Should YOU Get the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Credit Card? (2024)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 มิ.ย. 2024
- On March 6th, 2024, the new Wells Fargo Autograph Journey credit card was announced to be available to the general public later this month. This mid-tier travel credit card has a $95 annual fee and comes with a host of elevated multipliers and benefits.
First of all, it has a welcome offer of 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. The $95 annual fee can be easily offset by a $50 statement credit for airline purchases, lowering the effective annual fee to just $45.
The card earns 5X points on hotel purchases, 4X points on airlines, 3X on other travel and dining, and 1X points back on all other purchases. All multipliers are uncapped.
The most exciting aspect of the Wells Fargo credit card lineup is that they now have access to transfer partners. These transfer partners include 5 airlines and 1 hotel partner to start: Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, and Choice Hotels.
But the choice to get his credit card may not be as easy as it seems, and in this video, I'm going to help you figure out if the Autograph Journey card is the right fit for you, and why I won't be getting this credit card on it's release, at least, to start.
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📚 Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:26 Is this a "good" credit card?
02:41 Question 1: Welcome Offer
06:14 Question 2: Chase 5/24 Rule
08:43 Question 3: How Will You Use This Card?
15:49 Question 4: Autograph or Autograph Journey?
19:36 Outro
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Some of the products that appear on this website are from companies from which I will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available.
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This was the most thorough, and rational review of this card that I've seen. Very well done, and not overhyped like some other content creators in this space. I'm skipping this card too, because it doesn't give me anything I don't already have, and I see no point in spending $45 EAF for it.
Thanks Frank! Yeah, this card is a skip, especially because the original WF Autograph will be getting transfer partners. Hopefully, we’ll see better ones come in the future!
This cell phone protection is actually very strong. Low deductible, high coverage. Better than most out there. It even covers if you lose your phone
Good observation LK! But we just have to make sure we lose our phones to make sure that the claim will be covered!
@@TheCreditFrogYup hand to pocket doesn’t seem like a hard concept I’ve never lost any of my phones nor do I just lay them down ha.
I will say I've had nothing but good experiences with Wells Fargo (knock on wood) and I've been a customer for almost 2 decades. Aside from that crap they did a while back, they've been a solid bank. And let's not be naive, all banks do shady stuff, they just haven't been caught lol just had to put that out there for all the people trying to avoid WF by attempting to take the morale high ground 😂 but anyways, imo the regular Autograph CC makes more sense than the Journey card for those of us in the mid to late CC game. For early game, go all in on WF CC's if that's your bank of choice 🤷♂️
Haha, thanks for sharing your experience with us! I say the same thing with BofA when people tell me they are an awful bank, but I agree, all banks have their own issues! The Autograph card is a great keeper card. The only issue is that 6 month application rule where you may not be approved for a WF credit card if you've got one in the last 6 months. It makes building these all WF setups very cumbersome and not as easy as it should be! I guess that means we have to choose our welcome offers wisely!
The travel insurance on this card is the real difference between the 2, 5x and 4x instead of 3x isn't a huge deal for me because I only pay for a couple flights a year
Bruh. Comment is clearly written by someone being paid by Wells Fargo. 🤡
Great review Stan! It was very thorough.
Thank you! Appreciate it!!
The multipliers are getting a lot of attention, but I doubt most people are going to even spend a lot in those travel categories to have it make much of a difference over something like the CSP. Plus, the points are only as useful as the partners they offer. They need to add a strong, unique partner that makes people want to go get this card, or this card isn’t going to go very far
I agree Royce. If this was someone's only travel card and they put all airlines/hotels on it, I can see them getting a lot of points for this EAF $45 card, which is pretty solid. But they would have to only fly BA or within the One World alliance, at least for now. I think they'll add more transfer partners as time moves on, but the big question is, how long will it take them to do so. The future is bright for WF IMO, but it's up to them not to mess that up.
