appearing and when:

If you’re headed to Paris and want to meet any of these former Olympians, be sure to reserve your spot here. Oh, what I would do to meet Michael Phelps…

Exclusive Restaurant Reservations

It’s safe to say getting restaurant reservations during the Olympics will be its own sporting event. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you can grab reservations at Girafe for either lunch or dinner, an excellent French restaurant with unbeatable views of the Eiffel Tower.

If you want to score a table, you can do so here.

Bottom Line

If you don’t already have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card and are headed to the Olympics, it isn’t too late. You can apply for the card and instantly add it to your digital wallet for immediate use — including access to these great benefits. Even during and after the Olympics, the card is a solid travel credit card for its travel insurance and valuable Ultimate Rewards points.

Have you completed the spending requirement for the welcome bonus offer on your new card? If not, how much more do you need to spend? And what’s the cutoff date?

Luckily, Chase makes it easy to track your progress toward a new credit card welcome bonus offer. Here’s how.

Using the Chase Mobile App To Track Your Progress

The simplest method for tracking your progress toward a Chase credit card welcome bonus offer is using Chase’s mobile app (iOS, Android).

After logging into your account, select the card for which you’re working on a welcome bonus offer. From here, scroll down until you pass the Spending planner and Chase Pay Over Time sections.

Below those, you should see a section named New account bonus with a tracker that shows several important pieces of information:

• The spending deadline for the welcome bonus offer
• How much you’ve spent toward the bonus
• How much more you need to spend to qualify for the bonus
• The full bonus amount

From this example, you can see that I’ve spent $2,188.50 of the required $4,000 for earning a bonus of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points, and the deadline for completing the full spending requirement is listed as September 3, 2024. The tracker also says how much more spending I need to put on my card by that date.

If you click on the question mark, a pop-up window provides further details. You’ll see the account opening date and types of transactions that don’t count toward earning the welcome bonus offer, such as lottery tickets, interest, and fees.

Once you complete the spending requirements for the welcome bonus offer, the tracker will disappear. In its place, you’ll see a congratulatory message saying you earned the bonus. Additionally, the points will be listed as “pending” in the Benefits & rewards section immediately below. These points should arrive in your account after the next statement closes.

The Website Gets You Close, but Not All the Way

While Chase’s mobile app makes this easy, a similar feature on the website no longer exists. While it’s possible to get close to the same information, it’s not exact.

For example, at the same time Chase’s bonus tracker in the app said I had spent $2,188.50, the year-to-date spending report from the desktop website said I had spent $2,254.40. That’s a difference of $65.90 — not a huge difference, but it’s enough to matter if you don’t complete the required spending by the deadline.

If you want to use this feature, assuming it provides a fair estimate, look for the pie chart in the Account activity section. Click on this to generate a spending report. The year-to-date option will probably be most helpful as you count purchases toward your new card’s welcome bonus.

Final Thoughts

Using Chase’s mobile app to track your welcome bonus offer is simple. I wish this feature still existed on the desktop version of Chase’s website, but there’s a way to get a close estimate from the spending report.

Just remember that these numbers may not match, and you should be sure to verify the exact number with Chase if you’re unsure whether you’ve reached the spending threshold by the deadline. No one wants to come up a few dollars short of earning their credit card’s welcome bonus offer.

That’s right, doughnuts.

But you no longer have to choose between infusing points and miles into every aspect of your life and shortening your lifespan with sugar-laden, fat-fried rings of mass-produced dough: American Express has refreshed its American Express® Gold Card benefits to now include a credit of up to $7 a month for Dunkin’ purchases. (That’s up to $84 a year.)

We’ll tell you how it works and how to enroll — you’ll be dropping r’s like a Southie from Boston.

Amex Gold Card — Snapshot

The Amex Gold card is one of our top choices for everyday spending with bonuses like:

• 4x points at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. (up to $50,000 per calendar year)
• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year)
• 3x points on flights purchased directly with the airline or at AmexTravel.com
• 1x points on all other purchases

Think of it this way: Earning 4x points is the equivalent of an 8.8% return on spending. We’re basing that figure on our valuations of Amex Membership Rewards points, which are currently worth 2.2 cents apiece.

Plus, the Amex Gold card has other statement credits besides the Dunkin’ credit, which, hold your horses, we’ll get to in a bit:

• Up to $120 in Uber Cash — Receive up to $120 annually (up to $10 per month) in Uber Cash for rides or Uber Eats orders within the U.S. The Amex Gold card must be added to the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit.
• Up to $120 in Dining Credits — Receive up to $120 annually (up to $10 per month) in dining credits to use at participating dining partners, including Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
• Up to $100 in Resy Credit — Receive up to $100 annually (2 semiannual credits of up to $50) redeemable at any U.S. Resy restaurant and other eligible Resy purchases. Enrollment required.

And, of course, you can book stays with The Hotel Collection. With eligible stays of 2 nights or more, you also get up to $100 property credit and a room upgrade, subject to availability.

The Amex Gold card has no foreign transaction fees, and no authorized user fee for up to 5 cards ($35 annual fee per card after that; rates & fees).

What Is the Amex Gold Card Dunkin’ Credit?

Yes, you’ve finally made it to the part about the doughnuts!

The Amex Gold card’s new Dunkin’ credit allows you to receive up to a $7 statement credit each month for purchases you’ve made at Dunkin’ using your card.

You don’t have to order just doughnuts, of course — Dunkin’ has dropped the “Donuts” from its name, after all. The statement credits can be used for Dunkin’ coffees, Dunkin’ frozen drinks, Dunkin’ wraps, Dunkin’ hash browns, Dunkin’ bagels — the brand has a much larger menu now than you probably remember (unless you live in New England). It’s really been a whole thing.

So go ahead and use your monthly credit of up to $7 on whatever not-a-doughnut menu item you want at Dunkin’ — we’re not here to yuck your yum. Just know we’ll just be using ours on a couple of Bavarian Kremes.

How To Enroll in the Amex Gold Card Dunkin’ Credit

So, no, you can’t just walk into your nearest Dunkin’ and expect to get $7 off your next statement. You have to proactively enroll in this card benefit first.

First, log in to your online Amex account. Then, go to your Amex Gold card account and click Rewards & Benefits. Then, click the Benefits button on the right.

Find the Dunkin’ statement credit benefit.

Click Enroll Now, and that’s it — you’re on your way to a couple extra glazed doughnuts (or breakfast wraps, if that’s your thing) every month!

From now on, when you mosey over to this page, you should see that it says “Enrolled” in the top-left corner.

How To Use the Amex Gold Card Dunkin’ Credit

Once you’ve enrolled in the benefit, just make your purchase, and you’ll see the credit post in a few days, though Amex says you might have to wait 6 to 8 weeks.

Note that if you don’t use the statement credit one month, it won’t carry over to give you up to $14 in statement credits the next. This is a use-it-or-lose-it benefit.

Best Ways To Use the Amex Gold Card Dunkin’ Credit

1. Doughnuts (filled)
2. Doughnuts (glazed but not filled)
3. Doughnuts (all other kinds)
4. Frozen drinks on a hot day
5. Coffee, if you like Dunkin’ coffee
6. Breakfast sandwiches
7. Bagels
8. Coffee, if you don’t like Dunkin’ coffee

What Doesn’t Count Toward the Amex Gold Card Dunkin’ Credit?

Doughnuts from Krispy Kreme, Tim Horton’s, Hostess, Entenmann’s, Little Debbie, Tastykake, Dolly Madison, Starbucks, and so on do not count toward your Dunkin’ statement credit. The purchase must be made directly at a Dunkin’ location.

Is the Amex Gold Card Dunkin’ Credit Worth It?

If you used your Amex Gold card’s Dunkin’ statement credit religiously every month, you’d get $84 in value, which is a good chunk of the card’s annual membership fee.

That said, no matter how much you like doughnuts, your doctor would probably advise you to consume such sugary, fatty treats in moderation.

Final Thoughts

So, in case you couldn’t tell, we have a little bit of a crush on the Amex Gold card. It’s an amazing everyday card with valuable benefits, including this smashing new monthly Dunkin’ statement credit. Plus, it looks great in tight jeans.

Sure, it’s a pricier date than some with its annual fee, but the monthly Dunkin’ can help take the sting out of the annual payment — and possibly turn you into a Red Sox fan. So why not let Amex treat you to a free breakfast or 2 every month?

As a result of these recent updates, Amex Gold cardholders will also notice an annual fee increase, which will now be (rates & fees).

One notable improvement, however, is the addition of statement credits of up to $100 annually for purchases made at U.S. Resy restaurants or other eligible Resy purchases.

Let’s have a look at what the refreshed Amex Gold card now offers. Then we’ll get into the specifics of the new Resy statement credit.

Amex Gold Card — Snapshot

The Amex Gold card is an ideal card for everyday spending and includes the following bonus categories:

• 4x points at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. (up to $50,000 per calendar year)
• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year)
• 3x points on flights purchased directly with the airline or at AmexTravel.com
• 1x points on all other purchases

In addition to the new Resy credit, the Amex Gold card includes the following statement credits:

• Up to $120 in Uber Cash — Receive up to $120 annually (up to $10 per month) in Uber Cash for rides or Uber Eats orders within the U.S. The Amex Gold card must be added to the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit.
• Up to $120 in Dining Credits — Receive up to $120 annually (up to $10 per month) in dining credits to use at participating dining partners, including Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
• Up to $84 in Dunkin’ Credit — Receive up to $84 annually (up to $7 per month) for purchases at Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.

Cardmembers also have access to booking eligible 2 night or more stays with The Hotel Collection to receive $100 property credit and a room upgrade, subject to availability.

The card has no foreign transaction fees, and no authorized user fee for up to 5 cards ($35 annual fee per card after that; rates & fees).

What Is Resy?

Resy is an online hospitality technology platform that enables users to explore and make reservations at some of the most renowned restaurants worldwide. Resy is a convenient platform that combines restaurant discovery and booking into 1 seamless experience.

You can use the Resy website or the Resy mobile app to make a reservation.

What Is the Amex Gold Card Resy Credit?

The Amex Gold card now offers up to $100 in annual Resy credits, following in the footsteps of 4 of the Amex Delta co-branded cards, which already include Resy statement credits as part of their benefits.

The statement credits are issued semiannually, with a credit of up to $50 from January to June and a credit of up to $50 from July to December for a total of $100 annually. Qualifying purchases are only valid at U.S. restaurants that accept Resy bookings or other eligible Resy purchases.

To receive the credit, cardholders only need to pay their restaurant bill with their enrolled Amex Gold card at any restaurant listed on the Resy platform.

Enrollment is required to be eligible to receive Resy statement credits.

