11 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Wells Fargo Rewards Points [2024]

Although Wells Fargo Rewards has been around for quite some time, airline and hotel transfer partners were just recently introduced to the program.

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.

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

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.

Learn More(at Wells Fargo's secure site)

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

20.74%, 25.74%, or 29.74% 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 “Apply Now” 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: 20.74%, 25.74%, or 29.74% Variable APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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 $0 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:

Hot Tip:

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card comes with a $50 airline statement credit every year. It’s incredibly easy to use, and better yet, no prior enrollment is required.

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 $0-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.

Hot Tip:

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card only offers 1x points on phone plans, but it offers a higher coverage amount for cell phone protection should an accident occur.

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 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.