Was eagerly waiting for your thoughts on the card and you delivered with a banger! Great point on comparing the Autograph Journey to the Autograph, it comes down to a math exercise similar to the Capital One SavorOne vs. Savor. And yes agree that the Autograph Journey is more suitable as a long-term card for people earlier in their credit card journeys, though there's always the Chase 5/24 consideration. Thanks for sharing Stan!
Thanks Monty! Yeah, I was trying to get this video out as fast as I could. Yeah, I really think that the big question is if the Autograph Journey is even worth it for the simple reason that the Autograph card is so good on its own - with no annual fee! Great point about the Savor One vs. Savor, definitely a good example of this! Appreciate the support and kind words bro!
I will stick to the no AF version
Great choice!
The partners are actually not bad. Avianca is great, Air France and BA are both pretty good, and Choice 1:2 is excellent. I recently used my Choice points carried over from Radisson transition, and considering that I can always transfer from Citi at 1:2 I started booking those hotels. For example, I recently booked Hotel Napoleon (a part of Ascend hotels collection) at downtown Memphis, TN, for 20k points (or 10k TYP). I was choosing between this boutique hotel and Hyatt Centric, which was available for 12k points, but decided on this one. It was not bad.
That's a great redemption! Choice Hotels have some good properties. I definitely need to look into them more!
Doesn’t matter. Not a keeper card for most ppl. Especially not for churners.
Some cards are probably great based on which airlines or transfer partners if you do use. I mean I use avianca since I’m in South America, Air France/KLM going to Europe. But at the same time, American Express have the same travel partners, and when I fly out of Miami, I do know they have a centurion lounge. But once again, Bilt allows me to use American Airlines, I can always get some good deals with them. I have my electric utility giving me points for them, Shell gas station. I don’t understand why they didn’t use American Airlines as a travel partner since they already have it with Bilt. Hopefully they will be coming soon.
@@WrldExplorer Avianca is great for Star Alliance redemptions with no fuel surcharges.
Interesting that I just recently did a video about road tripping with Choice, and one of the hypothetical examples I used was the hotel Napoleon in Memphis! 😂🎉
Best reviewer in the game, always feels honest and not just looking for referral clicks.
I’m in your boat. Hard to look at any new cards now that my wife and i pair the altitude reserve with the chase trifecta and ink cash. You introduced us to the AR and it’s a total game changer.
Appreciate that Jay! I'm so happy you were able to get the USB AR. It is such a powerful card if MWs are your thing, and now most categories are covered at a high level on a single card - the perfect balance of simplicity and value! Great pairing with the UR-point system so you can take the hybrid approach and get some easy cash back on the USB AR (RTR travel redemptions) while building your UR point stock!
Thanks for the prospective bro 👌🏿
In terms of which card to get, it would have to be a wait and see on the autograph transfer partners.
You bet JP! I think we're all on the same page that we're still waiting for that wow factor on the WF transfer partners. Hopefully, they will come in due time!
Currently doing a deep dive on this card and, as always, had to come watch the man himself for all the best information. Great work on this one Stan! 👊🏼
Thanks so much Spencer! It's definitely an interesting value proposition as a standalone card, but it's targeting the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which is a worse card directly compared to the WF AJ, but the transfer partners are much better with Chase!
It's all about preferences! For me, I'll take lower earning categories for a better ecosystem/travel partners. Maybe they'll add something better soon though! @@TheCreditFrog
Wonder what this means for the Autograph Beyond card in the future
Not sure Damion! But hopefully by that time, the transfer partner program is more robust and WF can deliver a game-changing card that will rival the other big banks! At least, that's what I'm hoping for.
Nothing beats the BILT card though
Right now, Bilt has the best transfer partners in the WF ecosystem!
Yes, because I fly with American Airlines a lot.
Im new to watching videos on credit cards. I really like this one. All facts and objective. I also like reading the coments and questions posed. Lots of information there as wel. Great questions to ask before applying. I think given the competition of other banks and hotel cards, WF wiĺl make this card a contender next year. 😊
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. There are definitely a lot of great comments and perspectives here so definitely use those to help you make the right choice if you were interested in the Autograph Journey. I think once they add more transfer partners, this will be a very powerful card, but I'm also interested to see what kind of luxury travel card WF comes up with in the future!
