Wells Fargo enters the transferable points card market with the new Autograph Journey Card. It offers lucrative bonus categories and a compelling welcome offer, making it immediately interesting for many travelers.
The Highlights
- Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within the first three months
- Annual Fee: $95, but a $50 annual airfare credit brings the effective cost down to $45
- Earning Power: Get 5x points on hotels, 4x on airlines, 3x on travel and dining, and 1x on everything else. No foreign transaction fees!
- Points Transfers: Transfer your points to frequent flyer programs including Air France, KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus, AerClub, and Choice Privileges.
- Other Perks: Travel protection and exclusive concert access through Autograph Card Exclusives
Is it Worth It?
With strong earning categories for travelers and the ability to transfer points to valuable airline partners, the Autograph Journey is worth a look. There’s already solid value in this card, but keep these considerations in mind:
- Competition: The transferable points market has well-established players. Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or American Express Gold Card offer richer rewards ecosystems and more partners.
- Future potential: Wells Fargo’s points transfer program is brand new. More transfer partners could make this card significantly more valuable.
Transferring Points:
- Autograph Journey: Offers transfers to a select group of airline loyalty programs including Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club Avios points, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, and Choice Privileges. (Availability to start on April 4th, 2024).
- Bilt: Bilt points (known as the “Rent Day card”) have a wider range of transfer partners, including many popular options like United MileagePlus, American AAdvantage, and Emirates Skywards. Bilt also frequently offers transfer bonuses.
Strategy to Downgrade Autograph Card to BILT?
- Possible, but not ideal: While downgrading to the Bilt Card after getting the Autograph Journey bonus is technically possible, it might not be the best strategy. Wells Fargo might have restrictions, you’d lose benefits, and miss out on a potentially lucrative system for earning transferable points.
Autograph Card Exclusives
The Autograph Journey Card gives access to the “Autograph Card Exclusives” program. This offers intimate concerts with big-name artists in smaller venues. A past example is a Mumford & Sons performance in Los Angeles for 1,500 people. They are currently offering an exclusive experience with Imagine Dragons. This can be a fantastic perk for music lovers.
New Wells Fargo Travel Card Review Verdict
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card is a competitive newcomer with notable earning rates on travel and potential within its airline points transfer program. If you frequently fly with its airline partners, or absolutely love the idea of the exclusive concerts, this card could be a good fit.
However, if your travel goals are less focused and you want broad flexibility for earning and transferring points, the Bilt card might be a better long-term play, even without the initial bonus.