According to the terms and conditions from American Express, “Eligible Resy purchases include purchases at U.S. restaurants that offer reservations on Resy.com and the Resy app, and purchases made directly on Resy.com or in the Resy app. Restaurants must be live on Resy.com or the Resy app at time of purchase to be eligible for the statement credit and are subject to change at any time. Purchases made via Resy Pay and purchases of Resy OS restaurant management software are not eligible.”

Additionally, non-dining purchases, such as merchandise or gift cards, are ineligible. You also cannot receive the credit if you make the purchase with your electronic wallet or if the merchant uses a mobile or wireless card reader to process your purchase.

How To Enroll in the Amex Gold Card Resy Credit

To be eligible to receive the Resy statement credits, you must first enroll for the benefit. You can enroll online through the Benefits Dashboard or by calling the number on the back of your card. Through your online Amex Gold card account, click Rewards & Benefits, then click Benefits on the right.

When you locate the Resy benefit, click Enroll Now. Once you have enrolled in the program, you will land on a page that confirms you are now eligible.

How To Add Your Amex Gold Card to Resy

After you’ve enrolled in the program, be sure to add your Amex Gold card to Resy. The Resy mobile app is the most convenient way to accomplish this. You’ll need to set up a Resy account with your phone number and email address.

After setting up your account and logging in, click on Account on the bottom right corner of your screen. Then, in the top right corner, select the gear icon to open the settings menu.

Select Payment Methods. From here, you can add your eligible card.

Are the Amex Gold Card Resy Credits Worth It?

Although up to $100 in annual credits to use when dining at restaurants on the Resy platform may appear to be a great deal, customers will need to book or visit a Resy-affiliated restaurant to activate the credit.

Many cardholders would have found a $100 annual credit for dining at any restaurant to be even more valuable. This is particularly true for food lovers who appreciate the Amex Gold card, which is widely regarded as the issuer’s top card for dining. Naturally, maximizing a statement credit on an American Express card can’t be that simple.

For individuals who enjoy eating out frequently and consider themselves “foodies,” the recently introduced Resy statement credit may be a practical means of saving costs on a nice meal.

Final Thoughts

Although we are not fond of annual fee increases on our favorite travel rewards cards, the Amex Gold card’s new Resy statement credits of up to $100 easily outweigh the fee increase, provided that cardholders can maximize the credits on a semiannual basis.

You might wonder how you can accumulate a ton of Wells Fargo Rewards points to cash in on transfer partner redemptions — how does 100,000 sound? In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best strategies to earn a ton of Wells Fargo Rewards points through credit cards and other methods in just 90 days.

Why Would You Want To Earn 100,000 Wells Fargo Rewards Points?

Wells Fargo Rewards may fly under the radar compared to American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, but the program still offers tremendous value for cardholders.

Wells Fargo transfer partners include Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, Choice Privileges, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Avios. Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to all of the partners, with the exception of Choice Privileges, which has an enhanced 1:2 ratio.

While the list of partners may seem limited compared to other transferable point programs, you can still book airfare across all the major airline alliances: Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance. A few ways to redeem points would be to book business class flights to Europe with Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Lufthansa first class through Avianca LifeMiles, and domestic flights for a steep discount via British Airways Executive Club. Keep reading to learn about these redemption options.

How To Earn 100k+ Wells Fargo Rewards Points

1. Apply for Wells Fargo Rewards Credit Cards

Wells Fargo offers several credit cards with various features, from low interest to cash rewards and rewards points.

If you want to earn Wells Fargo Rewards points, you’ll need the right credit card in your wallet. Both of the points-earning cards are in the Autograph family. You can compare their benefits and features below:

Once you have either the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card or Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card, you can also pick up a cash rewards card from the issuer, such as the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. While you can’t convert cash rewards to Wells Fargo Rewards points alone, you can transfer the cash rewards once you have either Autograph card to earn even more points.

A few other cards, including the Signify Business Cash℠ Card by Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card, also earn cash rewards.

Out of all the options above, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card is the best for earning travel rewards. Cardholders earn unlimited 5x points on hotels, 4x points on airfare, 3x points on dining and other travel purchases, and 1x points on all other eligible purchases.

The welcome bonus offer is also the highest of any Wells Fargo credit card. Here’s what’s on the table for eligible new applicants of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card:

Once you reach the minimum spending requirement, you’ll likely get the bonus points after your statement closes. From this point, you could be over halfway of the way to a 100,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points balance.

That said, issuers have their own application rules. Wells Fargo generally requires you to wait at least 16 months between receiving welcome bonuses on personal credit cards. Business credit cards do not apply, so you could get 1 personal card and 1 business card within the 16-month timeframe.

2. Leverage the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card

It’s in the name: The Wells Fargo Active Cash card earns cash rewards. However, you can convert cash rewards earnings into Wells Fargo Rewards points.

You’ll earn unlimited 2% cash rewards with the card, no matter the purchase. Because of this fantastic rewards rate, it’s the perfect match to double-up with the Wells Fargo Autograph card or Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, both of which earn 1x points on non-bonus purchases.

Additionally, the Wells Fargo Active Cash card comes with the following welcome bonus offer:

Once you reach the minimum spend requirements, those points are worth 20,000 points once you transfer them to the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card. Pairing the Wells Fargo Active Cash card with the Wells Fargo Autograph card or Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, you’ll set yourself up to always earn at least 2x Wells Fargo Rewards points on all purchases. That’s an amazing 3% return on spending, based on our valuations of points and miles.

3. Maximize Bonus Categories To Boost Your Earnings

If you’re deciding between the Wells Fargo Autograph card and the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, there are 2 main factors to consider. Do you want to pay an annual fee, and do the bonus categories align with your spending patterns?

Once you’ve made your decision, it’s all about knowing when to use each card. Then, if you have it, you should put all non-bonus spending on your Wells Fargo Active Cash card. You’ll be set up to earn 2% cash rewards no matter where you shop, then you can transfer them to your points-earning card.

Here’s an overview of the bonus categories offered by each card:

The combination of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and the Wells Fargo Active Cash card presents the best value for frequent travelers, whether for work or leisure. If you’re frequently reimbursed for work travel, you could earn anywhere from 2% cash rewards (which you can convert to 2x points) to 5x points.

For those who don’t travel often, having the -annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph card (rates & fees) and the -annual-fee Wells Fargo Active Cash card (rates & fees) can be a nice duo to earn 2% cash rewards (which you can convert to 2x points) to 3x points.

How To Use 100,000+ Wells Fargo Rewards Points

Once you’ve racked up a 6-figure balance (or more) of Wells Fargo Rewards points, here are some ways you can use them:

• Fly to Europe: There are several ways to accomplish this. You can transfer 34,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points to Iberia Plus and book a one-way business class ticket from the East Coast to Barcelona (BCN) or Madrid (MAD). For 50,000 Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles, you can book a one-way business class ticket between the U.S. and Paris (CDG) or Amsterdam (AMS).
• Visit Hawaii: Transfer just 26,000 points to British Airways Executive Club, and you can book a round-trip economy ticket to Hawaii from the West Coast on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines. This includes nonstop services like Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL).
• Book Cheap Domestic Tickets: Transfer Wells Fargo Rewards points to Star Alliance partner Avianca LifeMiles and book cheap domestic tickets on United Airlines. Awards are priced by flight distance and region, but domestic flights start at just 7,500 points one-way.
• Book Nearly a Dozen Hotel Nights: With the Choice Privileges program, you can book award nights at luxury Preferred Hotel properties. If you transfer 100,000 Wells Fargo points to Choice Privileges, you’ll receive 200,000 Choice points. Depending on where you go, Preferred Hotel nights can be booked for around 20,000 points per night.

No matter what you do with your points, you should be able to get a minimum of 1.5 cents per point in value based on our valuations. Other options, including cash rewards, gift cards, and travel booked through the Wells Fargo Rewards portal should be avoided since you’ll only get a flat-rate value of 1 cent per point.

Final Thoughts

Once you review the strategies above, earning 100,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points doesn’t seem like such a lofty goal.

To achieve the welcome bonus offers, follow these steps: open the right credit card combinations, pay for everyday and travel purchases using your card, and meet minimum spend requirements. Keep following this strategy to earn even more points throughout the year.

With a couple of personal and business credit cards on the market, it’s easier than ever to rack up points on daily spending with Wells Fargo. This guide explains the value you can achieve from your Wells Fargo Rewards points and the redemptions that are available to you.

26 FAQs About Wells Fargo Rewards Points

1. What Are Wells Fargo Rewards Points?

Wells Fargo Rewards points are the currency you earn and redeem on eligible Wells Fargo credit cards.

The Wells Fargo Rewards program is just one of many credit card programs available to consumers. Competing options include American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

There are 2 cards that earn Wells Fargo Rewards points:

• Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card
• Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

That said, a few other Wells Fargo cards technically earn cash rewards instead. These include the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card, and Signify Business Cash℠ Card by Wells Fargo.

It’s possible to convert your cash rewards into Wells Fargo Rewards points if you have either Autograph card. We’ll go over this concept later in this guide, but you’ll want to pay extra attention if you’re interested in redeeming points with Wells Fargo’s transfer partners.

2. Are Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth It?

If you’re able to pay your credit card statements on time and in full, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t earn rewards in the process.

If Wells Fargo is your bank of choice, earning Wells Fargo Rewards points is definitely worth it. While not as popular as Amex, Chase, or Capital One, Wells Fargo has improved its rewards program vastly over recent months with a handful of airline and hotel partners.

Holding a transferrable currency like Wells Fargo Rewards points can be quite handy when you want to redeem points for maximum value. The ability to earn Wells Fargo Rewards points on airfare, hotels, gas, restaurants, and everyday purchases makes it easy to collect points for your next vacation.

3. How Do I Check My Wells Fargo Rewards Points?

Checking your balance of Wells Fargo Rewards points can be done in 3 ways:

• Log in to your online account through Wells Fargo’s website
• Access your Wells Fargo mobile app
• Call the number on the back of your Wells Fargo credit card

To access your Wells Fargo Rewards points on the bank’s website, you’ll first need to log in using your user ID and password. From there, you can see your account dashboard with all of the accounts and debit or credit cards you have open with the issuer. You can click your balance of Wells Fargo Rewards, then click My Rewards and Rewards Activity/Orders to see a detailed breakdown of your points history.

If you want to check your Wells Fargo Rewards points through the Wells Fargo mobile app, log in to your Wells Fargo mobile app using your user ID and password. The app will show the Wells Fargo Rewards button up top with a right arrow. Then, click My Rewards and Rewards Activity/Orders for recent point earning and redeeming activity.

To access your Wells Fargo Rewards points over the phone, call the number on the back of your card. Then, follow the prompts for Wells Fargo Rewards points. You can hear your Wells Fargo Rewards points balance via an automated prompt and can speak to a customer service representative for further assistance.