Welcome to the credit card video rabbit hole!
@@xiaosha1558 Right! I've never looked into cards the way I do now. :)
hi Stan, regarding C1 Venture ($95 AF), is it free to add AU? also, does the AU get the 2x priority pass access until Dec 31 2024? thanks
It is free to add an AU. However, I do not believe the AU gets their own 2 free passes. I will also note that the 2 passes are only available for Capital One lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges
Great Video..subscribed ❤. Does the WF rule that you cannot have welcome bonus if u already got a WF credit card bonus in last 15 or 18 month still exist? Anyone know?
I haven't heard of that rule, but I think the one that you may be denied for a WF card if you got approved for one 6 months ago is still in effect!
Stan,
I think this is a good card that people beginning in the travel card space. The fact you get the points without using a travel portal is a win and a plus. The autograph card and journey card looks like they are meant to compliment each other and you can transfer points from the active cash as well to the cards. I think the transfer partners will get better over time. I don’t think this card is terrible. But defiantly meant for beginners in the travel game.
Agreed Jeremy! This card is for the beginner traveler looking to get started with points and miles. Yeah, both Autograph and Autograph Journey can compliment each other, but they run into the same issue as the Chase cards where there are a lot of overlapping categories. Kind of annoying that the transit category is missing on the Autograph Journey. This makes me curious about how the luxury Wells Fargo travel card is going to look because that may be a better pairing with the lineup depending on what they decide to do with it. We will have to see!
Cogent analysis as always Stan 👍🏽.
Unless WF pulls a Citi & the transfer rate on the Autograph ends up being less than the Journey, there’s really no reason to get this if you’re already deep into points and miles beyond getting another SUB (hopefully they add better travel partners soon). If the rumored business version has reasonable SUB spend requirements, it’ll probably be best to get that one instead of this.
Thanks! Yeah, the Autograph card is already a stellar card on its own, and when it gets transfer partners, it will be even better. Autograph Journey has a nice welcome offer so agreed on that. And yes, a business version of this would be very interesting, and then the Chase 5/24 rule wouldn't be a factor, which would open up the possibilities for a lot of people earlier on in their credit card journey who want to save those slots.
I'll apply when AA and/or Alaska becomes a partner.
Yes, AA seems to be the partner that everyone wants!
The new WF Sigify Business MC looks 🔥 🔥🔥🔥
Very cool new card!
@@TheCreditFrog 2% on everything unfortunately a FTF of 3%. ✊
You did a very kind review here Stan. They need to add more partners and jazz it up a bit more to beat CSP.. Add Hyatt and American - you'd have a winner starter card. Nothing here makes me want to add WF to the eco systems. And I'm still a bit sour on all the WF drama.
Hah! I guess neutral would be the way I would describe it - I was trying to be objective! The card can be a good fit for a small few, but for a good many of us who love credit cards, I think you're totally right, they need to jazz it up for us to really take the card seriously. I like your thoughts on this though because if WF was able to do something to this card that was amazing, we would all be jumping on it. It doesn't seem that anyone is really that super pumped to get this card. Appreciate the perspective, Chad!
You'll be able to transfer to British Airways you can book American flights that way but yes in deed on Hyatt that would be nice
What's the score needed for it ?
@@chucalissa9231 Not sure if there’s a specific score
Man if they added Jetblue (the only airline that goes to where I live on both airports) and just one good hotel chain, Im getting into the WF ecosystem.
Great video Stan! I do have a WF Autograph + Active cash combo. And I was debating on keeping this card beyond 1st year for the $600 SUB. I do have Marriott cards (at least until I hit lifetime platinum status in 4 years) so if I do spend hotel I'd also get 6x Marriot. Funny enough I do have the United Club card + CS Plat so I would get 4x / 5x for air travel. Making this card only a keeper if I ditch United Club / CS Plat / Marriot cards. But since I won't, I won't keep this card. Another thing to note, since my regular autograph card is $ 0 AF for 3x travel (hotels included), how much would I need to spend on the Autograph Journey for 5x to start making money cash back? I came up with $5,000. To pay for the AF and get some money back. As in spend $5000 on the Autograph Journey for for 25,000 points as opposed to spend $5000 on the regular autograph for 15,000 points ($250 -$95 AF > $150 for cashback). (not including the airline credit). As of now I'll ditch the AJ after a year, but I guess we will see how the rest of this year goes. Keep up the amazing videos!
