Why the Wells Fargo One Key Card Is an Immediate Hit With My Family

Wells Fargo has been wading hip-deep in new credit cards over the last few years as it strives to catch up to competitors. This has included the launch of the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card and the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card, both of which are focused on travelers.

Now, 2 new cards, the One Key™ Card and the One Key+™ Card, have also been released.

As these are co-branded cards with Expedia, I wasn’t initially keen on either. But after having a look at the benefits, I knew exactly who needed to get one of these cards: my family. Let me tell you why.

One Key Cards Punch Above Their Weight

There are 2 One Key cards available to applicants, and on the whole, they’re pretty similar.

NEW CARD

One Key+™ 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.

Extra perks and OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.

One Key+™ Card

Extra perks and OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.

Welcome Offer

Earn $600 in OneKeyCash after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

$600

Annual Fee

$99

Why We Like This Card

The One Key+™ Card has a $99 annual fee but tangible benefits make up for the cost. Cardholders will receive $100 in OneKeyCash every anniversary and access to a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every 4 years.

With automatic Gold elite status (and a pathway to Platinum), cardholders can get some unique travel perks when booking through Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. The card offers bonus OneKeyCash for spending at any of those travel brands, as well as gas, groceries, and dining.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3% in OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo
• 3% in OneKeyCash on groceries, gas, and dining
• 2% in OneKeyCash on other purchases

Cons

• OneKeyCash can only be used on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo and can’t transferred to airline and hotel loyalty programs
• $99 annual fee

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn $600 in OneKeyCash after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
• 3% in OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo
• 3% in OneKeyCash on groceries, gas, and dining
• 2% in OneKeyCash on other purchases
• Automatic Gold elite status with a pathway to Platinum
• No foreign transaction fees
• Cell phone protection
• Travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption protection

Financial Snapshot

• Foreign Transaction Fees: 

NEW CARD

One Key™ 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.

Unlock rewards at Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, with a no-annual-fee card.

One Key™ Card

Unlock rewards at Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, with a no-annual-fee card.

Welcome Offer

Earn $400 in OneKeyCash after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

$400

Annual Fee

$0

Why We Like This Card

The One Key™ Card is one of the best $0-annual-fee travel credit cards. It’s a must-have for earning rewards across 3 core brands: Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, as well as popular spending categories, such as gas, groceries, and dining.

When it comes time to redeem rewards, travelers have their pick to redeem OneKeyCash for flights (must redeem for the full amount). hotels, vacation rentals, cruises, activities, car rentals.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3% in OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo
• 3% in OneKeyCash on groceries, gas, and dining
• 1.5% in OneKeyCash on other purchases

Cons

• OneKeyCash can only be used on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo
• Rewards cannot be transferred to airline and hotel loyalty programs

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn $400 in OneKeyCash after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
• 3% in OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo
• 3% in OneKeyCash on groceries, gas, and dining
• 1.5% in OneKeyCash on other purchases
• Automatic Silver elite status with a pathway to Gold
• No foreign transaction fees
• Cell phone protection
• Travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption protection

Financial Snapshot

• Foreign Transaction Fees: 

While the One Key card has a $0 annual fee, the One Key+ card costs $99 per year. Despite the difference in fees, both offer similar earning structures:

• 3% in OneKeyCash on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo
• 3% in OneKeyCash at gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, and food delivery

The One Key card earns 1.5% in OneKeyCash on other purchases, while the One Key+ card earns a higher 2% rate. These cards also feature the same insurance protection benefits:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Cell phone insurance
• Rental car insurance
• Travel accident insurance

The One Key card actually punches above its weight as a $0-annual-fee card, especially since it also gives you Silver status as a cardholder.

I considered telling my parents to apply for the One Key card. However, the One Key+ card has a couple of extra benefits that make the $99 annual fee worth it:

• Automatic Gold status
• $100 in OneKeyCash each year
• $100 credit towards TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

The $100 inclusion in OneKeyCash effectively offsets the annual fee, while the Gold status makes for a nice jump over Silver. This is especially important for my family, since they spend so much on Vrbo and Hotels.com each year.

One Key Cards Earn Outsized Rewards on Vacation Rentals

Look, I’m not a huge fan of vacation rentals. As an avid chaser of hotel elite status, Airbnb and Vrbo just aren’t my niche.

But my parents own a business remodeling hotels and spend an awful lot of money on vacation rentals for their employees. It’s hard not to when you’re frequently changing work locations and have more than 30 employees who need housing.

Besides this, I’ve never fully managed to convince my dad to move over to a single hotel program. He enjoys the ease of booking with Hotels.com and often brags to me about the benefits he gets as a Platinum member. And I get it, really, especially since he’s concerned with price and proximity to a job site over potential suite upgrades.

So it makes total sense that as soon as the One Key cards came out, I rushed to tell my parents. I haven’t seen them this excited since the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was offering 10 points per $1 spent on Hotels.com. Alas, that ship has long since sailed, and while the One Key cards don’t quite match that earn rate, they do pretty well for themselves.

With the One Key card firmly in hand, they now have the ability to earn 5% in OneKeyCash on Vrbo bookings — 3% from the card and 2% as a One Key member. Combine this with the ability to earn 3x United miles spent on Vrbo, and they’re earning so many rewards.

Compare this to Airbnb, which features no loyalty program and has no co-branded credit card.

Final Thoughts

Wells Fargo gets a lot of guff for its credit cards (and occasionally for good reason), but it’s working hard to make competitive card products.

While I’m not the target demographic for the new One Key credit cards, there are plenty of people who are, my family included. With the ability to earn lots of rewards on Vrbo bookings, soon they’ll be outearning me — and then it’ll be their turn to redeem points for a family vacation.