4. How Much Are Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth?

Every month, we publish our updated list of points and miles valuations across dozens of programs. At this time, we value Wells Fargo Rewards points at approximately 1.5 cents each.

Keep in mind that this valuation is subjective, and how much value you get from points depends on how you use them. For instance, redeeming points for gift cards or cash rewards will only get you a set value of 1 cent each. Leveraging transfer partners can get you much more value, but knowing our benchmark can help you gauge whether you achieved good value from your rewards.

Getting 3 to 6 cents per point is possible with Wells Fargo Rewards. To play on the safe side, we’ll assume that you can redeem your points for roughly 1.5 cents each when leveraging transfer partners.

5. How Much Are Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card Points Worth?

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns Wells Fargo Rewards points, which are worth 1.5 cents in our view. However, the value can greatly depend on how you redeem them — and there’s no shortage of options to choose from.

If you redeem your Wells Fargo Rewards points for a statement credit, cash rewards, gift cards, online merchandise, Apple purchases, or PayPal rewards, you’ll get back 1 cent per point. For example, using 1,000 points for any of these options would yield $10 in redemption value.

You can also book travel through the Wells Fargo Rewards portal, including flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, and attractions. However, the value is fixed and will get you 1 cent per point.

In our opinion, the absolute best way to redeem Wells Fargo Rewards points is booking award travel with transfer partners. While there’s no set value here, it’s possible to get anywhere from 1 to 10 cents per point of value.

6. How Much Are 2,500 Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth?

According to our valuations, 2,500 Wells Fargo Rewards points are worth $37.50.

While 2,500 points aren’t enough for a business class flight, you could redeem 2,500 points for:

• $25 in cash rewards at a Wells Fargo ATM (if you also have a Wells Fargo debit card)
• $25 in gift cards at retailers such as Sephora, Lowe’s, and more
• $25 in online merchandise at participating stores, including Best Buy or Bass Pro Shops
• $25 in travel via the Wells Fargo Rewards portal

The last option is particularly interesting. Let’s say you’re interested in booking a hotel night for $150 via the Wells Fargo Rewards portal. While 2,500 Wells Fargo Rewards points aren’t enough for a free stay, you could shave off $25 of the final cost at checkout.

7. How Much Are 10,000 Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth?

We value 10,000 Wells Fargo Rewards Points at $150.

Once you’ve earned a sum of 10,000 points, you could easily have enough to book a one-way economy ticket. For example, you can transfer 9,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points to receive 9,000 British Airways Executive Club Avios.

If you’re not familiar with the frequent flyer program, it has a distance-based award chart for redemptions. With those 9,000 points, you can redeem for one-way flights on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines that are 651 to 1,151 miles in flight distance. Going a step further, you can redeem 11,000 miles for flight distances of 1,152 to 2,000 miles.

There are countless examples of short domestic flights that fall under this flight distance band. For example, transferring 9,000 points to British Airways Avios can get you from New York (LGA) to Chicago (ORD) or Miami (MIA) to Dallas (DFW).

These flights could retail upwards of $250 in many cases, so redeeming British Airways Avios can get you over 2.7 cents in value. And, you’ll have 1,000 remaining Wells Fargo Rewards points for your next redemptions.

Of course, there are other lower-value redemptions with 10,000 points. You can redeem those for $100 in cash rewards, $100 in gift cards, or $100 in travel booked through Wells Fargo Rewards.

8. How Much Are 15,000 Wells Fargo Points Worth?

We value 15,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points at about $225.

Once you’ve earned 15,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points, you’ll have more options to redeem rewards for great value. You can redeem British Airways Avios for transcontinental flights in economy, such as New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) on American or Alaska.

Another great transfer partner to consider using is Avianca LifeMiles. The transfer ratio is 1:1, so 1 Wells Fargo Rewards point is equal to 1 Avianca LifeMile. As a member of the Star Alliance, you’ll have the opportunity to book United Airlines flights for a solid price. For instance, a round-trip ticket from San Francisco (SFO) to Phoenix (PHX) will cost just 15,000 miles.

Looking for hotel nights instead? Choice Privileges is the only hotel transfer partner at the time of writing, but Wells Fargo offers an extraordinary 1:2 transfer ratio. For every 1 Wells Fargo point you transfer, you’ll receive 2 Choice Privileges points.

A bevy of brands fall under the Choice Privileges program, from Econo Lodge to Clarion. Better yet, reward nights start at just 8,000 points per night. By transferring 15,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points to Choice Privileges, you’ll receive 30,000 Choice points, which can be enough for 3 free nights at budget-friendly hotels.

For more straightforward redemption ideas, you can use 15,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points to get $150 in cash rewards, $150 in gift cards, or $150 in travel booked via the Wells Fargo Rewards.

9. How Much Are 20,000 Wells Fargo Points Worth?

According to our valuations, 20,000 Wells Fargo Points are worth $300.

It’s possible to book premium cabin flights with as few as 20,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points. Remember our handy transfer partner, British Airways Executive Club? You can redeem 16,500 Avios for a one-way business class ticket for American and Alaska flights that are 651 to 1,151 miles in length.

Let’s look at a real-world example here. We found an American Airlines flight from Philadelphia (PHL) to Miami (MIA) in first class that costs $700 one-way. While you won’t get a lie-flat seat, you’ll get to sit up front in domestic first class by transferring 16,500 Wells Fargo Rewards points to British Airways Avios to book this ticket. That’s a value of over 4 cents per point!

If you prefer to book hotels, transferring 20,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points to Choice Privileges can get you 40,000 Choice Privileges points. You can get as many as 5 free hotel nights thanks to the favorable 1:2 ratio.

In other cases, you can spend 20,000 points for $200 in cash rewards, $200 in gift cards, or $200 in travel booked through Wells Fargo Rewards.

10. How Much Are 30,000 Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth?

According to our valuations, 30,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points are worth around $450.

Having 30,000 points is enough to book a one-way flight to Europe with Wells Fargo’s transfer partner, Air France-KLM Flying Blue. Points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio to the joint frequent flyer program.

If you can find saver availability, you can book flights from many U.S. cities to Paris or Amsterdam from 20,000 Flying Blue miles. Tack on another European city to the itinerary (like Rome or Barcelona), and you can book a one-way flight with a quick layover for under 30,000 miles.

You can also transfer your Wells Fargo points to Choice Privileges to book a high-end stay with Preferred Hotels, which could easily be worth upwards of $1,000. Thanks to the 1:2 ratio, transferring 30,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points would get you 60,000 Choice Privileges points.

You can also use 30,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points for $300 in cash rewards, $300 in gift cards, or $300 in Wells Fargo Rewards bookings.

11. How Much Are 60,000 Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth?

According to our valuations, 60,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points are worth $900.

There are many ways to get outsized value beyond these estimations.

Before we dive in, it’s possible to earn such a large sum of rewards with the welcome offer on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card: Once you’ve earned such a large sum of points, you’ll get terrific value by transferring points to airline partners for international business class travel.

There are several ways to book international business class travel for under 60,000 Wells Fargo points. You could transfer 50,000 to 55,000 points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue and book a one-way business class flight to Europe, which routinely sells for $5,000 or more.

Likewise, Avianca LifeMiles has a sweet spot on one-way TAP Air Portugal flights between New York (JFK) and Lisbon (LIS). It’s possible to book this business class ticket for just 35,000 miles and $27.80 in taxes and fees.

You’ll have more than enough to book a one-way business class flight to Spain through Iberia Plus at just 34,000 points, and almost enough for the entire round-trip ticket of at least 68,000 points.

Lastly, you could transfer 60,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points to get 120,000 Choice Privileges points. If you love luxury hotels, you could book more than 3 nights at a Preferred Hotels property — which could offer $1,200 or more in value.

If you don’t use your 60,000 points for travel partners, you could get $600 in cash rewards, $600 in gift cards, or $600 in bookings made with Wells Fargo Rewards.

12. How Much Are 80,000 Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth?

According to our valuations, 80,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points are worth $1,200.

Having 80,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points can take you on a one-way business class flight to the Middle East, Africa, or Southeast Asia. For example, you can transfer 70,000 points to British Airways Avios to book Qatar Airways Qsuite from New York (JFK) to Doha (DOH).

Alternatively, you could transfer 80,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points to Choice Privileges and get 160,000 points. That’s more than enough to book 5 nights at the Hotel Aquarius Venice, Ascend Hotel Collection, in Italy, which costs just 31,000 points per night.

Otherwise, those points would be worth $800 in cash rewards, $800 in gift cards, or $800 in Wells Fargo Rewards bookings.

13. How Many Wells Fargo Points Equal a Dollar?

Purely speaking in terms of cash rewards, you’ll need 100 Wells Fargo Rewards points to get a dollar of value. You can get cash rewards from a Wells Fargo ATM if you have an eligible Wells Fargo debit card and receive a statement credit to your account, among other ways to get cash rewards.

The same principle applies if you’re redeeming points for gift cards or travel booked through Wells Fargo. To get a dollar of value, you’ll need 100 Wells Fargo Rewards points.

Award travel is a bit different and will depend on the transfer partner you decide to leverage. It will range from anywhere between 10 to 50 Wells Fargo Rewards points to get a dollar of value.

14. What Can You Use Wells Fargo Rewards Points For?

Wells Fargo Rewards points can be used for several redemption options. The only way to get outsized value greater than 1 cent of value per point is to transfer points to travel partners, while other options give you a flat rate of 1 cent apiece.

• Transfer points to airline and hotel partners, which include Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, Choice Privileges, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus
• Cash rewards
• Online merchandise at select retailers
• Gift cards
• Redeem to your Wells Fargo account
• Redeem for purchases on your credit card statement
• Pay with rewards at PayPal

15. How Much Are Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth for Travel?

While we provide a lowball estimate of 1.5 cents per point when redeeming Wells Fargo Rewards points with transfer partners, the reality is that you can often get much greater value than our baseline.

When booking business and first class award flights, Wells Fargo Rewards points can be worth at least 5 cents per point. Likewise, you can leverage the excellent 1:2 transfer rate to Choice Privileges to book hotels for at least 2 to 3 cents per point in value when booking luxury properties.

However, when booking hotels, flights, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages, and attractions through the Wells Fargo Rewards portal, you’ll only get 1 cent per point of value.

16. How Much Are Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth in Cash?

Wells Fargo Rewards points are worth 1 cent each for cash rewards. You can redeem rewards to your Wells Fargo account, redeem for purchases on your statement credit, and more.

Depending on the redemption method, there may be a minimum requirement to get cash rewards. For instance, you’ll need at least 2,500 points to get $25 in the form of a check. And, if you’re getting cash from a Wells Fargo ATM with an eligible Wells Fargo checking account, you can only get cash rewards in $20 increments.