Hey, thanks man! Yeah, if you already have the big time luxury travel cards, including airline and hotel cards, the Autograph Journey really isn’t helpful for your setup. But the welcome offer is still very good so if anything, get the card for the welcome offer and take it for a spin for a year. Once you try it out, it’ll be easier to figure out if it was worth it to you, and if not, you can cancel then. I think the WF Beyond card has some potential too, but because of that 6-month rule between WF applications, probably best to get the card now for the welcome offer as long as you don’t care that it will take up a Chase 5/24 slot.
The second month's statement you find out they opened a few banking accounts for you. No need to ask.
They did it before.
That would not be good! Hopefully, they learn from their mistakes and don't try to pull that kind of stunt again!
I will definitely sign up IF later both AA and Hyatt are transfer partners!!! The 1:2 for Choice Hotel already killed Citi Premier. Hyatt would be the killer for Chase CSF!
AA and Hyatt are the transfer partners to get! I agree, the Choice hotel partner was a nice one when compared to Citi's partners, and if Hyatt went to WF, we would have a serious mid-tier credit card competition on our hands between WF and Chase!
I love my no AF autograph card. I just hope Wells Fargo does not try to neuter this card because of the new releases.
That card is awesome! In another life, I would have had that card as my main. Right now, you're in a good spot because transfer partners are being added, and that's a huge plus!
Between the regular Autography and the Journey, annual fee aside, I would pick the regular one since its more broad categories and somes the 1x more in some travel sometimes is not worth it.
Yeah, I would agree in general. Categories are broader which is the biggest thing. Autograph Journey may be a nice pickup for the welcome offer and to see how it goes in year 1, but we'll have to see if it gets better from there.
I'm gonna hold off on this card for this year. I want to see what the Beyond offers and the whole list of transfer partners first.
I think that's the wise move. Especially since you may not be approved for an Autograph card for 6 months once you get one, and who knows what the luxury card will look like! Also, maybe transfer partners may be better by then.
Yep
👍
I have other travel cards serving me well and with better banks. WF approvals are 50/50 too I’ve wasted a few hard pulls on them no more ha! With my Amex Platinum addition there is nothing to see with most other travel cards for me currently.
If you have the Amex Platinum, you have the big daddy travel card and this WF Autograph journey isn't really helpful - unless you plan on using this card exclusively for hotels. If you have other credit cards that are better, then that's great!
As good as the USBAR is, I kinda always question why we always say it gives 4.5% back but we’re hesitant to call chase points as worth an extra 25% or 50% with a sapphire card
I think it's more prominently called that way on USBAR because mobile wallets cover way more categories than the Sapphire cards, which only have an elevated dining/travel category (non-travel portal spend). But I see your point. If you only redeem for 1.25X on CSP and 1.5X CSR, you could probably say the same thing about the Sapphire cards.
@@TheCreditFrog well that’s exactly my point, you have to use you’re altitude points of travel to get the extra 50% boost, same with chase, otherwise RTR will be 1cpp, same as a statement credit with Chase
It's 1.5cpp if you know how to do it.
@@yurig2530 it’s definitely more work than getting a text message asking if you wanna redeem ur points, but I kind hope if you have a Safire reserve you are aware of the travel portal and thus how to use it, ykwim
16:53 maybe this was intentional with the travel category to keep from having overlapping catergories 🤷🏻♂️
I'm not sure what you mean, but I would much rather have both cards have travel/transit, especially the Autograph Journey because then you could do all your travel/transit on one card instead of having to depend on the Autograph for that 3X multiplier!
