How does the Wells Fargo trifecta compare?

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Published on November 08, 2024 | 7 min read

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Key takeaways

A credit card trifecta is a set of three cards from a single issuer that, when used together, can help the cardholder maximize their rewards earned.
With the addition of the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card, Wells Fargo finally joins the ranks of other issuers with strong trifectas.
But, whether the Wells Fargo trifecta is worth getting over other well-known trifectas like the Amex or Chase trifecta will depend on your spending habits, current credit card lineup and your thoughts about the issuer.

Some people might think three credit cards with one bank is too many. But experienced rewards seekers (and most card issuers) likely disagree. Rewards strategists use credit card trifectas to pool their cash back or points together for larger rewards redemptions — often in the form of travel since it’s typically the most effective use of rewards.

But credit card companies aren’t offering trifectas because they like giving away money. By offering a credit card trifecta, card issuers gain a locked-in customer who’s swiping on three cards. That’s lucrative for issuers even if you don’t pay a dime in interest.

Credit card companies like Chase and American Express have had interlocking card trios for years. As such, these two developed and honed their card offerings over time. But Wells Fargo is new to the trifecta game, with the June 2024 release of the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card,* finalizing its card trio.

So does the Wells Fargo trifecta win rookie of the year or does it fall flat against the likes of veteran trifectas like Chase and Amex?

What is the Wells Fargo Trifecta?

As with other issuers’ credit card trifectas, Wells Fargo’s trifecta allows cardholders to capitalize on the strengths of each card to maximize their rewards and value. You can earn the best possible credit card rewards on your purchases and pool them together for larger redemptions.

The Wells Fargo trifecta consists of these three credit cards:

Each one has its own rewards structure that helps cardholders earn rewards on a vast selection of categories. The Autograph Journey is a travel card with heightened rewards of 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airfare, 3X points on restaurants and other travel purchases and 1X points on other purchases. The Attune card rewards self-care, planet friendly purchases, entertainment and pet care spending with 4 percent cash rewards on those categories and 1 percent on other purchases. And for everything else, there’s the Wells Fargo Active Cash that earns a flat rate of 2 percent cash rewards on every qualifying purchase.

How Wells Fargo stacks up to Chase and Amex Trifectas

Chase and Amex have had plenty of time to develop substantial lists of transfer partners, luxe statement credits and top tier rewards. Which is why Bankrate Credit Card Writer Ryan Flanigan, uses both Amex and Chase trifectas “All day, everyday” as part of his card strategy. As the new trifecta on the block, how does Wells Fargo stack up?

Comparing nine cards and three issuers is enough to make anyone’s head spin. When you need to make the right call on a trifecta, you’ll want to consider everything from welcome offers to statement credits so you know you’re getting the best card combo. Here’s how these three trifectas compare.

	Chase	American Express	Wells Fargo
Current highest welcome offer	Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. Up to $900 value with Chase Travel℠.	The Platinum Card® from American Express: 80,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $8,000 in the first 6 months. Valued at up to $800 for flights through Amex Travel.	Wells Fargo Autograph Journey: 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. $600 value towards travel.
Airline transfer partners	11	18	6
Hotel transfer partners	3	3	1
Annual fees for typical trifecta	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: $95 or Chase Sapphire Reserve: $550 Chase Freedom Unlimited Unlimited®: $0 Chase Freedom Flex®*: $0	American Express® Gold Card: $325 Amex Platinum: $695 The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express: $0	Wells Fargo Autograph: $0 or Wells Fargo Autograph Journey: $95 Wells Fargo Active Cash: $0 Wells Fargo Attune: $0
	Total: $95 or $550	Total: $1,020	Total: $0 or $95
Annual statement credit examples	Chase Sapphire Reserve: Up to $300 annual travel credit Chase Sapphire Preferred: $50 annual statement credits for hotel stays booked with Chase Travel.	Amex Platinum Card: Up to $200 in airline fee credits with a pre-selected airline Up to $200 in prepaid hotel bookings (terms apply) Up to $200 in Uber Cash Up to $240 each year in digital entertainment credits $155 Walmart+ credit Up to $100 in statement credits for Saks Fifth Avenue purchases Amex Gold Card: $120 in Uber cash $84 Dunkin’ credit $100 Resy credit $120 Dining credit *Terms apply; enrollment may be required	Wells Fargo Autograph Journey: $50 annual statement credit for airline purchases
Combining & transferring points	Transferring and combining points is easy though your Chase online account.	Must call Amex to link your Membership Rewards points accounts to combine points. Transferring to partners is fairly easy.	Easy to combine rewards from the mobile app.

