Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card: How To Use the $50 Airline Credit [2024]

Getting meaningful benefits from your credit card doesn’t always require forking over a costly annual fee, and the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card is a clear example of that. With a $95 annual fee (rates & fees), this travel credit card provides abundant opportunities to earn and redeem points for travel.

However, we wanted to highlight a specific perk of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card that can slash the annual fee by more than half. This card comes with a $50 annual airline credit, an easy way for cardholders to save money on flights.

Here’s what you need to know about making the most of this statement credit.

Card Snapshot

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

Key Benefits Summary

Beyond the $50 airline credit, here are our favorite perks of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card:

• Earn 5x points on hotels
• Earn 4x points on airfare
• Earn 3x points on other travel and restaurants
• Earn 1x points on all other purchases
• Up to $1,000 of cell phone protection against damage or theft (subject to a $25 deductible)
• Complimentary travel insurance benefits when booking travel with the card, including travel accident insurance, lost baggage reimbursement, trip cancellation and interruption protection, and auto rental collision damage waiver
• No foreign transaction fees (rates & fees)

We value Wells Fargo Rewards points at 1.5 cents apiece, as you can transfer these points at a 1:1 rate to partners Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus, and a 1:2 rate to Choice Privileges.

For many of the reasons above, this is why the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card is my favorite travel rewards card.

What Is the $50 Airline Credit?

Here at Upgraded Points, we advocate for taking inventory of what’s in your wallet and maximizing the cards’ benefits. After all, if you’re paying hundreds of dollars in annual fees, you want to make these perks work for you.

However, some benefits may require you to jump through hoops, such as requiring prior enrollment or limiting their uses to very specific situations. Fortunately, this is not the case with the $50 airline credit on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card.

For starters, no enrollment or registration of the perk is required. Simply having the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card will allow you to access this statement credit for your next flight purchase.

Wells Fargo says that cardholders will receive “a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.” In other words, this benefit is available as soon as you open your account. After that, the annual airline credit is available on the first day of the month that your annual fee is due, then renews every 12 months thereafter.

The fine print says it can take 1 or 2 billing cycles to receive the statement credit. But in our experience, it was much faster than that, as you’ll see as you read on.

How Do You Use the $50 Airline Credit?

You can use the $50 airline credit at virtually any carrier, so long as the merchant category code is Airline and Air Carriers. This could include various purchases beyond flights, including checked bags, seat assignments, upgrades, lounge passes, and more.

The great news is that the flight does not need to be purchased through the Wells Fargo Rewards portal to qualify — it can be with any airline’s website. Wells Fargo specifically states that “airline purchases include purchases made at retailers whose merchant category code is airline and air carriers.”

First, I purchased a $93 flight from Phoenix (PHX) to Raleigh-Durham (RDU) directly with Southwest Airlines. It took a few days for the pending charge to post to my online statement.

Much to my delight, the $50 statement credit reflected in my account in only 2 days.

Cardholders can also see the number of points they’ll receive for all of their transactions. On the home page of my Wells Fargo account, I navigated to the Wells Fargo Rewards tab.

Then, by clicking My Rewards and then Rewards Activity/Orders, I found my most recent transactions in descending order and their respective bonus categories.

In addition to the $50 airline credit, I will receive a total of 375 Wells Fargo Rewards points for my purchase (4x miles on airfare). The rewards activity also shows when you can expect to receive the points to your balance, which is a cool feature I haven’t seen from other issuers.

Purchases That Do Not Trigger the Airline Credit

Wells Fargo outlines just a couple of exceptions to purchases that do not qualify for the airline credit, including charter and private jet flights. Since they are not categorized as commercial airlines, they do not trigger the $50 airline credit.

Is the $50 Airline Credit Worth It?

Purchasing airfare on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card is already rewarding, as you earn 4x points on eligible purchases. For instance, a traveler who spends $3,000 combined on airfare throughout the year racks up 12,000 points — easily enough to book their next ticket. Getting the $50 airline credit is just the cherry on top.

That said, it’s more important to know when you have access to the airline credit. After the first year, it resets on the first of the month the $95 annual fee is charged.

Final Thoughts

Credit cards come with perks that can help you save money on travel or everyday purchases. We’re big fans of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, as its $50 airline credit is incredibly easy to use, and its generous bonus categories and travel insurance benefits make its value proposition worthwhile.