If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated at the lack of airline award seats or unable to transfer points to the airline program you need, there are still some loyalty programs that can help. For example, you can redeem Citi ThankYou points toward the cost of any flight at 1.7 cents per point, according to current TPG valuations. And you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards at 1.5 cents per point toward flights if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Likewise, you can redeem Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards for up to 1.75 cents per point toward paid airfare — yet the program is routinely overlooked. Today, I’ll show you the best Wells Fargo credit cards and why you might want to consider keeping one or two in your wallet.
Wells Fargo Visa Signature® Card
Sign-up Bonus: None
Annual Fee: $0
Benefits/Perks: Earn 5x points earned for up to $12,500 spent on gas, grocery, and drugstore purchases for the first six months and 1x points on other purchases. Plus, you have five years to use the points you earn. Earn 50% more value when redeemed for airfare (for example, 20,000 points is worth $300 toward airfare or $200 value for cash redemption). However, after the six-month intro period, the card only earns 1 point per dollar spent on all purchases.
The card comes with trip-cancellation protection, lost-luggage reimbursement, travel accident insurance, auto rental collision coverage, roadside dispatch and 24/7 travel and emergency assistance when you use it to pay for airfare. It also comes with access to hotel benefits through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection and concierge service. Additionally, the Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card provides supplementary insurance for your cell phone when you use it to pay your monthly bill, plus purchase security, price protection and extended warranty.
The real benefit of this card is the ability to redeem Go Far Rewards points for 1.5 cents apiece toward purchased airfare through the Go Far Rewards travel portal. If you spend $50,000 a year on the card, you can redeem points for 1.75 cents each toward paid airfare. Because you earn points for the first six months at a 5x rate in the bonus spending categories, you’re getting at least 7.5% cash back toward airfare for spending in those categories in that time frame.
Go Far Rewards earned with other Wells Fargo credit cards can only be redeemed for 1 cent per point toward paid airfare. However, once you carry the Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card, you have the ability to redeem all your Go Far Rewards points — including those earned with other Wells Fargo credit cards — for 1.5-1.75 cents each toward airfare. The Visa Signature card does not have an annual fee, so keeping it in my wallet every year is an easy decision.
The information related to the Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card has been collected by The Points Guy and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card
Sign-up Bonus: 30,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months, valued at $300.
Annual Fee: $0
Benefits/Perks: Earn 3x points for eating out and ordering in, gas, rideshares, transit, flights, hotels, homestays, car rentals and streaming services. Earn 1x points on everything else. Redeem points in the Go Far portal for travel, gift cards and merchandise. You can also redeem your points for cash, as well as donate, transfer and gift them.
The card comes with lost-luggage reimbursement, car rental loss and damage insurance, roadside assistance and 24/7 travel and emergency assistance. It also comes with cell phone protection, purchase protection and an extended warranty.
Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card
Sign-up Bonus: $150 cash rewards bonus when you spend $500 in purchases in the first three months.
Annual Fee: $0
Benefits/Perks: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash rewards on everyday net purchases and 1.8% cash back on Google Pay and Apple Pay digital wallet net purchases during the first 12 months from account opening. Cash redemption options include direct deposit into your Wells Fargo savings or checking account, statement credits applied to your qualifying Wells Fargo card or cash redemption at Wells Fargo ATMs in $20 increments. Despite its low rewards, the card does come with cell phone protection and auto rental collision damage insurance.
This card is a no-frills pick for earning 1.5% cash back. It’s currently offering a sign-up bonus (not always the case with this card), but I still believe there are better cards out there like the Chase Freedom Unlimited or a flat 2% cash-back option (1% when you buy plus 1% when you pay) like the Citi Double Cash Card.
Which Cards Make Sense for You?
If you rack up a lot of annual credit card spending, you can redeem Go Far Rewards for 1.75 cents each toward paid airfare after spending $50,000 on the Visa Signature Card. Once you add on the uncapped 5x bonus spend for the first six months with the Visa Signature card and bonus spending categories for the Propel cards, it arguably makes having the Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card and a Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card better products to keep in your wallet. Don’t forget, both of these Wells Fargo cards have no annual fee compared to the $450 annual on the Citi Prestige and $95 for the Citi Premier Card.
But if you’re interested in having a cash-back card with a few perks, the Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card is a solid option.
Bottom Line
While you can use Go Far Rewards for gift cards, merchandise and other travel, you’ll only get 1 cent per point — at most — in redemption value. I recommend holding the Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card and redeeming points for paid flights to get 1.5-1.75 cents per point.
As a Go Far Rewards collector, you don’t have to worry about award availability and can choose any airline you want to fly. Better yet, airlines will treat these free tickets as paid fares, which allow you to earn redeemable and elite-qualifying miles. I used Go Far Rewards to book several flights for $0 out of my pocket to earn American Airlines Executive Platinum status. If you don’t have Go Far Rewards in your loyalty portfolio, you’re missing out on an easy avenue to free plane tickets.
Featured image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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