The Wells Fargo Autograph card is an excellent fit if you’re someone who spends a lot on everyday purchases thanks to its unique mix of popular bonus categories. You’ll earn bonus points on both everyday spending and travel purchases, including on local transit such as subways, rideshares and more.
Rewards: A terrific mix of everyday bonus categories
The Autograph card carries an excellent variety of bonus categories that can get an unlimited 3X points. Many other rewards cards feature categories like gas, dining, travel and transit, but the Autograph card is one of the only rewards cards that earns points in all of these lucrative everyday categories year-round at the same boosted rate. The card’s phone plan bonus category is also unique and potentially valuable, as some families spend as much on their phone plan as others spend on dining out. And the uncommon streaming service bonus category rounds out the Autograph as an excellent choice for racking up points.
The My Wells Fargo Deals program is a nice addition to the Autograph as it lets you earn additional points on purchases with eligible retailers. Using this program requires you log in to your Wells Fargo account or app, but can greatly boost your overall point earnings.
These points enter the same pool as your typical category rewards earnings. You’ll need to activate any bonus deal prior to purchase to earn the bonus rewards rate however.
Your Wells Fargo rewards are also fairly flexible. The card offers a good variety of cash rewards redemption options and allows you to redeem points at the same value whether you opt for cash rewards or travel. Many competing no-annual-fee travel cards make your points less valuable when you redeem as cash rewards. The Autograph is also one of the only rewards cards that lets you withdraw rewards from an ATM or automatically redeem rewards.
That said, the Autograph card’s travel rewards rate is low compared to competitors like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card and Citi Premier® card, and its travel redemption options leave a lot to be desired. The Autograph card is also missing a grocery rewards category — one of the average person’s biggest spending categories — so it could fall short if it’s the only rewards card in your wallet.
Welcome offer: Great value for no annual fee
The Autograph card’s limited-time offer of 30,000 bonus points (after you make $1,500 in purchases in your first three months) is worth about $300 in redemption value. That’s a much better value than you’ll find on the typical no-annual-fee rewards cards go, as many competing cards only offer bonuses worth $200. For example, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card both offer a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months.
That said, the Autograph card’s bonus spending requirement skews higher than some competitors, at $1,500 in your first three months. That’s triple the spending required to earn the Freedom Flex and Quicksilver card bonuses. Still, spending at least $500 per month for three months should be easy to reach if you use the card for most of your everyday spending.