@@TheCreditFrog agreed. What I mean is maybe they internationally wanted the journey to have different travel criteria in their travel category than the regular autograph to not have the cards earn the same amount of points in the same categories overlapping. Aiming for people to want to get both to cover all the various aspects of travel. I don’t like it either but maybe that is what they were shooting for.
@user-cs8jt1od1h Ohhh I see what you mean. They probably want people to get both, but then they say people may be denied for the card if they apply within 6 months so that’s not cool either hah!
@@TheCreditFrog right 😂
BILT and AA are splitting up. Maybe this now means that AA will be added to the Autograph Journey airline transfer partner list.
I doubt it. I just heard about this news as well. My guess is AA is leaving the relationship and may strengthen with Citi. This does not fare well for the new Autograph cards. I do have the original Autograph which I love and use it for multiple categories.
I hope so, but I think that's probably wishful thinking.
Hi Stan. Autograph Journey is MEH. Just creates more clutter for mid-premium cards in the market. Another option for Choice 1:2 transfer hurts Citi Premier
Agreed Juan! Just meh. I think more cards and more competition is always good because it just benefits us as consumers because we have more choices. It's up to WF to make this card better with more transfer partners and then we have a story!
What is the difference between damaged vs. cracked screen? Ain't both of them considered as damage?
Hah! I know, right! I think the take-home point is that if you ever file a claim, you lost your phone.
I’ll apply if Hyatt is a partner
Yeah, I can see that. You and whole lot of other people!
Holding out to see if Hyatt becomes a partner..
I think we all want that! And AA. Would change the card's outlook considerably.
Hey Stan 🤝💳👍🏾
Hey Jeff 👊 💳 🐸
I got the Autograph card. I really do like the card and use it regularly. Maybe I’ll get for the Journey for the bonus. 🤔
You’ll be able to have both Autographs at once! The NAF Autograph is 🔥 IMo
@@TheCreditFrog , you are the man brother. Been watching your content before your 1K subscribers. Keep it going. 👍🏾
@chhinchhem3816 I remember! Thanks for being a longtime supporter! Will keep that great content coming.
You'll be able to transfer your rewards between the Active Cash, Autograph, and Autograph Journey having a trifecta but it's not for me either
Yup! That's a pretty nice feature so a WF Trifecta is in the making! But yeah, I think we all need to wait for the Autograph Beyond and see what that credit card is like first.
Well analyzed & said Stan! You nailed it.
This card is for beginners in the CC game or travelers. Just like the CSP. BUT, it's not tied to a particular travel portal like chase or amex.
Thanks Everson! It's certainly nice that the higher multipliers are not tied to travel portals. That's one of the reasons I like the USB AR because it also doesn't depend on a travel portal for an elevated multiplier. It'll be interesting to see how this card compares to the CSP after they release more transfer partners!
If they added some better transfer partners and allow that $50 credit to go towards hotel stays I would get it but as it is now its a no for me. Think a big selling point for this card is that you can book direct
Absolutely! It's really nice that you can get these higher multipliers by booking direct. You're on the same page as a lot of people - everyone is looking for that transfer partner list to grow so the card would make more sense. I think the bigger issue is that the no annual fee Autograph card also has transfer partners so it's kind of a hard sell for the Autograph Journey!
As if WF gonna let y’all keep those multipliers outside of their portal. 😂. I’ll give WF 2-3 yrs MAX. B4 mandatory portal.
@@TheCreditFrog oh. I didn't catch that last part. Thought it was like chase where you needed to get their annual fee card to get access to the travel partners. If you already get access with the no annual fee autograph, I agree; extra 1-2% for those 2 categories are nice but not really worth it at that point.
I think you are right: the flash was the multipliers on this new card, but the actual big news was the no AF Autograph now being able to compete with the Amex Green or the CSP.
I understand what Wells Fargo did. They need customers to build more traction for adding transfer partners. And this really is a great card for beginners in the space before you have a big pile of co-branded airline and hotel cards. But for me, I'm happy to wait and watch for a few months. Let's see how they fill out the ecosystem of partners and experiences.
