Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday! This morning, I was looking at my Wells Fargo account and trying to decide what my long-term strategy (aka my plan of attack) should be for my stash of 62,320 Wells Fargo Rewards Points. If you were a former Bilt Card 1.0 member, then there is a good chance your card was converted to the no annual fee Wells Fargo Autograph Credit Card. I also currently have the $95 annual fee Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Credit Card. Before I share my strategy, let’s quickly review the bonus categories and transfer partners for the Wells Fargo Rewards program.
Bonus Categories & Transfer Partners
Here are the bonus categories for the Wells Fargo Autograph:
- 3x Dining
- 3x Travel
- 3x Gas
- 3x Transit
- 3x Streaming
- 3x Phone
- 1x everything else
Here are the bonus categories for the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey:
- 5x Hotels
- 4x Airlines
- 3x Dining
- 3x Travel
- 1x everything else
Here is the current list of Wells Fargo Rewards transfer partners:
- Aer Lingus AerClub (Avios)
- Air France / KLM Flying Blue
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club (Avios)
- Choice Hotels (1:2 transfer ratio)
- Iberia Plus (Avios)
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Virgin Red
I also checked Frequent Miler’s Transfer Bonus Page and Wells Fargo has never run a transfer bonus to any of their partners. Because of that, I don’t expect Wells Fargo to offer a transfer bonus anytime soon.
My Strategy for Wells Fargo Rewards Points
With that info in mind, here’s my plan. Since none of the transfer partners are unique to Wells Fargo (they are all available through other transferable currencies), I will likely redeem these points first when I need to transfer to an airline or hotel partner. My preferred redemption option would be Choice Hotels, mainly because Wells Fargo offers a 1:2 transfer ratio. This matches the transfer ratio available with Citi ThankYou Points and beats the 1:1 transfer ratios offered by American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One Miles. I also consulted Frequent Miler’s Transfer Bonus Page and none of the transferable currencies have ever offered a transfer bonus to Choice Hotels, so 1:2 is as good as it gets! Also, if I need to transfer in miles to any of the airline programs and there are no current transfer bonuses from any of the other transferable currencies, I will prioritize using these points.
2 Unique Features
One of the most interesting features of Wells Fargo Rewards Points is the ability to transfer points from Wells Fargo to any of their transfer partners starting at just 1 point. Because of this, I do not plan on redeeming every single point from my Wells Fargo account and will try to keep a minimum balance of 2,000 – 3,000 points. That way I can easily top off another program if I’m short by only a few points. Plus, the no annual fee Wells Fargo Autograph allows points transfers, so you don’t need to keep the $95 annual fee Wells Fargo Autograph Journey.
Final Thoughts
Currently, I don’t plan on putting much spend on either Wells Fargo credit card, but I will gradually spend down my existing points, as needed. Since Wells Fargo has a small group of transfer partners (and none of them are unique), these points will likely be the first transferable currency I redeem when I need airline or hotel points.
If you have Wells Fargo Rewards Points, please let me know what your plan is for using them. If you have any questions about either credit card or the rewards program, please leave a comment below. Have a great weekend everyone!