20. How Many Wells Fargo Rewards Points Equal a Gift Card?

In general, you can redeem Wells Fargo Rewards points at 1 cent each for gift cards. However, the issuer will often have sales on gift cards through the rewards portal, which can sometimes bring the value slightly up for these redemptions.

Expect 1 cent of value per point when redeeming points for gift cards. There will usually be a minimum and a maximum amount, depending on the retailer.

21. How Much Are Wells Fargo Rewards Points Worth When You Transfer to Partners?

Wells Fargo Rewards points can be worth a fantastic amount of money when you transfer to travel partners. You can get up to 10 cents per point when you do so.

One example of this is to transfer 70,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points to British Airways Avios and book a one-way, $8,000 Qatar Airways Qsuite flight. You can score an amazing redemption value of more than 10 cents per point!

22. Do Wells Fargo Rewards Points Expire?

Wells Fargo Rewards points will not expire as long as you keep your credit card account open and active and it remains in good standing.

23. What Is the Best Way To Use Wells Fargo Rewards Points?

In our view, the best way to use Wells Fargo Rewards points is to transfer them to airline and hotel travel partners. This is the only true way to maximize your rewards for incredible value.

Here are some fantastic uses of Wells Fargo Rewards points:

• Transfer points to Choice Privileges at a 1:2 ratio for Preferred Hotels stays, including Cavallo Point in San Francisco, The Capitol Hotel Tokyu in Japan, and many more.
• Transfer points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue for business class flights to Europe on Air France, KLM, or Virgin Atlantic.
• Transfer points to British Airways Avios for domestic flights on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines or business class flights on Oneworld alliance partners like Qatar Airways and Qantas.
• Transfer points to Avianca LifeMiles for short-haul flights on United Airlines and Air Canada or business and first class flights on Star Alliance partners such as Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines.
• Transfer points to Iberia Avios to book economy, premium economy, and business class flights on the Spanish flag carrier.
• Transfer points to Aer Lingus AerClub to book economy and business class flights to Ireland and intra-Europe flights.

24. Are Wells Fargo Points or Chase Points Better?

In terms of our valuations, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are better than Wells Fargo Rewards points. We value Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 2.0 cents each, while we value Wells Fargo points at 1.5 cents each.

Although Wells Fargo has a neat 1:2 transfer partnership with Choice Privileges, Chase has 1:1 transfer partnerships with World of Hyatt and popular domestic airline programs JetBlue TrueBlue, Southwest Rapid Rewards, and United Airlines MileagePlus.

In contrast, Wells Fargo does not have any domestic airline transfer partners. However, leveraging international transfer partnerships is a fantastic way to get maximum value from your rewards.

25. Are Wells Fargo Points or Amex Points Better?

We value Amex Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents each because it has the most transfer partners of any major program, whereas Wells Fargo Rewards points are worth 1.5 cents each. For those reasons, we argue that Amex points are better to have than Wells Fargo points.

Amex has far superior airline transfer partnerships in which you can redeem points for maximum value. These programs include Air Canada Aeroplan, ANA Mileage Club, and Delta SkyMiles. The program also partners with Hilton Honors with an excellent 1:2 ratio, and a 1:1 transfer partnership with Marriott Bonvoy, which are more well known than Choice Privileges.

In our view, Amex points are much more valuable to have because of the seemingly endless ways to redeem them.

26. Are Wells Fargo Points or Citi Points Better?

We value Citi ThankYou Points slightly higher (1.6 cents per point) than Wells Fargo Rewards points (1.5 cents per point).

Citi also has the 1:2 transfer partnership with Choice Privileges, but an increased amount of international partners including Air Canada Aeroplan and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles.

Final Thoughts

Adding transfer partners brought Wells Fargo up to speed with competing credit card issuers, and it appears the bank is only just getting started.

While we value Wells Fargo Rewards points at 1.5 cents apiece, it’s more than possible to redeem them for anywhere from 1 to 10 cents or more per point.

You’ll want to avoid any cash rewards, gift card, or online shopping redemption options if you’re interested in high value. It might take some work, but it’s well worth the effort to transfer Wells Fargo Rewards points to airline and hotel partners to book award travel via this route instead.

While Wells Fargo Rewards points aren’t the highest valued credit card points, the program already has some great travel partners that you can maximize now.

So, for the last year, I’ve found myself struggling to find cards worth applying for that I’m even eligible for. But, I came across the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card from Chase’s welcome bonus offer:

I knew it was an offer worth grabbing, so I applied with my LLC and was approved.

The welcome offer was enticing enough that the other benefits of the card were cheddar on top. Here’s how I plan to use the 120,000 bonus points once I earn them.

How I Plan on Using (And Earning) 120,000 Ultimate Rewards Points

I will have 120,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after meeting the spending requirements for the welcome bonus offer. But, I’ll likely be spending a good amount on one of the bonus categories in particular, as cardholders can earn 3x points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent:

• Travel (where I’ll likely be spending most)
• Shipping purchases
• Advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
• Internet, cable, and phone services

We estimate that Ultimate Rewards points are worth 2 cents apiece, meaning I will have $2,400 in value from spending and the welcome offer. Even considering the annual fee on the card, I’ll project well over $2,000 in potential rewards value.

Once I’ve racked up the points, I’m planning on transferring them to World of Hyatt and using them for a stay at the Secrets, The Vine in Cancun, Mexico. Having 120,000 points should get me roughly 4 free nights, although I may need to top off my account by strategically buying Hyatt points.

Hyatt is regularly known as one of the best Chase transfer partners, and for good reason. Rates for this hotel can run upward of $500 per night, so getting a $2,000+ hotel stay to redeem these points is well worth it to me.

However, this doesn’t come without careful planning, as meeting the minimum spending can be challenging. After all, it’s best practice to keep my business and personal expenses on separate cards. But if I find myself not hitting the minimum, I can always put day-to-day expenses on there.

And if I’m really cutting it close, I could call friends and family to see if they have any large expenses coming up, and they write me a check for the expense. My grandfather recently had a $1,700 dental expense, and I was able to use my card for it, for instance.

Ink Business Preferred Card Benefits

The Ink Business Preferred card is a solid card for those who need a separate business credit card from their own personal expenses without a stark annual fee. But the real value comes in its ongoing benefits, which offer long-term perks and insurance protections like:

• Earn 5x points on Lyft rides through March 2025
• Redeem points for travel at an elevated 25% rate through Chase Travel (worth 1.25 cents apiece)
• Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance
• Cell phone insurance
• Purchase protection
• Rental car insurance
• Extended warranty protection
• No foreign transaction fees

Final Thoughts

Before applying for the Ink Business Preferred card, it’s recommended to check your Chase 5/24 application status, as well as devise a plan of how you’re going to spend the hefty spending requirement.

If you have a large purchase coming up you need to make for your business, it’s a great opportunity to earn extra points along the way. However, you should never overextend yourself financially just to earn extra credit card rewards.

• You’re looking for an affordable credit card that offers bonus rewards on all purchases and comes with extra travel-ready perks like a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit.
• You want to earn and redeem OneKeyCash, which is a shared currency between Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo that can be used for flights, vacation rentals, car rentals, and activities.

Don’t Get If

• You want to earn transferrable points and miles to get outsized value on travel redemptions.
• You don’t want to pay an annual fee.

One Key+ Card — Is It Worth It?

The One Key+ card takes a fresh approach to travel credit cards. You’ll earn OneKeyCash on travel and everyday spending, which can then be used across 3 familiar travel brands: Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.

In fact, 2 co-branded cards from Wells Fargo are part of this shared loyalty program: the One Key Card and the One Key+ card. While the One Key+ card comes with a annual fee, there are plenty of perks and benefits that can justify the ongoing cost. Besides earning bonus rewards on Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, gas stations, grocery stores, and dining, the One Key+ card offers a solid 2% OneKeyCash on other eligible purchases.

Furthermore, the One Key+ card offers an annual $100 OneKeyCash credit and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit every 4 years. If you are eligible for Global Entry, we recommend opting for this program since TSA PreCheck is included in the cost of the membership. As such, you’ll get access to expedited airport security lines and customs screening when entering the U.S. by air.

The One Key+ card offers automatic Gold status in the One Key loyalty program, meaning cardholders can get 20% or more in discounts on over 10,000 hotels worldwide. This level of elite status provides complimentary price drop protection on flights booked through Expedia. Anytime the airfare drops after booking, you’ll get an automatic credit in OneKeyCash to your account.

By spending $30,000 or more on the card in a calendar year, you can unlock Platinum elite status. Members can supercharge their earnings — 9% back at VIP Access properties on Expedia and Hotels.com. That’s on top of what you’ll earn with the OneKey+ card. (VIP Access properties meet consistently high quality and service standards, as deemed by Expedia Group.)

Any good travel card is jam-packed with travel and purchase protections, and the OneKey+ card excels in this category. Cardholders can access cell phone protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, primary auto rental collision damage waiver, and travel accident insurance, and enjoy no foreign transaction fees when traveling abroad.

What Benefits Do You Get With the One Key+ Card?

$100 OneKeyCash Credit

Every cardholder anniversary, you’ll earn $100 in OneKeyCash that can be used for the following 12 months. This is a no-brainer benefit that effectively offsets the annual fee!

Automatic Gold Elite Status

Gold status normally requires earning 15 to 29 qualifying “trip elements” in a year, but One Key+ card holders are automatically upgraded to this tier. Trip elements are comprised of hotel nights, cruise nights, car rental days, etc. earned in a calendar year. For instance, 1 hotel night is considered a single trip element, while 3 hotel nights would be 3 trip elements, etc.

Gold elite status is where the travel perks get valuable. Price drop protection on flights is a unique feature not offered by many credit cards. Gold members who book flights through Expedia will automatically receive this benefit and earn OneKeyCash as the difference good for future travel.

There are a lot of cool hotel benefits, too. You can get space-available room upgrades and an extra perk when visiting VIP Access properties on Expedia and Hotels.com. That’s in addition to 20% (or more) in discounts at participating hotels worldwide.

Top-tier Platinum status is much closer in reach by spending at least $30,000 on the One Key+ card in a calendar year, and members get 3x OneKeyCash when booking VIP Access properties. In total, Platinum status holders and One Key+ cardholders could earn up to 9% OneKeyCash on VIP Access Properties.

Travel Protections

The One Key+ card offers a competitive suite of travel protection benefits:

• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver — This primary rental car insurance provides coverage up to $50,000 for accidental damage or theft of your rental car.
• Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection — If you need to cancel a trip due to illness, severe weather, or any other covered circumstance, you can receive a reimbursement of up to $5,000 per person, per trip. Additionally, you can be reimbursed up to $20,000 within a 12-month period per account.
• Travel Accident Insurance — In the event of accidental death or loss of speech, sight, or hearing during your travels, you can receive up to $1,000,000 if the incident occurs on a common carrier, such as an airline or cruise ship.

