Comparing The Wells Fargo Journey vs. Other Premium Travel Cards

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card, released in March 2024, may seem like a good option with competitive rewards rates, but how does it stack up to some of the best travel credit cards on the market today? And does it deserve a place in your wallet?

In this article, we’ll examine the card’s welcome offers, rewards, benefits and travel partners to assess its overall value. Let’s see how the Autograph Journey measures up to these four competitors:

Welcome offers

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey has a competitive welcome offer of 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months, as well as an annual fee of $95. According to Bankrate’s valuations, Wells Fargo Rewards are worth 1.0 cents per point on average, giving the welcome offer an approximate value of $600.

You might be able to get more value by taking advantage of the card’s small handful of transfer partners. However, Wells Fargo has significantly fewer transfer partners than Chase, Capital One, Citi, or American Express, which is what makes its rewards currency less flexible and less valuable on average compared to the competition.

How the Autograph Journey stacks up

Here are the current welcome offers for each of the Autograph Journey’s main competitors:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 annual fee): earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

• Citi Strata Premier ($95 annual fee): earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

• Capital One Venture X ($395 annual fee): earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

• The Platinum Card from American Express ($895 annual fee): as high as 175,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership.

In terms of the offer amount, Autograph Journey’s welcome offer is on par with the Citi Strata Premier’s, and not too far off from the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s and the Capital One Venture X’s. Although the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Venture X’s offers are higher than the Autograph Journey’s, they each have their own caveats. The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a higher spending requirement ($5,000, compared to the Autograph Journey’s $4,000) while the Venture X has a higher annual fee ($395 compared to $95).

The Platinum Card’s offer may look incredibly lucrative, but there’s a major catch: the exact offer varies from person to person, and you may not be eligible for the highest offer amount. For example, one of our reporters was only eligible to earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 in 6 months — a far cry from the advertised “as high as 175,000 points” and arguably a worse deal than the Autograph Journey once you factor in the Platinum Card’s $895 annual fee.

You should also consider the value of each card’s rewards points when looking at the welcome offer. Chase Sapphire Preferred points are worth 2 cents each on average according to Bankrate’s valuations, making the 75,000-point offer worth roughly $1,500. The Citi Strata Premier’s points are worth 1.6 cents each, for a total offer value around $960. The Venture X’s points, valued at 1.7 cents each, makes its offer worth approximately $1,275. And the Platinum Card’s points are valued at 2 cents each, making its offer potentially worth up to $3,500 if you qualify for the highest offer.

Our decision: Not as good as the competition

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey offers the lowest overall value of all these welcome offers, due to the lower value of the Wells Fargo Rewards points it earns.

Beyond the welcome bonus value, you should also consider:

• The card’s annual fee
• Whether you can meet the spending requirement
• What specific redemption options or transfer partners you’re looking for
• The return on your spending (the offer’s value divided by the spending requirement)

Keep in mind that credit card bonus offers change frequently. If the Wells Fargo Autograph launches a higher welcome offer, or if any of its competitors reduce their welcome offers, the verdict may change.

Rewards and benefits

Outside of its welcome bonus, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey comes with excellent earning rates in numerous categories focusing on travel and dining. Specifically, you’ll earn 5X points at hotels, 4X points on airlines and 3X points on other travel and on restaurants. All other purchases earn 1X points.

You’ll also get a $50 annual statement credit with a $50 minimum airline purchase. Utilizing this credit offsets more than half of the card’s annual fee. Additional benefits include:

• Travel accident insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Trip cancellation and interruption protection
• Travel and emergency assistance services
• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Roadside dispatch
• Cell phone protection
• My Wells Fargo deals
• Visa Signature benefits

At a glance, the card’s excellent earning rates and solid travel protections lets it function well as a travel card. However, let’s compare this more closely with its competitors to assess its actual value.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred

Both cards have the same annual fee. For travel purchases, the Autograph Journey gets 5X on hotels, 4X on airfare, and 3X on other travel, while the Sapphire Preferred earns 5X on travel booked through the Chase Travel^SM portal, 5X on eligible Lyft purchases (through Sept. 30, 2027) and 2X on all other travel. While both cards earn 3X on dining, the Sapphire Preferred also earns 3X for streaming and online grocery purchases. Both cards earn 1X points on all other purchases.

Whereas the Autograph Journey has a $50 air credit, the Sapphire Preferred has a $50 hotel credit that applies to hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel, with no minimum spend. Each anniversary, you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10 percent of your spending from the prior year.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred also has excellent travel protections, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, auto rental coverage, travel and emergency assistance services and trip delay reimbursement.

Finally, Chase has a more extensive list of transfer partners, which includes five of Wells Fargo’s airline partners. There are also more Chase cards available that can combine points with the Sapphire Preferred via the Chase trifecta, giving it an even further advantage.

You might choose the Autograph Journey if your travel spending aligns better with Wells Fargo’s bonus categories. However, for most people, the Sapphire Preferred will be the more flexible option.

Learn more: Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred worth it?

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey vs. Citi Strata Premier

These cards also have the same annual fee. The Citi Strata Premier earns 10X points on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked through the Citi Travel portal and 3X points in the following categories:

• Other hotel purchases
• Air travel
• Restaurants
• Supermarkets
• Gas and EV charging stations

All other purchases earn 1X points.

Although the Autograph Journey earns more on non-portal hotel and airfare purchases, the Citi Strata Premier covers a more comprehensive range of everyday expenses beyond travel.