I think you're spot on with that Brent. We should all be focusing on the simple fact that the WF Autograph card now has transfer partners. I would argue that the Autograph was competitive with the Amex Green/Citi Premier/CSP even before transfer partners was announced so now this card is a whole lot better. I think we'll all be watching to see if WF fulfills their promise of adding more transfer partners, and more importantly, if they add partners that are worth having! Thanks for the insight on that!
It’s not a great card tho (above avg perhaps). It would be a great if they made it available to prime and sub prime borrowers. But they won’t. So it’s gonna lose to Amex, Chase, Chase etc.
Do you think Wells is cannibalizing the Bilt card with these Autograph options? If you don’t rent that leaves you the transfer partners. AA and Hyatt are great but you use them or you don’t. Rolling up lots of points to be used on a major player in each alliance is enticing.
I don't think so. I think the Autograph Journey just strengthens their lineup and adding transfer partners also makes WF cards, in general, more enticing. Bilt is a card I would use for rent spend without to transaction fee. If you owned a home though, until mortgages worked on the Bilt card, there are plenty of other options to consider. I personally don't use AA or Hyatt, but it's nice that the Bilt transfer partners are pretty expansive at this point.
I’m filing this under maybe. I can definitely see the potential here, the earning categories are decent, and the combo of the Autograph and AJ would cover almost every major spend category on at least a 3X multiplier. I just want to see more transfer partners, at the moment this would basically be a fancy British Airways card as far as I’m concerned.
For sure Andreas! There's a lot of potential here, and WF definitely went with the "done is better than perfect" release, which is fine because at least we have a card product with some transfer partners. They're not legendary or anything, but there is certainly room to grow. I agree with you that BA is the best one they have right now.
Thank you for being one of the few that are not drooling over this card. It's very meh at most. In my book, the only thing this bank is good for is to collect a bank account bonus from once a year. I do not/will not use them as one of the hub banks
For sure Johnny! I think for these things, it's very important to be objective. The bonus is still great though, so for that reason, that could be good to get the card, but otherwise a pass for most of us who have other cards that have similar or better multipliers/benefits on other cards.
I’m in my second year using them as my main hub I’ve yet to have issues with money coming and going. I also get my paycheck 2 days early and they are not sensitive to ACH transfers I send money to many different accounts they also don’t put holds on deposits. I’ve heard horror stories but I’ve been quite happy on the banking side. On the credit side they are quite sensitive to inquiries and new accounts I may circle back at the beginning of next year for the Bilt card. I know each experience will be different but I’m quite pleased with using them as my main bank.
To me, it is a good card for people who like Choice hotels and for people who travel to England or Central America. Nothing wrong with that!
For sure Ping Ping! A great option for Choice, and some good transfer partners to start. I think the bigger news is that now we know what they are, and we can look to the future to hopefully see some more big names get added to the list!
The Air France/KLM opens up Europe as well
Interesting card, not for me. I think some of this hype will die down in year 2. I'm just starting my airline alliance journey with Alaska, after a decade+ loyalty to Delta, and have my first ever AA flight coming up in a month. Not that I don't have access to British Airways miles already, but I tested their international redemption options, and there's no comparison. Sure, you can use BA for domestic AA flights, but you're not going to fly from Phoenix to Santiago in business class for 45K miles. If Built stays strong and keeps AA, I may eventually apply to earn both currencies, or I'll just buy the extra Alaska miles I need (as I just did 5 mins ago!)
Alaska has some great redemptions and are some of the most valuable miles out there! Seems like you are going all in on Alaska, which is great because it's an awesome program to be a part of. I think it'll be interesting to see how you like AA. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised that Delta is not all that! I haven't flown AA in a long time, but I will be flying with them next month so we'll see how that goes! I've flown Alaska a number of times and have been very happy with them on every trip! The Autograph card (no annual fee) still remains an impressive card, even with these mediocre transfer partners.
