22 Best Ways To Redeem Wells Fargo Rewards Points for Max Value

For the most part, Wells Fargo Rewards points are straightforward to use. Redemptions, such as gift cards and cash rewards, offer a value of 1 cent per point.

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.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card

U.P. Rating 

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

A powerful point earning card with access to transfer partners.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card

A powerful point earning card with access to transfer partners.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip.

60,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$900

Annual Fee

$95

APR

20.49%, 25.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR

Credit Recommended

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

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey^SM Card is an excellent option for those looking for a great all-around travel rewards card that offers bonus categories on hotels, airfare, travel, and dining, giving you the opportunity to earn points on these purchases quickly.

Plus the card offers flexible redemption options including access to transfer partners, an annual statement credit with airfare purchase, and no foreign transaction fees (rates & fees).

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Earn 5x points on hotels
• Earn 4x points on airfare
• Earn 3x points on other travel and restaurants; 1x on other purchases

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• List of transfer partners is smaller than competing programs

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Select “Learn More” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
• Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip.
• Earn unlimited 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases.
• $95 Annual Fee.
• Book your travel with the Autograph Journey Card and enjoy Travel Accident Insurance, Lost Baggage Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
• Earn a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.
• Up to $1,000 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
• Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature^® Concierge.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.49%, 25.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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.

Hot Tip:

The Wells Fargo Active Cash card earns 2% cash rewards on all purchases, or 2x points when you combine your rewards balances on either the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠  Card or the Wells Fargo Autograph card. By holding these cards simultaneously, you can ensure that you’re always earning bonus points no matter where you shop.

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.

Hot Tip:

We recommend using our transfer partner calculator tool, which takes active transfer bonuses into consideration, to know exactly how many points you’ll get from transferring credit card rewards to an airline or hotel loyalty program.

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).

Hot Tip:

Read our definitive guide on Qatar’s nonstop routes from the U.S., including plane types and seat options.

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

Hot Tip:

Upgraded Points’ Senior Editor and Content Contributor Juan Ruiz always redeems British Airways Avios for flights to the Caribbean because of the favorable award pricing from nearby Miami International Airport (MIA).

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):

Hot Tip:

Credit card issuers will often run limited-time transfer bonuses, so you can move over fewer points to a loyalty program and book the same ticket for less!

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.

Hot Tip:

A winning strategy to save miles and fly comfortably: book business class on the overnight flight to Europe, then book premium economy or economy for the daytime flight back home.

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

Hot Tip:

Booking last-minute flights allows you to score some of the most amazing mileage redemptions out there. LifeMiles tends to open up lots of partner award space on many of the routes illustrated above.

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.