The Citi Strata Premier also offers an annual $100 hotel credit on a stay of $500 or more booked through the Citi Travel portal — double the Autograph Journey’s air credit, but also harder to use. While Citi overlaps on a few of Wells Fargo’s transfer partners, it also offers a more extensive list than Wells Fargo. Citi also has the Citi trifecta that allows you to combine points from multiple cards.

As a result, the Citi Strata Premier generally offers more value overall, unless your spending is primarily travel-focused.

Learn more: Citi Strata Premier Card Benefits Guide

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey vs. Capital One Venture X

The Capital One Venture X comes with a higher annual fee than the Autograph Journey. Still, this higher fee can be easily offset with the card’s $300 annual travel credit through the Capital One Travel portal and the 10,000 bonus miles you’ll earn on your account anniversary (worth $100 toward travel).

The Venture X earns 10X on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, and 2X points on all other purchases.

If you book travel directly, the Autograph Journey is likely a better choice, but the Venture X still has the potential for higher returns. Non-bonus spending will do better on the Venture X, for example, but you’ll earn more with dining purchases on the Autograph Journey.

Overall, Capital One miles have a higher value and more transfer partners while overlapping most of Wells Fargo’s partners. You’ll also get more benefits and perks like extensive airport lounge access and a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit every four years.

As long as you can maximize the annual travel credit to help offset the higher annual fee, the Venture X is the winner in terms of overall value.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey vs. The Platinum Card from American Express

These two cards approach travel from opposite positions. While the Autograph Journey has a modest annual fee and earns solid reward rates, the Amex Platinum has one of the highest annual fees out there and mediocre earning rates outside of its 5X rate on airfare booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel (on the first $500,000 in purchases each calendar year) and prepaid hotels purchased through Amex Travel. All other purchases earn only 1X points, meaning the Autograph Journey is better for dining, hotels booked direct and all travel purchases that aren’t airfare or hotel stays.

Where the Amex Platinum shines above the rest is its laundry list of credits and benefits. Despite the staggering $895 annual fee, you can still come out ahead if you take advantage of all the credits offered, including:

• $600 annual hotel credit on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings through Amex Travel ($300 semi-annually, minimum 2-night stay required for The Hotel Collection)
• $200 annually in Uber Cash ($15 a month, plus an extra $20 in December)
• $120 annual Uber One credit with the purchase of an auto-renewing Uber One membership
• $200 annual airline incidental fee credit
• $209 annual CLEAR Plus credit with the purchase of an auto-renewing CLEAR Plus membership
• $400 annual Resy credit ($100 quarterly)
• $300 annual digital entertainment credit ($25 monthly)
• $300 annual lululemon credit ($75 quarterly)
• $155 annual Walmart+ credit (up to $12.95 monthly with the purchase of an auto-renewing monthly Walmart+ membership)
• $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit ($50 semi-annually)

*Enrollment required for select benefits

Maximizing these credits more than compensates for the card’s annual fee, covering everything from travel and shopping to lifestyle purchases. In addition, you’ll get extensive airport lounge access, excellent travel protections, a superior list of transfer partners and complimentary elite status with Hilton, Marriott and several car rental companies. While the Amex Platinum requires a hefty upfront investment, the total value offered by the card’s perks and credits far exceed any other card — if you can fully utilize them.

Learn more: Is the Amex Platinum worth the yearly fee?

Our decision: Perks fall short but rewards measure up

The Autograph Journey holds up well against competitors with its rewards rates, particularly in the travel and dining categories. The rates for hotels and airfare purchases are strong and don’t require you to shop through a travel portal. This distinction can be helpful, as many hotel chains and airlines will deny your elite benefits when you book through a third party like this.

However, the card also has a major weakness — its perks and benefits. Each main competitor card offers more value in travel protections, benefits and access to transfer partners. Even the higher annual fee cards make up for that fee difference with superior returns in the benefits category.

Because of this, the Autograph Journey is best used as a supplement to other travel cards, to earn rewards on categories other cards don’t cover. But if you’re looking for a single card to cover all your travel needs, the Autograph Journey’s competitors will likely offer better overall value.

Airline and hotel transfer partners

Each card has its own set of airline and hotel transfer partners — multiple cards can cover some programs, while others may be unique to a single card. We’ve compiled a list of all the partners to help you decide which card is best for you. All transfer ratios are 1:1 unless otherwise noted.

Our decision: The Autograph Journey doesn’t measure up

As you can see, the Autograph Journey has the smallest number of transfer partners — each of which is covered by at least two competitors. Because of this, the card’s competitors are likely to be a better choice if you’re looking for a specific transfer partner that Wells Fargo doesn’t have, or just want to earn points that are more flexible — and therefore, valuable — on average.

But if you can make use of the few transfer partners Wells Fargo does have, the Autograph Journey’s strong rewards rates make it a good way to earn some extra points or miles. Also keep in mind that Wells Fargo has promised to add more transfer partners in the future, which could make the card more valuable.

The bottom line

While introducing a travel card with transfer partners is a big milestone for Wells Fargo, the Autograph Journey unfortunately doesn’t quite rise to the level of its competition, at least for now. While the reward rates are decent, the relatively small list of transfer partners keeps the card a step behind the competition. Given that, this card is best suited for people who may already have a solid portfolio of credit cards and are looking for a program to supplement their points balances. But if you’re looking for your first premium travel card, you’ll likely get more value from one of the other cards in this space.