In March 2024, Wells Fargo launched their new “Autograph Journey” Visa Signature credit card, meant as a more premium version of their no-fee Wells Fargo Autograph card. Which in turn was based on the old Wells Fargo Propel card (since discontinued). Unfortunately, the Autograph Journey doesn’t have a clear value proposition compared to other credit cards. It can be okay for some people, but most people will either (1) prefer an actual premium travel card, or (2) prefer the no-fee Autograph card.
FEATURES AT A GLANCE
- $95 annual fee
- No foreign transaction fee
- 5x points on hotels
- 4x points on flights
- 3x points at restaurants
- 3x points on other travel (auto rentals, cruise lines, travel agencies, and campgrounds)
- 1x points on everything else
- $50 annual credit with your first airline purchase (per cardmember year)
SIGN UP BONUS
You can earn 60,000 points ($600) by spending $4,000 within your first 3 months. According to the website Doctor of Credit, Wells Fargo Premier clients can instead earn up to 70,000 points for the sign-up bonus (SUB).
Wells Fargo may lower this bonus in the future. This is a new card, so the current offer may be an introductory one. We’d expect to see the SUB lowered from $600 to $500 in the near future.
OTHER BENEFITS OF THE AUTOGRAPH JOURNEY CARD
- Visa Signature benefits, including:
- Travel Accident Insurance ($1m)
- Lost Baggage Reimbursement ($3k)
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection ($15k)
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (Secondary)
- Roadside Dispatch (standard pre-negotiated Visa rate)
- Travel and Emergency Assistance Services and 24/7 Visa Signature Concierge
- Cell Phone Protection (up to $1,000; $25 deductible)
- My Wells Fargo Deals
- Autograph Card Exclusives (a “live entertainment benefit” for concert access “showcasing big-name artists in small venues”)
RESTRICTIONS AND CREDIT SCORE
Recommended credit score: 650+
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.
MAXIMIZING REWARDS WITH THE AUTOGRAPH JOURNEY CARD
Points are unlimited. You can redeem points for cash in 2000 or 2500 point increments ($20-25) or transfer points to an external loyalty program. Wells Fargo also allows customers to redeem points for gift cards, charitable donations, merchandise, or travel.
As of April 4th, 2024, points earned with either Autograph card can be transferred to four travel partners:
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
- Avios (British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus Aer Club) (1:1)
- Air France KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
- Choice Privileges (1:2)
The $50 annual airline credit is available once you get the card and each cardmember year thereafter. It should apply to any flights or incidental charges (minimum $50 charge), although Wells Fargo notes that charter flights and private jets are excluded from this. Only the standard commercial airlines are eligible.
The card says it earns 5x points with hotels, 4x with airlines, and 3x with “other travel.” However, “other travel” is narrowly defined. Wells Fargo only says “retailers whose merchant category code is classified as: timeshare, or vehicle/auto rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds.” This may be limiting, since it doesn’t explicitly include popular travel categories like public transit, tolls, or parking. This is a big difference from the no-fee Autograph, which does include “transit” categories. Some banks even include museums and other attractions under the “travel” category, so if Wells Fargo doesn’t, they’re behind the curve.
ALTERNATIVES TO THE AUTOGRAPH
Autograph Journey seems to be targeting other mid-tier cards like the Capital One Venture, Citi Premier, American Express Green, Bank of America Premium Rewards, and Chase Sapphire Preferred. While Autograph Journey is much better than cards like the AMEX Green, it isn’t noticeably better than most alternatives. Most mid-tier cards aren’t good. People are typically better off with no-fee or high-fee cards.
3x points at restaurants is nothing special. Plenty of cards do this, including the no-fee Autograph. Higher-earning no-fee cards include the US Bank Altitude Go, Everyday Rewards+, and Citi Custom Cash.
3x points on “other” travel is outdone by no-fee cards like the PenFed Pathfinder Rewards, which gets 3.4% cash back and includes over $200 in free annual credits and benefits.
1x points on everything else is standard, but you can double your cash back by having a general-use card that gets at least 2% cash back on all purchases regardless of category.
5x points on hotels and 4x points on airlines is fine, but even no-fee cards (like the Chase Freedom Flex) now get 5% cash back for hotels and airlines (when booked through the bank website).
Frequent travelers have a long list of travel cards to choose from, including airline-specific cards and hotel-specific cards. Wells Fargo offering 5x points at hotels is only of interest to people who never use the same hotel brand twice. Hotel cards like the Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite or Hyatt Visa Signature can get above 15% cash back. Even generic travel cards can get 10% back now.
The Capital One Venture X gets 10x points on hotels and 5x points on flights (when booked through Capital One Travel) and the card is effectively fee-free for anyone who spends at least $400 annually on flights/hotels. The Chase Sapphire Reserve gets 15% cash back on hotels and 7.5% cash back on flights (when booked through Chase Travel) plus 4.5% cash back on all other travel. The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve gets 7.5% back for hotels and 4.5% back for all other travel. These premium metal cards may have higher annual fees than the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey, but those fees are often fully offset by many perks. For example, many travel cards offer free Global Entry credits and Priority Pass lounge access. Visa Infinite cards also have Travel Insurance and Purchase Protections that usually beat Visa Signature cards hands-down.
The best alternative to the Autograph Journey is probably the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Autograph Journey gets 5x points for hotels, 4x points for flights, 3x points at restaurants, 3x points on most other travel, and 1x points on everything else, for what’s effectively a $50 annual fee. The Sapphire Reserve gets far more cash back (in every category, even “other”) and has more points-transfer partners. Its $550 annual fee effectively goes down to $0 when considering the $300 annual travel credit, Global Entry reimbursement, Priority Pass Select, $240+ in partner benefits, roadside assistance reimbursements, and other perks (including the industry’s best Visa Infinite protections). The only way the Sapphire Reserve becomes questionable is if you’re a low-to-mid spender who can’t use Instacart (which may be a temporary benefit anyway and could be replaced by something else) or Doordash.
JOURNEY vs AUTOGRAPH
Functionally, the Autograph and Autograph Journey will be similar for most people. The Journey shuffles around its points-earning potential and adds three more Visa Signature perks. Many people will be better off with the no-fee Autograph card plus travel insurance purchased separately, OR they can use a Visa Infinite card instead.
CONCLUSION
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is an okay card which doesn’t aim high enough. Despite Wells Fargo saying it’s “designed for frequent travelers,” frequent travelers are best served with other credit cards. Autograph Journey isn’t the worst option out there, but it doesn’t have anything truly exciting going for it either. It’s a bit limp and unimpressive in many comparisons. Some people will definitely get decent value out of the card, but that’ll be a fairly small number. The audience for the card is more limited than it could be.
Lower spenders will prefer the no-fee Autograph card, which is still quite good, and covers more spending categories. The Autograph Journey is beaten by its no-fee sibling unless you’re spending a minimum of $2500 per year on flights/hotels, which is beyond the average person’s budget. Higher spenders prefer cards like the Capital One Venture X or Chase Sapphire Reserve. Autograph Journey occupies a place in the market that no one asked for. It’s not doing anything that other cards don’t do—and it’s a competitive banking landscape.
We rate the Autograph card 3 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!