Cell Phone Protection

The One Key+ card comes with cell phone protection, providing up to $1,000 worth of coverage toward accidental damage or theft to your cell phone. There’s a $25 deductible per claim and a maximum of 2 claims per 12-month period, totaling up to $2,000 in coverage

To qualify for coverage, you must pay your monthly cell phone bill with the card, but this is an example of an incredibly valuable everyday benefit.

Who Is the One Key+ Card For?

Points and miles aren’t the preferred award currency for every traveler. It requires a lot of mental gymnastics to maximize your points and find the award availability for certain flights and hotels — which can be slim to none.

As such, the One Key+ card is the perfect solution for travelers who like straightforward redemptions. Your OneKeyCash is always worth 1 cent apiece for various travel expenses via Expedia, Hotels.com, or Vrbo platforms. There’s no math involved, making it easy to understand the value of the One Key program.

The annual fee is easily worth the cost when you consider the automatic Gold elite status, $100 annual OneKeyCash benefit, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, and travel and cell phone coverages.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your OneKeyCash

The OneKey+ card offers 3% OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo purchases, as well as gas stations, groceries, and dining. All other purchases still earn 2% OneKeyCash.

Those earning rates are before you consider any bonus rewards from Gold or Platinum elite status. Gold members can earn 6% OneKeyCash for VIP Access properties, while Platinum members can earn 9% OneKeyCash for VIP Access properties!

The major downside is that you can’t transfer OneKeyCash to airline or hotel programs. OneKeyCash is worth a flat 1 cent apiece for cruises, car rentals, hotels, vacation rentals, and more through Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. (However, if you choose to book airfare via Expedia, you will need enough rewards for the entire flight cost.)

Alternative Cards to the One Key Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

One of the most popular travel credit cards with a sub-$100 annual fee is the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. This card has a annual fee and earns 5x points on travel booked through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, online groceries, and select streaming services, 2x points on other travel, and 1x points on all other purchases.

Chase Ultimate Rewards has an impressive list of 1:1 transfer partners, spanning both airline and hotel programs. You can also use points at an elevated 1.25 cents apiece for travel booked through Chase Travel, which provides 25% more value than OneKeyCash would for travel redemptions.

One Key Card

The One Key card is the -annual-fee version of this product but still offers plenty of important travel benefits. The card earns 3% OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, gas, groceries, and dining, but 1.5% OneKeyCash on other purchases.

This card has automatic Silver elite status and a pathway to Gold and the same access to travel and purchase protections.

• You want a -annual-fee card that earns generous rewards on popular spending categories, including travel, gas stations, groceries, and dining.
• You value OneKeyCash to redeem on Expedia, Vrbo, and Hotels.com for flights, vacation rentals, car rentals, activities, and more.

Don’t Get If

• You want to earn transferrable points and miles that can be redeemed at various airline and hotel programs.
• You prefer a cash-back card with simple bonus categories.

One Key Card — Is It Worth It?

The One Key card is one of the best no-annual-fee credit cards we’ve seen introduced on the market recently. If you’re looking for automatic elite status, bonus points on numerous categories, and easy-to-use travel rewards, then you’ve come to the right place.

This travel credit card offers a nice mix of rewards across travel booked through Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, as well as gas stations, grocery stores, and dining. To make the value proposition even stronger, the One Key card earns 1.5% OneKeyCash on other eligible purchases — meaning you’ll always earn more than a standard 1% no matter where you spend.

With automatic Silver status in the One Key loyalty program, cardholders can get 15% or more in discounts on over 10,000 hotels worldwide. There’s even a pathway to Gold elite status, which can be achieved by spending at least $15,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year. With Gold status, savings on participating hotels increase from 15% to 20%. Gold members even get access to space-available room upgrades when staying at VIP Access properties worldwide (VIP Access properties meet consistently high quality and service standards, as deemed by Expedia Group). Members also get price drop protection on select flights via the Expedia app.

OneKeyCash can be redeemed for anything bookable through the Expedia, Vrbo, and Hotels.com platforms. This includes a wide range of travel, such as vacation homes, excursions, and cruises, all of which have traditionally been more difficult to book with points and miles.

Lastly, the One Key card is issued by Wells Fargo, which offers a suite of travel and purchase protections. That means you can enjoy cardholder perks like no foreign transaction fees, cell phone protection, trip cancellation and interruption protection, primary auto rental collision damage waiver, and travel accident insurance.

What Benefits Do You Get With the One Key Card?

Automatic Silver Elite Status

The One Key elite status program has 4 tiers: Blue (no status), Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The elite qualifying metric for each level is known as “trip elements.” For instance, you can earn 1 trip element per night at a hotel or vacation rental, flight, cruise cabin night, activity, and car rental day.

Silver status normally requires 5 to 14 trip elements earned, but One Key card holders automatically get this level reflected in their account. The main perk is the ability to get hotel discounts, with 15% (or more) on 10,000+ participating hotels worldwide. You’ll also get an extra perk when staying at VIP Access properties, which could include a food and beverage credit, for example.

You can upgrade yourself to Gold status by spending $15,000+ on the card in a calendar year, where you can save 20% or more on participating hotels. But perhaps our favorite perk of this status level is the ability to get automatic price drop protection on flights through Expedia, which is awarded in the form of OneKeyCash whenever your airfare decreases after booking!

Travel Protections

The One Key card offers a wide range of complimentary travel insurance benefits not commonly found on -annual-fee cards.

• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver — This primary rental car insurance provides coverage up to $50,000 for accidental damage or theft of your rental car.
• Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection — If you need to cancel a trip due to illness, severe weather, or any other covered circumstance, you can receive a reimbursement of up to $5,000 per person per trip. Additionally, you can be reimbursed up to $20,000 per 12-month period per account.
• Travel Accident Insurance — In the event of accidental death or loss of speech, sight, or hearing during your travels, you can receive up to $1,000,000 if the incident occurs on a common carrier, such as an airline or cruise ship.

Cell Phone Protection

One of the best perks of Wells Fargo cards is the complimentary cell phone protection that’s included by paying your monthly cell phone bill with your card. The One Key card provides up to $1,000 worth of coverage toward accidental damage or theft to your cell phone.

There’s a $25 deductible per claim and a maximum of 2 claims per 12-month period, totaling up to $2,000 in coverage

Who Is the One Key Card For?

Beyond the flights, booking a vacation involves many elements. If you’re booking for multiple people, you may prefer to stay at a vacation rental, or you may need to book tours and activities in advance at popular destinations.

That said, the One Key card is the perfect fit for travelers who want to redeem valuable OneKeyCash for various travel expenses. The choice is yours when it comes to redemption, so long as it’s through the Expedia, Hotels.com, or Vrbo platforms.

With the One Key card, you can quickly rack up rewards whether you’re traveling or spending more time closer to home. In addition, the card’s travel and purchase protection benefits come in handy when you need them most.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your OneKeyCash

You can earn at least 6% OneKeyCash on Expedia and Hotels.com, and 5% on Vrbo purchases with the One Key card. Furthermore, the One Key card is a great earner on 3 of the largest everyday purchases: gas stations, groceries, and dining. Even when expenses fall outside of these bonus categories, you’ll still earn 1.5% rewards no matter where you swipe your card.

One Key offers a different approach to the traditional credit card rewards programs, as OneKeyCash won’t transfer to airline or hotel programs. Rather, it can be redeemed for a flat rate of 1 cent apiece for travel purchases on Expedia, Hotels.com, or Vrbo. You can redeem for any amount, though you will need enough rewards for the entire flight cost if choosing to book airfare via Expedia.

Your best strategy would be to redeem OneKeyCash for atypical travel redemptions, such as vacation homes, cruises, car rentals, and excursions.

Alternative Cards to the One Key Card

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

If you’re searching for a no-annual-fee travel card, the Capital One VentureOne card is another compelling option. It earns 5x Capital One miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and an unlimited 1.25x miles on every other purchase.

You can redeem Capital One miles for 1 cent apiece for travel purchases within 90 days of it being posted to your statement credit or transfer rewards to the 15+ Capital One airline and hotel transfer partners for even greater value.

One Key+ Card

The One Key+ Card debuted along with the One Key card but carries a annual fee. The higher cost is justified by greater perks, such as an annual $100 OneKeyCash credit and automatic Gold status with a pathway to Platinum status upon spending $30,000+ in a calendar year.

The card even offers perks like a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit and earns 2% OneKeyCash on other purchases.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card and the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card perfectly resemble those descriptions. For this reason, we’ve chosen these 2 mid-level rewards-earning cards for our comparison today.

Both cards could be considerations for everyday spending, earning on travel purchases, and accumulating flexible rewards that offer value at redemption time. Complimentary travel insurance and shopping benefits would also be a plus.

In today’s comparison, we’ll look at all these card attributes, dive into the details, and make it easy to discover the better card for you.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card vs. Citi Strata Premier Card — Summary

We’ll uncover all the details of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Citi Strata Premier card coming up next.

First, here’s a preview of the features and benefits in a quick side-by-side comparison:

The Value of a Welcome Offer

Immediately after approval for the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card or the Citi Strata Premier card, you have a unique opportunity to earn a welcome bonus offer.

Welcome bonus offers, which can be worth hundreds of dollars, can be earned by meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period.

Offers vary, so check for the most current information, which you can find in the following card snapshots:

Earning Potential

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Citi Strata Premier card earn rewards as points that can be redeemed in several ways. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns Wells Fargo Rewards points, and the Citi Strata Premier card earns ThankYou Points.

Both cards earn well on select everyday purchases and travel with overall bonus category differences. How these categories match your spending mix determines which card is a better earning match for your situation.

Here are all the ways you could be earning on our featured cards:

Both cards have apparent robust earning structures. The Citi Strata Premier card stands out with 10x points per dollar spent on select travel via the card’s associated travel portal, Citi Travel. This could be a plus if you don’t mind using the portal for hotels, car rentals, and attractions.

Your earnings would likely come from general travel purchases rather than portal purchases. If you spend heavily on flights, hotels, and travel, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card has the edge.

The Citi Strata Premier card shines on gas and supermarket purchases, with 3x earnings compared to 1x points with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card. Consider the Citi Strata Premier card if you spend a considerable amount each year in these categories.

Both cards earn well on dining.

Redemption Options

Once you’ve accumulated rewards points by spending on the Wells Fargo Autograph card or Citi Strata Premier card, you can have the pleasure of redeeming them.

Your choices are many, but some redemptions yield better value for your rewards than others. Let’s look at your choices when it’s time to redeem your rewards.

