The new Wells Fargo Autograph Visa Signature is an updated version of their no-fee ‘Propel’ card. These are basically the same card, except that the Autograph is Visa and Propel is American Express, and Autograph also earns bonus points for phone plans. Both are strong considerations for many wallets.
FEATURES AT A GLANCE
- No annual fee
- No foreign transaction fee
- 3x points on dining
- 3x points on travel and transit (airfare, hotels, subways, parking, etc.)
- 3x points on gas and electric vehicle (EV) charging
- 3x points on select streaming and entertainment
- 3x points on phone plans
- 1x points on everything else
SIGN UP BONUS
As of March 2024, you can earn 20,000 points ($200) by spending $1,000 within your first 3 months. The card also has 0% APR for 12 months. This sign-up bonus (SUB) has been the same for over a year and therefore is unlikely to change.
At launch (July 2022), the card offered 30,000 points ($300) after spending $1,500 in 3 months, in addition to the 0% APR for 12 months. We don’t know if this introductory bonus will return in the future. If you’re interested in the Autograph card, now is probably as good a time as any to get it.
OTHER BENEFITS OF THE AUTOGRAPH CARD
- Visa Signature benefits, including:
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (Secondary)
- Roadside Dispatch (standard $69.95 pre-negotiated rate)
- Travel and Emergency Assistance Services and 24/7 Visa Signature Concierge
- Cell Phone Protection (up to $600 per claim; $25 deductible)
- My Wells Fargo Deals
RESTRICTIONS AND CREDIT SCORE
Recommended credit score: 670+
As a Visa Signature card, you’ll need to be eligible for a credit line of at least $5,000.
Wells Fargo limits applications to two per 5-6 months, and you can only get one sign-up bonus every 16 months. They prefer applicants who have a banking relationship with them, but no hard requirements or limits otherwise.
MAXIMIZING REWARDS WITH THE AUTOGRAPH CARD
You can redeem points for travel, gift cards, or statement credits. It’s often best to use points for cash back as a statement credit. No special strategies there.
Wells Fargo defines ‘streaming’ as: “cable and other pay television, digital goods, books, movies, music, and continuity/subscription services.“ This includes Apple Music, Disney+, Pandora, Prime Video, Spotify, Youtube TV, and not much more. It’s a fairly limited category.
“Travel” is defined as “Airlines, Hotel/motels, Campgrounds, Timeshares, Cruise lines, Travel agencies, Discount travel sites, Vehicle/auto rentals.” Meanwhile, they define “transport” as “Ferries, Parking lots and garages, Limousines, Taxis, Passenger railway, Toll bridges and highways.” Together, Wells Fargo has a pretty broad definition of what qualifies for 3x points.
Full list of eligible earn categories are found here.
ALTERNATIVES TO THE AUTOGRAPH
Autograph works best as a no-fee travel card. 3x points on all travel, plus gas/charging, is a decent earn rate in one tidy package. Earning 3x points on dining, streaming, and phone plans is a bonus on top of that. Autograph is even superior to some options with annual fees, like the American Express Green card. As of March 2024, there’s also the new Autograph Journey card, but we’d rarely recommend that one.
It’s possible to get more cash back from a combination of multiple cards, for those who don’t mind carrying multiple cards in a single wallet.
PenFed Pathfinder Rewards is the best no-fee card for travel. It earns more points and has more benefits than the Autograph, including Global Entry credits and Travel Accident Insurance. For cards with annual fees, see our list of Travel Insurance and Purchase Protections On Top Premium Credit Cards. Depending on your spending habits, the Capital One Venture X Visa Infinite can be a good alternative, since its effective annual fee is $-5 for many people. It earns up to 5-10x points on travel and 2x points on everything else.
Good gas cards include the Abound Credit Union Visa Platinum and Citi Custom Cash for 5% back.
The U.S. Bank Altitude Go is best for dining and streaming, getting 4% back or more. For streaming or phone plans, check out the U.S. Bank Cash+ or Max Cash Preferred for 5% back.
For a general-use card, any of the best everyday cards will work. You’ll want to earn at least 2% cash back on all purchases. Travelers are best off with the Capital One Venture X Visa Infinite, which is effectively fee-free for anyone who spends at least $300-400 annually on flights/hotels. Otherwise, Alliant Cashback Visa Signature is the highest earner for most people, at 2.5% cash back.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE WF PROPEL AND WF AUTOGRAPH
The Wells Fargo Propel card used to run on the American Express network. It had no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.
It earned:
- 3x points on dining
- 3x points on travel and transit (airfare, hotels, subways, parking, tolls, etc.)
- 3x points on gas
- 3x points on select streaming
The new Autograph card is nearly identical: it adds 3x points on phone plans and runs on the Visa network instead of AMEX. That’s mostly it. Both include cell phone insurance and a form of roadside assistance availability. The downside is that the Propel had extra insurances (including purchase protection and return protection). All Propel cardholders will eventually be transitioned to the Autograph—which, overall, is fair enough for most people.
There was also, at one point, the “Wells Fargo Propel World” with a $175 annual fee. It earned 3x points on flights, 2x points on hotels, and 1x on everything else. It had a $100 annual airline credit to offset the fee, but otherwise was an unremarkable card outside of its sign-up bonus.
CONCLUSION
The Wells Fargo Autograph is a decent all-in-one card for many everyday transactions. It just doesn’t cover groceries, fitness/health, or a few other categories. It’ll be of interest to most people due to its many earn categories, zero fees, and free cell phone insurance.
The downside is having few Visa Signature benefits. People may prefer other cards to take advantage of travel protections like Travel Accident Insurance or Lost Luggage Reimbursement (both of which were available on the old Propel card). Autograph also isn’t good for retail purchases – only 1x points, and no benefits like Purchase Protection or Extended Warranty. This isn’t a premium card and you’d have to look at Visa Infinite cards for the biggest perks.
Overall, Autograph is a solid option for many wallets, outpacing most of its peers.
We rate the Autograph card 5 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Note: This review was last updated in March 2024. Details may have changed since then. Please do your own research where applicable, to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Or contact us directly to benefit from our personalized consulting services!