Wells Fargo is a relatively new player in the world of transferable points. The bank first added travel partners in 2024, when it launched the Autograph Journey card. Although the list was fairly modest initially, Wells said that it intended to pursue additional options aggressively, so we expected the portfolio to expand relatively quickly.
That hasn’t quite been the case. Wells added Virgin Atlantic as an additional partner about six months after the launch of the Autograph Journey, but it’s been all quiet until the recent addition of JetBlue, over a year later.
All that said, Wells Fargo’s stable of travel partners has some excellent redemption possibilities, and there are several appealing aspects to the program. The Autograph Journey card is an attractive $95 card; you can convert “cash” rewards into points, and Wells is very flexible when it comes to person-to-person points transfers, making it very easy to combine points with family and friends. Put all that together, and Wells Fargo Rewards quickly becomes a program worth exploring.
Tips for Redeeming Wells Fargo Rewards
Don’t transfer until ready to book: Don’t transfer points until high-value awards are available and you are ready to book them. Transfers are one-way only. Wells Fargo points are valuable for their flexibility and never expire, so long as you’re a cardholder in good standing. Once you transfer, you are locked into a single program that may or may not have awards available.
Combine points from other Wells Fargo cards: Wells Fargo cardholders of non-cobranded cards can combine earnings on those cards with points earned on the Autograph Journey card. That makes it similar to the Citi Premier/Double Cash combo in that the Wells Fargo Active Cash card earns 2% on all purchases. Holding both the Autograph Journey and Active Cash cards means you can earn 3x-5x in select categories and 2x everywhere else.
It’s possible to transfer points between friends: Wells Fargo allows you to transfer points to family or friends for free, even if one person only has a cashback card. This can be very useful as a means to combine points for high-value awards.
Always have at least 1 transferable credit card account: Most Wells Fargo cards do not directly allow point transfers. As long as you have at least one Autograph card that permits transfers, then you’re good to go.
Current Wells Fargo Transfer Bonuses
Thus far, we haven’t seen a single Wells Fargo transfer bonus. That said, we’re optimistic to a fault, so if one ever happens, you’ll see it here:
| Transfer Bonus Details | Start Date | End Date |
|---|
Wells Fargo Rewards Hotel Transfer Partners
Currently, Wells Fargo only has one hotel transfer partner: Choice Hotels. However, Wells Fargo Rewards transfers to Choice at a 1:2 ratio, which can produce some excellent value when booking Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Ascend Collection properties.
| Rewards Program | Best Uses | Wells Fargo Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|---|---|
| Choice | Choice Privileges points seem to be randomly valuable within the US, but dependably valuable internationally in expensive locations such as Scandinavia and Japan. Points can sometimes offer great value when used towards participating Preferred Hotels of the World. | 1 to 2 (Unknown) |
Wells Fargo Rewards Airline Transfer Partners
Wells Fargo technically has nine airline partners, although half of those are the various Avios programs, which allow you to freely transfer balances between them. Rumors are that Wells Fargo is actively seeking to add additional air partners. Hopefully, the recent addition of JetBlue is the first of many.
Best Wells Fargo Airline Transfer Partners
In our opinion, the airline transfer partners below represent the best potential value when transferring Wells Fargo Points.