One of the most attractive features of the Wells Fargo trifecta is the chance to rake in rewards without an annual fee if you choose, making it the most affordable of the three issuers. For both Chase and Amex, you’ll need at least one card with an annual fee to maximize the trifecta.

With Wells Fargo, you can choose to make the Autograph Journey card with its $95 annual fee part of your strategy, but you can also just stick with the no-annual-fee Autograph card.

You’ll notice there are far fewer travel partners at Wells Fargo compared to Chase and Amex. However, that might not be a problem for you if they cover the airlines you want to travel with and the destinations you’re visiting. Plus Wells Fargo has said it intends to expand its partner network over time.

Krista Phillips, the chief marketing officer for consumer lending at Wells Fargo says she’s confident in the strength of Wells Fargo’s credit card offerings against Chase and Amex.

I think that we're a formidable player. We definitely have the most competitive cash back offerings in the industry with our 2% cash back against Chase and American Express. We've brought the A-game in terms of competitive value in the likes of American Express and Chase. — Krista Phillips, Chief marketing officer for consumer lending at Wells Fargo

Airline transfer partners

Wells Fargo currently has six airline transfer partners compared to Chase’s 11 and American Express’ 18. But keep in mind that the Autograph and Autograph Journey cards were both released in March of this year, so with time, more partner airlines and hotels could be added later on. There are also no U.S.-based airlines in the current selection of travel partners for Wells Fargo, so it makes more sense for frequent international travelers.

Hotel transfer partners

Wells Fargo only has one hotel transfer partner compared to Chase and Amex’s three. However, Wells Fargo’s transfer partner, Choice Privileges, allows you to use your transferred points at a ratio of 1:2 for stays at hotel collections like Cambria Hotels, Radisson, Ascend and Country Inn and Suites. This makes your rewards points more valuable for hotel stays compared to the 1:1 transfer ratio under its airline partners.

For many people, the Amex trifecta is inaccessible. The American Express Platinum card has an annual fee of $695 by itself. Plus, the American Express Gold Card recently increased its annual fee from $250 to $325 and shifted the benefits it offers. That adds up to $1,020 in annual fees. Those changes and high fees may have alienated some card users — leaving an opening for Wells Fargo to sneak in.

The third card in their trifecta is the no-annual-fee American Express Blue Business Plus, and you can’t get that unless you’re a business owner. Currently, Amex isn’t accepting applications for no-annual-fee consumer Membership Rewards cards that were once part of its portfolio.

The high welcome offer of the Platinum Card is tantalizing as are the slew of annual statement credits which balance out the high fees. If you’re a jetsetter, you’ll have plenty of options to transfer your rewards points to, However, it might prove challenging to combine your Membership Rewards points between cards. If you’re someone who’s willing to confront high annual fees, travels frequently and makes use of the selection of statement credits, then perhaps this is the right trifecta for you.
The standard Chase trifecta consists of the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, Chase Freedom Unlimited and the Chase Freedom Flex. The annual fee for the Sapphire Reserve Card is hefty at $550, but it’s avoidable if you go for the $95 Chase Sapphire Preferred instead. The $300 annual travel credit of the Sapphire Reserve offsets a good chunk of the annual fee, and that card comes with several other premium perks that might make it worth it for the right person.

