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The most popular (and profitable) credit card rewards offer flexible redemption options, like transfers to airline and hotel partners or added value when redeeming for travel. The Wells Fargo Rewards program lacks that upside granted by some of its counterparts, but it does provide a consistent and reliable return to eligible Wells Fargo credit card holders.

Read on to learn more about how to earn Wells Fargo Rewards, as well as your best (and worst) options for redeeming them.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Wells Fargo Rewards Guide

How to Earn Wells Fargo Rewards

You can earn Wells Fargo Rewards points by spending on eligible Wells Fargo credit cards, including several personal and small business options. Earning rates vary depending on the card and purchase category.

Wells Fargo Active Cash Card

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. You can earn a welcome bonus of $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first three months from account opening — not a bad deal for a no-annual-fee credit card.

New cardholders receive a 0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 15 months from account opening, followed by a 19.99%, 24.99%, or 29.99% Variable APR. The card also comes with cell phone protection (when you use your card to pay your monthly wireless bill) and basic Visa Signature benefits.

Wells Fargo Active Cash Card Review

Wells Fargo Autograph Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card earns 3 points per dollar at restaurants and gas stations, and on travel, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar.

You can earn a welcome bonus of 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months from account opening. The card also offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening (then a 19.99%, 24.99%, or 29.99% Variable APR). There's no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and the card comes with cell phone protection and Visa Signature benefits.

Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card 

The Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card is no longer accepting applications. However, existing cardholders can choose between two different reward structures. You can earn 1.5% cash back on all qualifying purchases, or 1 point per dollar plus a bonus of 1,000 points in every billing cycle that you spend at least $1,000.

There's no annual fee or foreign transaction fee, but the Business Platinum card is light on other benefits.

Wells Fargo Business Elite Credit Card

Similarly, the Wells Fargo Business Elite Signature Card is no longer available to new applicants. It was designed for businesses with annual sales exceeding $1 million, and lets existing cardholders choose between earning 1.5% cash back, or 1 point per dollar spent with a bonus of 5,000 points for each billing cycle you spend $10,000 or more.

The card comes with an annual credit of up to $100 to cover travel incidentals, a 10% points credit every time you redeem online, and a more robust array of Visa Signature benefits. The $125 annual fee is waived in the first year.

Other Ways to Earn Wells Fargo Rewards

Wells Fargo had several other credit cards that earned Wells Fargo Rewards, including the Propel, Cash Wise, and Cash Back College cards. These cards are no longer open to new applications, but existing cardholders can continue to earn and redeem rewards as normal.

Wells Fargo previously offered opportunities to earn rewards through its online shopping portal (known as the Earn More Mall). However, the portal was discontinued in December of 2022.

How to Redeem Wells Fargo Rewards

While the Wells Fargo Rewards program lacks airline and hotel transfer partners, you still have a variety of options for redeeming points. All of them provide equal value at first glance, though some yield a better return than others when considering the full picture.

Statement Credits

The best and simplest way to redeem Wells Fargo Rewards is as a statement credit to your credit card account, or to an eligible checking account or mortgage. Redeeming for statement credits yields a consistent redemption value of 1 cent per point. Credits are deducted from your points balance immediately, but the credits may take 5-7 business days to appear in your account.

You can redeem by phone, in the Wells Fargo app, or manually online in any amount from 1 point up to your entire balance. If you want to receive a paper check or set up automatic recurring credits, you must redeem in increments of 2,500 points ($25). To redeem by phone, call Wells Fargo customer service at 877-517-1358.

ATM Withdrawals

You can use Wells Fargo Rewards to withdraw cash at Wells Fargo ATMs. You'll receive the same redemption value of 1 cent per point, and you can redeem in increments of 2,000 points ($20). You can also use an ATM to redeem rewards in the same increments as statement credits to your account. This option can be handy if you're unable to redeem online or by phone.

Travel

The Wells Fargo Rewards travel portal lets you use points to book airfare, hotels, rental cars, and more. You'll once again get a flat redemption value of 1 cent per point, but the real return from redeeming for travel is less than that because you won't earn points for your purchase. Booking through a third party may also cause you to miss out on hotel rewards and elite benefits, so this option has a potential downside you won't get when redeeming for cash. You're better off getting a statement credit and using that to pay for your travel.

Merchandise and Gift Cards

You can redeem for a wide variety of merchandise and retail gift cards at the same redemption value of 1 cent per point. The rationale above against redeeming for travel also applies here: when you redeem points for these items, you miss out on rewards you'd earn when buying them with cash. Merchandise tends to be an especially bad deal because you can find better prices elsewhere. However, gift cards are sometimes discounted (like a $100 gift card for 9,000 points instead of 10,000); in those circumstances, redeeming for gift cards makes more sense.

Other Features of the Wells Fargo Credit Card Rewards Program

Wells Fargo Rewards offers two features that make redeeming points easier regardless of how they are ultimately used.

First, while some credit card rewards expire, Wells Fargo Rewards points do not expire so long as your account is open and in good standing. That means there's no pressure to redeem points right away, though there's also little incentive to hold on to them.

Second, you can share Wells Fargo Rewards with others who have an eligible account. Rewards can be shared as either points or credits in increments of 2,500 points ($25). While the option to share points doesn't facilitate the redemption process, it could help with bookkeeping and organization, especially if you have more than one eligible account.