Wells Fargo Launches Autograph Journey with Transferable Points
As of today, March 20th, Wells Fargo is the most recent bank to launch a card that earns points you can transfer to airline and hotel partners. Being able to transfer points to partners is what makes credit card points and miles so lucrative. Applications are available now online or in your local branch.
The New Wells Fargo Autograph Journey
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey
Quick Facts
Signup Bonus: 60,000 Points after spending $4,000 in 3 months.
Points Earned: Chase Ultimate Rewards which you can use for 1.5 cents each toward travel or you can transfer them on a 1:1 basis to their 13 airline and hotel partners. I value Chase points at 1.7 cents per point.
Earnings Structure:
5x points on hotels
4x points on airfare.
3x points on travel and dining. Travel includes timeshare, or vehicle/auto rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds.
1x points on all other purchases
Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Travel Protection: Lost Baggage Reimbursement, and Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection
Annual Fee: $95
Annual Airfare Credit: $50 statement credit for airfare purchase
Transfer Partners
Wells Fargo has announced that as of April 4th, 2024 you will be able to transfer your points to the following travel partners with more to come throughout the year.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Avianca LifeMiles
British Airways Executive Club
Iberia Plus
Aer Lingus AerClub
Choice Privileges
While these transfer partners are certainly not as extensive as the other banks out there, there is some good value to be had with what will be available on April 4th. You get good coverage of the three airline alliances- Sky Team, OneWorld and Star Alliance which means that you can use these various miles for travel on their partner airlines too.
I’ll be interested to see what other partners they add throughout the year which could make this card more compelling.
My Thoughts on the Bonus Categories
Getting 5x points on hotels will be best in class as the next best card out there is the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Citi Strata Premier which ‘only’ earn 3x points on hotels. The American Express Platinum does also earn 5x points on hotels but only for prepaid rates booked through AmexTravel.com. If you spend a lot each year on hotels this will likely be the best card out there for those purchases.
4x points on flights is pretty damn good, especially for a card who’s annual fee is effectively only $45 a year ($95-$50 airfare credit). The only better card out there is the Amex Platinum with a $695 annual fee. If you don’t spend a ton on airfare each year and have a hard time swallowing the Platinum’s hefty annual fee, this could be a good alternative.
Dining and travel at 3x points is great too. While only the Amex Gold earns more on dining, 3x on travel is on par with the other great cards out there but isn’t as broad as the Sapphire Reserve.
Wrapping Up
This is a solid offering by Wells Fargo and a card that you should seriously consider. All in all, this card’s bonus categories are extremely well rounded, especially for a $45 effective annual fee card. I’m interested to see what other travel partners you’ll be able to transfer your points to as their catalog grows.
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