While you have several choices at redemption time, the best potential value for the rewards earned on either card is to transfer to airline or hotel partners.

Wells Fargo Rewards

Wells Fargo Rewards currently has 5 airline transfer partners, including Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus. Rewards transfer at a ratio of 1:1. While there are only 5 airline partners, more are expected in the future. Plus, these key partners provide access to all 3 major airline alliances.

Wells Fargo Rewards has 1 hotel transfer partner, Choice Privileges. We like that rewards transfer at the ratio of 1 Wells Fargo Rewards point to 2 Choice Privileges points. You can easily book an excellent hotel for transferring just 8,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points (16,000 Choice Privileges points). Check out the Selma Spa+ Hotel in Sunne, Sweden, available for 16,000 Choice Privileges points, as an example of where your rewards can take you.

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi ThankYou Rewards has more airline and hotel partners than Wells Fargo, so you have more choices with it.

Our team members enjoy flying business class in Qatar Qsuite from the U.S. to Doha. Qatar Airways Privilege Club is a ThankYou Rewards transfer partner. A one-way Qsuite ticket costs just 70,000 Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios. Wells Fargo Rewards points transfer at a ratio of 1:1 with all airline partners. Learn more about using ThankYou Points for great flight redemptions in this article.

In addition to more than a dozen airline transfer partners, Citi ThankYou Points can be transferred to hotel and retail partners, such as ALL – Accor Live Limitless, Wyndham Rewards, Choice Privileges, and Shop Your Way.

Travel Protections and Benefits

Travel protections and benefits are included on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and the Citi Strata Premier card.

Protections can provide reimbursement should something go wrong during your trip. Benefits can save you money or deliver perks you can enjoy during your journey.

Here are the travel protections and benefits of both cards and the additional perks of each separate card:

• Car Rental Insurance: Reserve and pay for your entire car rental with your card and decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW insurance to receive coverage for damage and theft. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card has an auto rental collision damage waiver and offers secondary coverage within the U.S. The Citi Strata Premier card also provides secondary coverage “within the eligible renter’s country of residence.” Otherwise, coverage is primary with both cards when outside of those areas. Primary coverage means you do not have to file a claim with other applicable insurance before card coverage applies.
• Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance: Pay for the entire trip with your card. If the trip needs to be canceled or is disrupted for a covered reason, you could receive reimbursement for nonrefundable expenses — up to $15,000 per covered person, per trip, with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and up to $5,000 per trip with the Citi Strata Premier card.
• Baggage Insurance: Charge the full amount of your transportation with your card and receive up to $3,000 per trip with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and up to $5,000 with the Citi Strata Premier card.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees: Take your card along when you travel, as neither of our featured cards charges foreign transaction fees.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

• $50 Airline Reimbursement: Use your card to purchase directly with the airline and receive a $50 statement credit.
• Roadside Dispatch: Receive a roadside service call with just 1 call and 1 low, prearranged fee. Services include limited towing, standard winching, tire changing of your inflated spare, lockout and jump-start services, and emergency fuel delivery.
• Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection Benefits: Receive elite benefits such as an automatic room upgrade upon arrival (when available), complimentary breakfast for 2, free Wi-Fi, a $25 food and beverage credit, late checkout upon request (when available), a best-rate guarantee, and VIP guest status. Book via VisaSignatureHotels.com using your card.

Citi Strata Premier Card

• Trip Delay Coverage: If your trip is delayed more than 6 hours for a covered loss, you could receive up to $500 for eligible expenses such as meals and lodging.
• $100 Hotel Credit: Book a hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding fees and taxes) via Citi Travel and receive $100 off. Discount is valid once per year.
• Luxury Collection and Hotel Collection Benefits: Enjoy elite benefits when booking a hotel stay via Citi Travel with Booking.com site for either the Luxury Collection or Hotel Collection properties. No minimum stay is required.
  • Luxury Collection: Receive complimentary breakfast for 2, free Wi-Fi, a $100 resort credit, early check-in, late checkout, and room upgrades, when available.
  • Hotel Collection: Receive complimentary breakfast for 2, free Wi-Fi, and early check-in and late checkout when available.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

When you use your Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card or Citi Strata Premier card to purchase an eligible item, you receive additional protection with your card. You also have access to special shopping benefits.

Here are the shopping protections and benefits on each of our featured cards:

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

• Cell Phone Protection: Pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card to receive coverage for damage or theft. You could receive up to $1,000 per claim with a maximum of 2 claims per 12 months. There is a $25 deductible per claim.
• My Wells Fargo Deals: Activate these special merchant deals in your online account and receive cash-back after making the required purchase.
• Autograph Card Exclusives: Cardmembers can purchase up to 6 tickets for each exclusive live event.

Citi Strata Premier Card

• Purchase Protection: If an eligible item purchased with your card is damaged or stolen within 90 days of the purchase date, you could receive up to $10,000 per item, up to $50,000 per account per year.
• Extended Warranty: Receive up to 24 additional months on the manufacturer’s warranty for eligible items purchased, even in part, with your card.
• Lyft Benefit: Add your card to your Lyft account and receive a $5 Lyft credit after taking 3 rides in a calendar month.
• Citi Merchant Offers: Log in to your online card account, select from merchant and service provider offers, make the required purchase, and get cash-back.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

It’s important to consider any associated annual card fees when determining the value you’d receive with a specific card.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card has an annual fee of , and the Citi Strata Premier card has an annual fee of .

Neither card charges a fee to add authorized users.

Final Thoughts

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and the Citi Strata Premier card offer good value for the right consumer.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card fares well if you’re spending heavily on general travel. The card also has valuable cell phone protection, a $50 airline statement credit, and several useful travel insurance benefits. While the card has fewer transfer partners, there’s access to all the major airline alliances and Choice Privileges.

If your greatest expenses are at the supermarket, gas stations, and EV charging, the Citi Strata Premier card is a better match for rewarding those purchases. The card also earns on travel and dining, offers flexible options at redemption time, and has travel insurance benefits.

Along with this game-changing update, Wells Fargo debuted its first travel rewards credit card: the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card. The card offers excellent returns on travel purchases, such as unlimited 5x points on hotels and 4x points on airfare, among other valuable bonus categories.

For these reasons, Wells Fargo is finally catching up with popular credit card programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards. In this in-depth guide, we’ll discuss how you can earn Wells Fargo Rewards points for your next redemption.

About Wells Fargo Rewards Points

Wells Fargo has a portfolio of credit cards, many of which earn points that can be used for travel, cash rewards, gift cards, and more. Here are the core reasons why you may want to set your sights on earning Wells Fargo Rewards points.

Transfer Your Wells Fargo Rewards Points to Airline and Hotel Partners

For a long time, Wells Fargo hasn’t offered any travel transfer partners. That all changed earlier in 2024 when the major issuer announced its initial list of participating airline and hotel programs.

You can transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to most partners, giving you maximum flexibility to book flights across airlines from all alliances (Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance). Here are some of the options cardholders have to redeem their points:

• Redeem rewards at any time with a minimum of 1 point and a maximum of 999,999 points per transaction.
• Transfer rewards to the loyalty programs of the Wells Fargo travel partners.
• Transfer rewards between business and personal Wells Fargo accounts.
• Transfer rewards between cash rewards and points-earning Wells Fargo accounts.
• Use a combination of points and cash for travel purchases on the Wells Fargo portal.
• Redeem points for cash, gift cards, and more.

Ease of Earning Wells Fargo Rewards

Wells Fargo has a couple of travel rewards cards in its Autograph family, and holding one of these cards allows you to transfer your points to the issuer’s airline and hotel partners.

In addition, if you have the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, which earns cash rewards, you can transfer rewards to the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card or the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card to become fully fledged transferable points. As such, you can earn Wells Fargo Rewards points effortlessly in several ways that we’ll go over in further detail throughout the article:

• Every purchase made earns Wells Fargo Rewards points.
• Bonus category purchases allow you to earn up to 5x rewards.
• Generous welcome bonus offers to earn lots of rewards upon meeting minimum spend requirements.

Earn Lots of Wells Fargo Rewards Points With Wells Fargo Personal Cards

There are plenty of ways to earn Wells Fargo Rewards points with personal credit cards, from spending on everyday purchases to annual vacations. Here’s a closer look at all the ways to earn Wells Fargo Rewards points with personal cards.

Personal Cards That Earn Wells Fargo Rewards Points

The 2 personal cards that earn Wells Fargo Rewards points are part of the Autograph family. Let’s compare the rewards, features, and benefits of each card.

As mentioned above, the Wells Fargo Active Cash card earns cash rewards that can be converted to Wells Fargo Rewards points if you hold either of the Autograph cards. This could be a winning strategy for many award travelers since the Wells Fargo Active Cash card has annual fee (rates & fees) and offers generous 2% cash rewards rate on all eligible purchases.

Lastly, the issuer recently launched the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card, also with no annual fee. Like the Wells Fargo Active Cash card, the Wells Fargo Attune card earns cash rewards:

• 4% cash rewards on self-care, such as fitness centers, and wellness
• 4% cash rewards on select sports, recreation, and entertainment
• 4% cash rewards on planet-friendly purchases, including public transportation, electric vehicle charging stations, and secondhand stores
• 1% cash rewards on all other eligible purchases

The 4% cash rewards rate can be compelling if you also have the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card or the Wells Fargo Autograph card, which would normally earn 1x points on the bonus categories listed above.

1. Earn a Welcome Bonus Offer

The best way to earn a ton of Wells Fargo Rewards points quickly is to apply for one of the Wells Fargo credit cards above, meet the initial spending requirement, and earn the welcome bonus offer. It can take up to 1 or 2 billing cycles for these bonus Wells Fargo Rewards points to show up on your balance.

These welcome bonus offers will vary, and you can check out the latest offers above. It’s possible to hold 1 — or even all — of these Wells Fargo cards in your wallet, though issuer application rules will apply.

For instance, Wells Fargo states: “If you opened a Wells Fargo Credit Card account within the last 6 months, then you may not qualify to open an additional Wells Fargo Credit Card account.“

2. Purchase Travel

Wells Fargo’s definition of travel is quite extensive, meaning many travel-related purchases rack up bonus points.

The issuer defines travel as hotels, airlines, timeshares, rental cars, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, and campgrounds. Let’s take a closer look at the earning rates:

• Wells Fargo Autograph card earns 3x points on all travel purchases.
• Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns 5x points on hotels, 4x points on airlines, and 3x points on all other travel purchases.

As you can see, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card offers elevated rewards for the first 2 categories. Going 1 step further, it won’t matter how you book your hotels and airfare, meaning you can book with third-party sites like Expedia or book directly with Marriott or United to earn a ton of bonus points.

