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Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card review: Sky-high travel rewards, but the card doesn’t soar

 /  16 min
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Snapshot

4.0

Bankrate rating
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Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Bottom line

This premium travel card makes a name for itself in a competitive market with sky-high airline and hotel rewards rates often only available with issuer-booked travel. The Autograph Journey opens the door to a proper Wells Fargo travel card combination without sacrificing rewards flexibility, but the limited transfer partners and travel-focused categories may be a deal-breaker.

Recommended credit score:(670 - 850)
Apply nowLock

on Wells Fargo's secure site

See Rates & Fees

Intro offer

60,000 bonus points

Rewards Rate

1X - 5X

Annual fee

$95

Regular APR

20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

4.0

Bankrate score

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Rewards value

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3.0 / 5

APR

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1.0 / 5

Rewards flexibility

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4.0 / 5

Features

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3.5 / 5
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Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card overview

  • Credit Card Cash Back Icon

    Rewards

  • Rewards Icon

    Welcome offer

  • Credit Card Search Icon

    Rates and fees

  • Congrats Icon

    Other cardholder perks

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey pros and cons

Pros

  • Checkmark Icon

    Offers some of the highest rewards rates on travel without needing to book through an issuer travel portal, especially for airline and hotel purchases.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The $50 annual airline purchase credit (on a $50 minimum purchase) helps you easily offset more than half of the annual fee.

  • Checkmark Icon

    Offers plenty of peace of mind with extensive travel insurance, including some of the best cellphone protection and trip cancellation and interruption protection on the market.

  • Checkmark Icon

    Wells Fargo’s transfer partner redemption option makes the Autograph Journey a great travel card to pair with other Wells Fargo-branded rewards cards.

Cons

  • It doesn’t offer as many annual credits as similar cards do to offset the $95 annual fee.

  • There are only six travel transfer partners to work with — when similar cards usually have at least 15 — and there are no popular options for U.S.-based travel.

  • Some spenders could earn more rewards on a wider variety of purchases with this card’s no-annual-fee counterpart — all without a yearly cost eating into the points value.

Why you might want the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card

Why you might want a different travel rewards card

How the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card compares to other travel cards

Image of Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card

Annual fee

$95

Intro offer

60,000 bonus points
Info Icon

Rewards rate

1X - 5X
Info Icon

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info Icon
Image of Wells Fargo Autograph® Card

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

20,000 bonus points
Info Icon

Rewards rate

1X - 3X
Info Icon

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
Info Icon
Image of Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Bankrate Score
Apply now Lock Icon
on Chase's secure site

Annual fee

$95

Intro offer

60,000 bonus points
Info Icon

Rewards rate

1x - 5x
Info Icon

Recommended Credit Score

Good to Excellent (670 – 850)
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Best cards to pair with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey

Who is the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey right for?

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Bankrate’s Take — Is the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card worth it?

How we rated this card

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150+
cards rated
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50+
rewards programs valued
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1800
data points analyzed
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40+
perks evaluated

Frequently asked questions

Written by
Garrett Yarbrough
Writer, Credit cards
Bankrate expert Garrett Yarbrough strives to make navigating credit cards and credit building smooth sailing for his readers. After regularly featuring his credit card, credit monitoring and identity theft analysis on NextAdvisor.com, he joined the CreditCards.com and Bankrate teams as a staff writer to develop product reviews and comprehensive credit card guides focused on cash back, credit scores and card offers.
Edited by Senior Editor, Credit Cards

* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.