| Rewards Program | Best Uses | Wells Fargo Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Avios | Fuel surcharges are sometimes lower when booking with Aer Lingus rather than British Airways, Qatar, or Iberia. It's possible to move points (Avios) between Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Qatar. See also: Avios Sweet Spots for Award Tickets. | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
| Air France KLM Flying Blue | Monthly Air France Promo Awards often represent very good value. Air France miles can be used to book Sky Team awards, including Delta awards. Air France often offers very good business class award pricing between the US and Europe & Israel. | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Avianca LifeMiles can be decent for Star Alliance awards. They offer reasonable-ish prices and no fuel surcharges on awards. Best of all, their mixed-cabin pricing can lead to fantastic first-class award prices. See this post for details. | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
| British Airways Avios | While flights on British Airways itself often incur outrageously high fuel surcharges, many BA partners charge low or no fuel surcharges. Excellent value can often be had in redeeming BA points for short distance flights outside the US. It's possible to move points (Avios) between Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Qatar. See also: Avios Sweet Spots for Award Tickets. | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
| Iberia Avios | On their own flights, Iberia offers low award prices and a very reasonable 25 Euro cancellation fee. Partner awards can offer good value under some circumstances as well, but these are usually nonrefundable. Fuel surcharges are sometimes lower when booking with Iberia rather than British Airways, Aer Lingus, or Qatar. It's possible to move points (Avios) between Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Qatar. See also: Avios Sweet Spots for Award Tickets. | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
| Qatar Privilege Club Avios | Qatar has reasonable award prices for flying Qatar itself. Points are now transferable 1 to 1 to British Airways (and from there to Aer Lingus or Iberia). It is now also possible to book JetBlue flights with Qatar Avios. | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
Useful Wells Fargo Airline Transfer Partners
The following transfer partners can be terrific options when using select sweet spots:
| Rewards Program | Best Uses | Wells Fargo Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|---|---|
| Finnair Plus+ | Finnair points are now "Avios" and points can be moved to/from other Avios programs. Finnair uses zone based award charts rather than distance based. As a result, Finnair sometimes has better (and sometimes worse) pricing than other Avios programs. | 1 to 1 via BA (Unknown) |
| JetBlue | JetBlue points offer the most value when cheap ticket prices are available and when award taxes are high relative to the overall cost of the ticket (more details can be found here). The JetBlue Plus Card and the JetBlue Business Card offer a 10% rebate on awards, so you can get more value by holding one of these cards. | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Virgin Atlantic offers a few excellent sweet spot awards. See: Best uses for Virgin Atlantic points (Sweet Spot Spotlight). | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
Other Wells Fargo Airline Transfer Partners
| Rewards Program | Best Uses | Wells Fargo Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|
Wells Fargo Indirect Transfer Partners
In some cases, it’s possible to transfer to an airline or hotel program in order to then transfer from that program to another program. We’ll leave it to the reader to decide whether or not it is a good idea to transfer in these ways (hint: it usually isn’t).
| Rewards Program | Wells Indirect Transfer |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Avios | |
| Air France KLM Flying Blue | |
| Avianca LifeMiles | |
| British Airways Avios | |
| Choice | |
| Finnair Plus+ | 1 to 1 via British Airways |
| Iberia Avios | |
| JetBlue | |
| Qatar Privilege Club Avios | 1 to 1 via British Airways |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
Other useful transfer partners resources
- Amex Transfer Partners
- Capital One Transfer Partners
- Chase Transfer Partners
- Citi Transfer Partners
- Marriott Transfer Partners
- Transfer Partner Master List
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It doesn’t look like Aeromexico is actually a Wells Fargo transfer partner
It’s worth noting that Wells poached a team from Barclays about four years ago to up its credit card game. But, the Bilt debacle has commanded Wells’ attention. As things settle down, Wells will be able to focus on building its in-house program. (One might ask where the Autograph Beyond is.)
First, Wells needs to add three standard-issue airlines: Air Canada, Emirates, and Singapore.
Second, as JAL has opened up to Bilt and Capital One, let’s add it to the mix.
Third, hotels. Sure, eventually add Hyatt. But, for a next step, add Accor and LHW. (Initially going after the big four might be viewed as “also ran” as opposed to “must have.”)
Accor has been expanding its transfer partners. And, Citi added LHW as a transfer partner. With Amex adding LWH status as a benefit to the Platinum Card, I have to believe a transfer partner agreement in not that far behind.
If Hyatt wises up and realizes points are a profit center, then we’ll see Hyatt expand its list.
Perhaps I missed it but how tough is it to be approved for Wells Fargo? Is there a 5/24 rule or anything like that?
Also, do they offer business cards? Most of my spend is through my brick-and-mortar business.
I’m not certain there are enough data points on approval/denial. Except for having a seasoned checking account with Wells gives you better odds. Like Capital One, there’s no opportunity to churn — strict limit on the number of new cards with Wells itself.
As for business cards, visit Wells Fargo dot com.
Here’s a data point: I had read somewhere that Wells would not approve more than one every six months, but I was able to get two less than three months apart. Second one went pending but was approved later in the day.
Wells gets no love from the FM team.
In fairness, I think WF gets more love from them than from other bloggers, who tend to be driven by CC affiliate commissions.
That said, I don’t disagree that WF doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves.
It’s a crummy web site, and the iOS app takes forever to figure out the earning ratio on a credit card transaction. Compare that to someone like Chase where each transaction lists the precise amount of points/miles earned, inclusive of all promotions.
Maybe I missed it but I do not see that you added Jet Blue under Best Wells Fargo Airline Transfer Partners. Was that an oversight or are you saying it is not a good transfer partner?
One of the underrated benefits of Wells Fargo’s transfer partners is they allow you to transfer any amount of points. Everyone else seems to make you do 1k increments which leaves extra points sitting around being wasted.
And, like Capital One, you can transfer points between yourself and holders of other WF cards without limit..