However, a couple of purchases, such as metro tickets, ride-shares, and parking fees, don’t code as travel. Instead, Wells Fargo designates those as transit purchases. Only 1 card, the Wells Fargo Autograph card, offers elevated earnings on transit as you’ll see in this breakdown:

3. Use Wells Fargo Travel

You can redeem Wells Fargo Rewards points for travel at a rate of 1 cent apiece. However, did you know you can also earn points by booking travel through the portal?

Let’s say that you want to book a $600 flight but only have 20,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points. This would not cover the entire cost of airfare, which would be 60,000 points on the portal.

Another strategy would be redeeming 20,000 points at booking and paying for the $400 remainder using your Wells Fargo credit card. You would earn Wells Fargo Rewards points on the remaining cost, coded as travel, depending on the card you hold.

4. Dine Out

Both the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and the Wells Fargo Autograph card earn unlimited 3x points at restaurants, making them great choices for foodies. The issuer defines the restaurant bonus category as “eating places and restaurants, drinking places, fast food restaurants, and caterers.”

5. Fill Up Your Tank

There aren’t many credit cards that reward you for multiple everyday bonus categories — but the Wells Fargo Autograph card is certainly a rare find for gas purchases.

This -annual-fee card (rates & fees) offers unlimited 3x points at gas stations, including automated fuel dispensers and electric vehicle charging stations.

What’s more, you may be able to purchase gift cards at gas stations with the Wells Fargo Autograph card and earn the enhanced 3x bonus point rate.

7. Pay for Streaming Services

The Wells Fargo Autograph card has 3x unlimited points on popular streaming services, which span cable and other pay television, digital goods, books, movies, music, and subscription services. You can find the full list of eligible providers here, which include:

Of course, there are some notable exceptions. If you’re paying for subscriptions like Max or Paramount Plus, pay with a card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash card, which earns 2% cash rewards on all purchases.

8. Pay for Your Phone Plan — and Get Cell Phone Protection!

The Wells Fargo Autograph card offers an unlimited 3x points on phone plans, which include landline and cell phone providers considered telecommunication services. Whether you’re paying for a monthly family plan or an individual plan, you should put the Wells Fargo Autograph card on autopay so you rack up those bonus points quickly.

As an added bonus, the Wells Fargo Autograph card comes with up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft (subject to a $25 deductible). Should you accidentally break your phone, or if it’s stolen, you’re covered as long as you pay your monthly cell phone bill with the card.

9. Everyday Purchases

On all other purchases (excluding bonus categories stated above), the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and the Wells Fargo Autograph card offers unlimited 1x points per $1 spent.

While it’s nice that you’ll still be able to earn points, you should turn to a card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash card for bonus rewards no matter where you spend. The 2% cash rewards rate is more akin to earning 2x points per $1 when you transfer your cash rewards to either Wells Fargo Autograph card.

10. Add an Authorized User

You can add an authorized user to your Wells Fargo credit card and receive points whenever they spend on their card. However, do know that the primary cardholder is responsible for paying the balances on time and in full to avoid any interest or late charges.

Earn Lots of Wells Fargo Rewards Points With a Wells Fargo Business Card

For many businesses, cash is king. And the issuer is trying to capture exactly that with the new Signify Business Cash℠ Card by Wells Fargo which offers an uncapped 2% cash rewards on all purchases. This earning rate is similar to that of the Wells Fargo Active Cash card since there are no bonus categories to memorize.

While it earns cash rewards (versus travel points), remember that you can move them over to either the Wells Fargo Autograph card or Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card. That way, you can transfer points to participating airline and hotel loyalty programs to redeem your points for maximum value.

Another interesting perk of the card is the Pay As You Go Priority Pass membership, which allows you to access Priority Pass lounges during your travels at a discounted rate of $35 per visit.

If you have a Wells Fargo Autograph card, you can consolidate the rewards earned on your Signify Business Cash card instantly. Doing so lets you access Wells Fargo’s list of transfer partners, which is set to grow as the program expands.

11. Pay for Business Expenses

Businesses have variable expenses, whether it’s advertising, travel, or miscellaneous purchases to keep the lights on. The Signify Business Cash card could be a top contender for business owners who don’t want to keep track of these bonus categories but want to earn 2% cash rewards no matter where their expenses take them.

Everything Else You Need To Know

If you’re zeroing in on your credit card strategy, be mindful of credit card application rules that may impact your ability to get approved.

In addition to spacing out your credit card applications at least 6 months, Wells Fargo requires you to wait 16 months between receiving the welcome bonus offer on its personal cards. But if you’re applying for personal and business cards, you may be able to get approved for 1 personal card and 1 business card within the 16 months.

Final Thoughts

Wells Fargo has a number of credit cards that earn rewards on bonus categories and everyday purchases.

While the list of transfer partners isn’t expansive just yet, you can still find excellent value from transferring your points to partners like Avianca LifeMiles, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and Choice Privileges, for your future trips. That’s why focusing on earning Wells Fargo Rewards points is a great idea for many travelers.

The new nonstop services from Los Angeles (LAX) are to La Paz (LAP) and Monterrey (MTY).

“We recently celebrated 35 years of service to Mexico and are proud to connect travelers with the rich culture and natural beauty of the country,” said Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning at Alaska Airlines. “We look forward to continuing to serve as the carrier of choice from the West Coast, especially as we prepare to start service to these popular destinations in Mexico.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Alaska’s new routes from L.A. to Mexico.

Fly From LAX to La Paz and Monterrey This Winter

Alaska Airlines is cementing its reputation as the airline with the most flights to Mexico from the West Coast.

This coming winter, the airline will introduce 2 new services from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) — an important hub airport for the airline.

The first flight to La Paz will take flight on November 20 with the second new route to Monterrery launching later in the season on February 13, 2025.

Alaska will be the only U.S. airline serving the coastal city of La Paz in Baja California.

“We appreciate Alaska Airlines’ confidence in investing in the virtues of La Paz and providing it with the opportunity to expand its borders by connecting with the United States,” said Maribel Collins, minister of tourism and economy of Baja California Sur.

Furthermore, when service to Monterrey starts next year, Alaska will be the only airline offering nonstop service to Monterrery — Mexico’s second largest city after Mexico City.

Tickets for the new routes will go on sale in the afternoon of July 3.

Final Thoughts

Alaska’s new routes to Mexico will certainly be welcomed by travelers wishing to spend some time in the sunshine this winter.

That’s true not just for those living in L.A. but equally for passengers elsewhere who can easily connect through L.A. on Alaska’s route network, continuing onward with these new flights.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card, while one of our top picks, does take on several card challengers. Today’s card comparison choice was a likely candidate for one of those challenges.

Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card earns flexible rewards points and includes several travel insurance benefits.

Will the Chase Sapphire Preferred card reign as our top-choice travel rewards card? In today’s article, we’ll investigate how card attributes compare and, ultimately, determine which card may be better for your situation.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Overview

We’ll expand on the details of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card next.

First, looking at a side-by-side overview of all the features and benefits of each card can be helpful.

The Value of a Welcome Offer

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card present the opportunity to earn a welcome bonus offer after card approval.

A welcome bonus offer can be earned by meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period. It’s a chance to earn a large amount of rewards in a short time.

Welcome offers can vary, so you’ll want to review the most current offer before applying.

Earning Potential

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns Wells Fargo Rewards points, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

The amount of rewards you earn by spending on either card is one of the key reasons for selecting one card over the other.

For this reason, you should compare the bonus-earning categories for each card with your actual spending mix to determine which card is a better fit.

Here are all the ways you’ll earn rewards with our featured cards:

One clear observation is that spending on travel and dining purchases with either card will earn the most rewards.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card requires that you purchase travel via Chase Travel to earn 5x points while the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns 5x points on hotels, 4x on airfare, and 3x on all travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 2x points on general travel.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has the edge in earning on select streaming services and online groceries — a plus if you spend a lot in these categories.

Ultimately, earnings for both cards are quite similar. However, earnings alone don’t determine the end value you’ll receive at redemption time.

Next, we look at the redemption options for our featured cards.

Redemption Options

Once you’ve accumulated rewards on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll have the pleasure of redeeming them for something special.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offer flexible redemption options that help your rewards go further.

Here are the choices when it’s time to redeem your rewards.

Wells Fargo Rewards Points

Rewards earned on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card are most valuable when transferred to airline and hotel partners. We value Wells Fargo Rewards points at ~1.5 cents each.

There are currently 5 airline transfer partners and the Choice Privileges hotel program. Wells Fargo Rewards points can be transferred to Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus.

There are plans to add more Wells Fargo transfer partners, though you can access all the major airline alliances with the current airline partners.

Currently, there is just 1 hotel transfer partner, but you can find plenty of value in transferring Wells Fargo Rewards at a 1:2 ratio to Choice Privileges. For example, you can transfer just 8,000 Wells Fargo points to stay at the Clarion Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden (where breakfast is included, by the way) near Old Town for 16,000 Choice Privileges points.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

We value Chase Ultimate Rewards points at ~2 cents each due to the flexible options at redemption time. One reason is that Chase has more transfer partners than Wells Fargo. Ultimate Rewards transfer to these partners at a ratio of 1:1.

You may want to check out how Air France-KLM Flying Blue Promo Rewards can yield great options for economy or business flights from the U.S. to Europe. Transferring Ultimate Rewards points during promo periods can make your points go further.

We also like that Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to the World of Hyatt hotel loyalty program. Hyatt is a known sweet spot that can deliver good value for your points. For example, staying at the Hyatt Regency Chicago can be accomplished for just 12,000 World of Hyatt points per night (off-peak).

Travel Protections and Benefits

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card are both Visa Signature cards and include several associated travel insurance protections and benefits. Protections can provide economic relief should something go wrong during your trip. Benefits can save you money or add comfort to your journey.

Travel Protections

• 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 damage and theft. Terms apply and coverage may be excluded for some countries.
  • Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card — Secondary coverage within the U.S., primary coverage outside the U.S.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Primary coverage worldwide, meaning you do not have to file a claim with other applicable insurance before card coverage applies.
• Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance — Should you need to cancel your trip or it is disrupted for a covered reason, you could receive reimbursement for covered expenses.
  • Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card — Pay for your entire trip with your card and receive up to $15,000 per covered person, per trip, up to a maximum of $20,000 per account every 12 months.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Pay for a portion of your trip with your card and receive up to $20,000 per trip, up to $40,000 per 12-month period.
• Lost Baggage Reimbursement — Pay for your trip with your card and if your luggage is lost by the common carrier, or is stolen, you could receive reimbursement of up to $3,000 per trip with the Wells Fargo Autograph card, and up to $3,000 per covered person/per trip with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Coverage is secondary to any other coverage that may apply.
• Roadside Dispatch — For 1 prearranged fee, you’ll receive a roadside service call plus limited towing, tire changing of your inflated spare, lockout service, emergency fuel delivery, jumpstart service, and standard winching.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• Trip Delay Reimbursement — Should your trip be delayed more than 12 hours for a covered hazard, or overnight, you could receive up to $500 per ticket when a portion of your trip is paid for with your card.
• Baggage Delay Insurance — If your trip is delayed more than 6 hours, you could receive up to $100 per day, up to 5 days, for covered essential items.