@TheCreditFrog Yeah, I booked AA with my Alaska rewards #. Already impressed with AA, allowing me to upgrade to first class by leg, at the actual price difference. We chose the 90 min legs each way for $54, which I want to try along with economy+. Delta is so offensive in this area. I have a $500 comfort+ flight in Sept, Vegas to Vancouver, where first class would have been $900. Delta offered me an upgrade on the Las to LAX leg only for $1,100!
@@thejokerspeaks Dang, that's too much! Especially for someone who used to fly with them often! That's not how you treat loyalty!
Chase 5/24 don’t matter to me. I heard some bad stories from them too, and so idk why people like them so much????
WF is like any other big bank. Everyone has their own skeletons in the closet. Not sure if anyone particularly loves Wells Fargo, but you have to admit the Autograph and Active Cash cards are pretty good!
I built my whole huge credit portfolio outside of Chase approvals. They say no and mass approvals from other banks and excellent cards followed. Chase has excellent cards but so does so many other banks or credit unions. Folks will have a favorite lender Chase might be it for some I love Amex and have seen the most love from Amex! 5/24 imo is good for creating good credit use for beginners but a lot of folks know the game and just want the rewards so it gets in the way for us that hold many cards or apply often.
Autograph plus Active Cash is going to be hard to beat as a no annual fee setup if Autograph has the same transfer partners and transfer ratios as Autograph Journey.
Autograph/Active Cash is a very solid NAF setup! Add the C1S1 for 3X groceries and you're good! WF needs a grocery card, but so does Chase. At least Chase has a CFF to cover it 3 months out of the year and an "online grocery" on the CSP where you can make it work, but honestly, groceries is one of those categories that should just be standard in all ecosystems.
@@TheCreditFrog Only Amex and Citi have good grocery multipliers (Amex EDP, Citi Custom Cash) and to lesser extend Savor One, Citi Premier and Altitude Reserve.
It's a solid card, but in 2024 it's all about consolidation of ecosystems for me. I'ts Chase and Amex for me with Bilt whenever I stay, with the amount of management that the Amex cards need I have to stay focused.
Yeah, Amex does take up a lot of mental energy with all the statement credit, but I agree, in 2024, the name of the game is consolidation due to more statement credits and higher annual fees. 2-3 main ecosystems is the sweet spot IMO.
It’s why I only have 2 Amex (charge) cards. Green and platinum. Will be one next year
Im team waiting game to see more transfer partners too
Yeah, that's definitely the prudent move. It's a great start, but they need to add more to make it competitive with the likes of Amex and Chase
I’m not someone who wants 10 cards and I’m still building out the chase trifecta and it’s going to take a lot for me to switch to Wells Fargo when there transfer partners are mid
I personally don’t want to spend between 2+ bank point systems sense they don’t line up it’s going be hard to spread my spend to thin I won’t be able to spend the points
There's a lot to be said about simplicity! It's great to hear you're building out that Chase Trifecta and that's definitely a great place to start. I'm with you on focusing all your spend on as little ecosystems as possible. Realistically, I think it's ok to have 2-3, but if your focus is on one, Chase is a great choice given their multiple redemption options, including a nice list of transfer partners that can get you consistent value with your redemptions. Great strategy!
Thoughtful breakdown. Another good video.
Appreciate that Jason!
Nice to hear your perspective on this news, Stan. Nice opinion.
Thanks so much Lani! I appreciate your commentarys as well! Also, I wanted to let you know that I listened to your Live with Tony, and I'm also a Star Wars fan, leaning towards the dark side. "People say they want freedom, but what they really want is order." 🤣
I think the Autograph Journey is the best “So you want to get into travel” card with the elevated airline and Hotel Multipliers to pay dividends down the road. The Transfer partners to start is somewhat embarrassing given they waited 5 months but probably a slow burn will be done to add more.
Since I hold the Active Cash and the Autograph (how did Journey NOT match Travel/Transit), I’m going to add the Signify Cash when it launches to rebuild my Wells pool, and then wait for Autograph Beyond.
Thanks Matt! I watched your take on this card when the news first broke, and definitely agreed with your opinions on it! I agree that it's a little weird that it has a travel category that's missing car rentals and no transit category on a card that should be for general travel. I guess Amex did the same when you look at the Amex Trifecta (no Green), but having a one-stop shop card for travel/transit is pretty convenient.