If you prefer earning rewards on your grocery spending, you may have to adjust to ordering online instead of swiping your card in the store to make use of the 3X rewards category on the Sapphire Preferred. This card only offers boosted rewards on online grocery orders and excludes Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs.

Chase does, however, make it easy to transfer and combine its Ultimate Rewards points through your online account. Plus, there are a significant number of airline and hotel transfer partners to maximize your travel rewards with. For these reasons, the Chase trifecta comes out on top. It’s accessible, has extensive travel partners, great rewards and valuable welcome bonus opportunities.

What do Bankrate experts think?

Personally, I’m excited by this new trifecta. The Active Cash card and the Attune already made my short list of new cards to consider. Plus, it was refreshing to see a more accessible trifecta that didn’t charge an arm and a leg in annual fees. As such, I’ve been gushing about these cards to anyone who will listen, including my colleagues. But not all the Bankrate experts I talked to share my enthusiasm.

Flanigan carries both the Chase and Amex trifectas and even has two other Wells Fargo cards in his collection, but the Wells Fargo trifecta didn’t stick out from the crowd for him.

I think of my cards in terms of what they can do for me and how seamlessly they work together. Wells Fargo's drawback for me is that it doesn't offer much that I don't already have covered elsewhere. A little too late to the party for me. — Ryan Flanigan, Writer Credit Cards

Flanigan also noted the lack of transfer partners and domestic airlines since he redeems many of his rewards for travel. Wells Fargo has hinted in previous press releases that it may add other transfer partners down the line, but that means you may want to wait to get these cards.

On the other hand, credit cards editor Alice Lesperance is thrilled by how well the Attune card fits her millennial city-dweller spending. She isn’t focused on travel rewards so the transfer partner situation doesn’t bother her.

But even with enticing new credit cards, lead credit card writer Ana Staples still harbors some distrust of Wells Fargo after its 2022 and 2016 run-ins with the CFPB.

I very much like the Attune, as well as the Active Cash. They're attractive card products with high rewards potential. However, I'm simply put off by the bank's reputation. — Ana Staples, Lead Writer Credit Cards

Staples has a valid point. Getting even one card is a big commitment. So If you’re going to lock yourself into a relationship with any financial institution by getting three of its credit cards, you need to know that you can trust it.

To be fair, Wells Fargo has made enough atonement and positive changes over the past few years for bank regulators to begin easing restrictions earlier this year. But for Staples, forgiveness is a long road, and she needs to see many years of reliable change before considering the Wells Fargo trifecta.

Why you may want the Wells Fargo trifecta

With an abundance of tallies in the pros column, it’s easy to see why you would want this combination of cards.

Unique rewards categories
Flexible travel booking
Low annual fees
Solid welcome bonuses
Promotional APR offers
Easy to combine rewards
Uncapped rewards on all three cards

It makes for a great entry-level trifecta if you’re new to maximizing your credit card rewards and experienced enough to keep up with three cards at once. You may find it useful if you’re more of an international traveler than domestic due to the transfer partners available. Perhaps you’re even a fan of Choice Privileges Hotels. However, those with an existing credit card trifecta from Chase, Amex or another issuer may not find this as useful compared to what’s already in their wallets.

The bottom line

Wells Fargo has at last entered the “credit card combination” discussion with some exciting new credit cards leading to its first credit card trifecta opportunity. There are plenty of features of note with this combination of cards. In particular, it’s ideal for credit card enthusiasts who are taking the next step in their rewards journey, but aren’t quite ready for the high fees associated with other issuers. It also works well for those who aren’t a fan of rotating categories or keeping track of a ton of statement credits to use.

However, if you were hoping for luxe travel perks or transfer partners galore, you may want to hold off on pursuing this trifecta and consider the Chase and Amex options instead.

The information about the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card and Chase Freedom Flex® has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.