Travel Protection Advantages with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

While the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card have similar travel insurance, when viewing the details, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has several clear advantages.

• The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has primary car rental coverage worldwide for up to 31 consecutive days. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card has secondary coverage in the U.S. and coverage for only up to 15 days (up to 31 days outside the U.S.).
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred card requires that you pay for just a portion of your trip with the card to qualify for trip cancellation/trip interruption coverage. The Wells Fargo Autograph card requires that you pay for the entire trip with the card.
• Coverage for lost/stolen baggage, although secondary on both cards, is limited to $3,000 per trip with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the limit is $3,000 per person, per trip — a significant difference.
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred card includes the additional benefits of trip delay reimbursement and baggage delay insurance.

Travel Benefits

• $50 Annual Statement Credit — Receive an annual $50 statement credit for a $50 or more purchase with your card.
  • Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card — Make a purchase of $50 or more directly with the airline and receive the $50 airline statement credit.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Book a hotel stay of over $50 via Chase Travel and receive a $50 hotel statement credit each year.
• Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection Benefits — Book your stay with your card and receive elite-style benefits including a best-rate guarantee, room upgrade on arrival (when available), and complimentary breakfast for 2. Free Wi-Fi, a $25 food/beverage credit, VIP guest status, and late checkout on request, when available, are also included.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Any travel rewards card worth using would not charge foreign transaction fees. You’ll not be charged these fees with either card.
• Travel and Emergency Assistance — Receive help 24/7 when traveling with a dedicated phone number for referral services. Services include medical/legal referrals, translation services, help arranging emergency transportation, and more.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Shopping protections can provide valuable economic benefits should something go wrong with an eligible item you purchased with your card.

You can earn additional rewards and access to special offers using your card’s shopping benefits.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

• Cell Phone Protection — Pay your monthly bill with your card and if your phone is lost or stolen, you could receive up to $1,000 per claim. There is a limit of 2 claims per 12 months and a limit of $2,000.
• My Wells Fargo Deals — You’ll find offers from select retailers and service providers in your online card account. Choose and activate the offers you like, make the required purchase, and receive cash back.
• Autograph Card Exclusives — Receive exclusive offers to live events for which you can purchase up to 6 tickets!

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• Purchase Protection —You could receive up to $500 per item for damage or theft for up to 120 days from the date of purchase. Qualifying items must be purchased with your card, and there is a limit of $50,000 per account.
• Extended Warranty — Eligible items purchased with your card with manufacturer’s warranties of 3 years or less will receive coverage for an additional year.
• DoorDash DashPass — Activate this benefit by December 31, 2027, and receive complimentary membership for up to 12 months. Membership includes free delivery and reduced fees.
• Chase Offers — Log in to your online card account and select from a collection of cash-back offers. Make the required purchase and receive a statement credit.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

When determining the value a card can provide, the cost of card membership should be considered.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card has an annual fee of . The Chase Sapphire Preferred card charges an annual fee of .

There is no charge to add authorized users to either of our featured cards.

Final Thoughts

On the surface, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card appears to hold its ground with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It has strong earnings, flexible redemption options, and a long list of travel insurance benefits.

When we dig deeper, we find that Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be worth more than Wells Fargo Rewards due to the options at redemption time. This could change as more Wells Fargo transfer partners are added over time.

And, while the travel insurance benefits are similar, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has more coverage and fewer hoops to jump through, including not having to pay for your entire trip with your card to qualify for coverage.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card can still be a good choice for earning on travel, dining, utilizing its current transfer partners, and for its travel/shopping benefits. The $50 airline credit alone offsets most of the annual fee.

Along with its rewards and hotel savings benefit, the card comes with respectable travel insurance in case your travels come with a hiccup, such as damage to a rental car, weather issues, or sudden illness. I’m guilty of believing that nothing can go wrong as a traveler, but the more often you hit the road the more likely something will eventually happen — even to the most diligent traveler.

So, if you’re in the market for a new travel credit card, the Citi Strata Premier card is worth considering for its solid offering of rewards, benefits, consumer protections, and travel insurance.

Here’s what you need to know about the card.

Citi Strata Premier Card Overview

The Citi Strata Premier card delivers significant value for cardholders who regularly book travel with the card. It comes with a straightforward list of benefits and features, including up to 10x ThankYou Points on travel booked through Citi Travel and a $100 hotel annual benefit. The card has a modest annual fee, which puts it in the same category as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

The Citi Strata Premier card offers rental car insurance (called MasterRental Coverage) for cardholders when they book a vehicle using the card. To be eligible for the card’s coverage, you must:

• Pay for the entire rental car bill with the card.
• Decline the insurance offered by the rental car insurance company.

When you use this card to book a rental car, this insurance coverage is secondary. This means that in the case of a claim, your auto insurance comes first. This is slightly different than other travel credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which offers primary rental car insurance.

Additional drivers listed on the rental agreement are eligible for coverage, as well.

Coverage You Can Expect

• Maximum coverage is the cash value of the rental car
• Reasonable towing expenses to the nearest collision repair facility
• $500 of valid loss-of-use charges imposed by the rental company for the period the car is out of service

Conditions

• The rental agreement is for no more than 31 consecutive days both inside and outside of the U.S.
• Rental car coverage is secondary to your own auto insurance policy

Exclusions

• Restricted vehicles include: full-size vans mounted on a truck chassis, trucks, pickups, SUVs, campers, trailers, motorcycles, motorbikes, mopeds, recreational vehicles, antique vehicles, limos, exotics, and vehicles with an open cargo bed
• Vans are limited to transporting up to 8 people
• Personal liability
• Any loss that occurs while the car is off-road or on an unpaved surface

We’ve abbreviated the details of the policy’s MasterRental Coverage. You can find the entire Citi Strata Premier card Guide to Benefits here.

Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance

Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance is the core coverage of a travel insurance policy. This covers you in case your trip goes awry because of flight cancellations, weather, illness, and so on.

When you pay for your trip using the Citi Strata Premier card, you get both of these types of coverage at no additional cost. Here’s what the policy covers and how much you can expect in coverage.

How Long You’re Covered

• Trip cancellation coverage begins on the date the trip was purchased and ends on the trip departure date.
• Trip interruption coverage begins on the trip departure date and ends on the trip completion date.

Maximum Coverage

• $5,000 maximum per covered traveler per trip
• $10,000 in total claim coverage per 12 months

Covered Events

• Trip cancellations or interruptions that occur because of accidental bodily injury, loss of life, sickness of a qualifying traveler, or family member of a qualifying traveler.

Lost Baggage Insurance

When traveling on a common carrier, you could be eligible for up to $3,000 in coverage if your bag is lost to theft or misdirection.

However, the coverage is limited to these 3 criteria:

• The actual purchase price of the item
• The actual cash value of the item at the time it is lost or damaged with a deduction for depreciation
• Or the cost to replace the item

Cardholders are limited to 2 claims per 12-month consecutive period.

Trip Delay Insurance

Trip delays can happen for several reasons, resulting in costs you may not have budgeted for. This insurance can help cover those losses.

This covers flight delays, cancellations because of weather or operational issues, and lost or stolen passports or travel documents. However, the delay must be at least 6 hours to qualify.

If this happens, you’re covered up to $500 in incurred costs. This can include but is not limited to meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal-use items.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

Paying with a credit card comes with several advantages over a debit card or using cash. Moreover, using it outside of the U.S. can help you avoid expensive currency conversion transactions. And with the Citi Strata Premier card, you don’t incur any foreign transaction fees. So you can swipe away, earn valuable Citi ThankYou Points, and not hassle with converting into local currency or absorbing costly fees.

Filing a Claim

Credit card companies typically outsource the insurance coverage and policy management to a third party. This is the case with Citi. So, if you need to file a claim, the easiest way is to get started on the Claims Administrator website here.

Keep in mind that all claims must be filed within 60 days of the initial loss.

For each claim, you must provide supporting documentation. The documentation needed varies based on the claim. For example, if you have a rental car claim, you need to show the following:

• Receipt or statement for the rental car
• Copy of your driver’s license
• Copy of the declaration page of any primary vehicle insurance or other valid insurance or coverage
• A copy of the police report when the rental vehicle is stolen, vandalized, or involved in a multiple-vehicle collision or a collision that requires the vehicle to be towed or makes the vehicle undrivable
• Repair estimate from a certified collision repair facility
• Copy of the rental location’s fleet utilization log for the period it’s out of service, if loss-of-use charges are being claimed
• Any other documentation that may be reasonably requested to validate a claim

How Coverage Compares to Other Credit Card Issuers

The other major credit card issuers offer competitive policies for their cardholders, making an argument for having multiple credit cards. Like any other insurance policy, comparing coverage policies is important to see which one best suits your needs.

Here are what Amex, Chase, and Capital One offer to their cardholders of similar cards.

Chase

Chase issues some of the most popular credit cards, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. This card, among other Chase cards, comes with trip interruption/cancellation and an auto rental collision damage waiver.

If you want a low annual fee credit card, while still earning valuable rewards, Chase and Citi are comparable in their coverages offered to cardholders. However, the one significant difference is the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a primary auto rental collision damage waiver, while the Citi Strata Premier card has secondary coverage.

American Express

American Express has a long list of credit cards offering travel insurance coverage, including the American Express® Green Card. The card has a annual fee and offers a long list of benefits, including insurance for your travels.

The Amex Green card offers secondary car rental loss and damage insurance like the Citi Strata Premier card. However, the Amex Green card offers trip delay insurance and baggage insurance, compensating for the slightly higher annual fee.

Capital One

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, with a annual fee (rates & fees), is a similar card to the Citi Strata Premier card. However, its trip interruption insurance policy falls short in comparison. It only covers up to $2,000 in expenses per insured person, while the Citi Strata Premier card pays up to $5,000.

Final Thoughts

The Citi Strata Premier card is a solid travel credit card for someone who enjoys earning transferable rewards to partners like Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Avianca Airlines — to mention a few. However, the travel insurance offered by the card may be lacking compared to other cards in the same category, so be sure to do your due diligence before booking your next trip.

Moreover, if you’re extra cautious, consider purchasing a travel insurance policy to protect you and your fellow travelers in case something goes awry.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the American Express® Green Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the American Express® Green Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the trip delay insurance benefit of the American Express® Green Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.