Yeah, we will have to see what the Autograph Beyond brings. You already have the makings of a WF setup (Autograph/AC is pretty powerful on their own TBH) so I think the win is that you can soon transfer your points to those (limited) transfer partners. Maybe you could do a video on how to transfer AC points to WF Autograph or do a WF Autograph redemption. That would be an interesting video to see the mechanics of how that works!
I will say that for the transfer partners, they definitely pulled the "done is better perfect" approach, but if it took them 5 months to get here, I think you're right that that we'll probably end up getting Aeroplan 3 centuries from now. 🤣
@@TheCreditFrog I might record that video shortly.
Pass for me. Thanks for the info + video!
You're welcome Jimmy James! Glad to hear we're on the same page!
🥇
Congrats Michael! You are FIRST!! 🏆
Not impressed. So typical. If you can pound on those top spending categories, maybe. But still, if you are beginning CC journey, and able to spend 5k-25k on travel alone, you should really think about opportunity cost by going that route. Imagine 25k spread across 4-5 credit cards welcome offers. wow
I get not everyone wants that many cards but you can do better and receive better benefits by using the correct credit cards in your future plans.
Hard pass for now. (unless Hyatt or AA or Alaska pops up in their future partner categories lol)
I agree. If you have the amount of spend to really put a lot of hotel/airline spend on this card, at that point, you might as well get an actual luxury travel credit card. Even better, if you want to focus on welcome offers, that would be better, like you said! You and a lot of others have mentioned Hyatt and AA as transfer partners as a selling point for this card, so for WF's sake, they should make it happen, and they'll probably have a lot more customers! The regular Autograph card will also have these partners too so I think if Hyatt/AA goes to those cards, maybe the regular Autograph is the way to go!
I wonder, if they add AA as a transfer partner like their Bilt card, if Citi will be pissed with AA for it lol
Haha!! I actually wonder the same thing about Chase and Hyatt, but Bilt seemed to get it done, so not sure why WF didn't include it. It would be interesting to see the negotiation process of if there are any non-competes between banks and transfer partners (probably not but fun to think about!)
@@TheCreditFrog true, maybe they have some clauses. Should be cool to see how this develops haha
First!!
Almost CJ! Almost… 🥈
The fact you have to do business with wells fargo makes it a no for me dog
I have the Bilt card and have had no issues so far, but yeah, some people have had bad experiences with WF so I get that.
Same here also. I only have the Bilt card. You got wrong information.
All the big banks have paid millions in fines in the last couple years, it's your right to still be leery over something that happened 8 years ago, but the CEO and several SVPs lost their jobs over that and they eliminated the incentive plan that rewarded the cross selling scandal
Well, the only thing I have with them is the Bilt MasterCard, which has served me well with my $1800 rent per month. Easy points. I managed to get three trips out of them. This card may be a possibility. I quit watching the news, so I don’t know too much about what they did, but I’m just trying to use them for my needs which is traveling. As far as banking with them, I think not.
Applying for the BILT card was a terrible experience, the card is great though.
Weak transfer partners, so weak...
I know Jun! I wish they were better, but now that there's a low bar, it won't be hard to impress us, haha 😂
NO
Haha. To the point! Nice 👍!
@@TheCreditFrog You know me Stan!! I only have eyes for premium travel cards 💕!! Happy Friday brother 🍻
Great perspective Stan! That Wells Fargo trifecta looks quite strong and if they add more transfer options could fight with the big boys. I think the Journey is a lot better than the CSP, just need more transfer options.
I don’t have Wells Fargo cards but, considering adding them. Thanks for the great video and information brother! 🫵
Thank you César! Yes, the WF trifecta is coming along. They're missing that grocery category so I think that's an issue, but maybe they'll make up for it with more transfer partners. I think for those of us like you and me, we'll probably have a better time with a luxury travel WF card like the rumored Beyond, whenever they decide to release that. I'm hoping that the transfer partner list would have been improved by then.