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Wells Fargo Rewards is one of the newest programs to introduce transfer partners. Cardholders with point-earning products can redeem Wells Fargo Rewards points by transferring them across seven partners: six airlines and one hotel.
In most cases, you'll extract maximum value from your transferable points by moving them to partner loyalty programs. Wells Fargo is no different, so it's important to familiarize yourself with the issuer's suite of partners if earning Rewards points is part of your credit card strategy.
Here's everything you need to know about Wells Fargo's transfer partners.
Page Contents
How To Earn Wells Fargo Rewards
You'll build a stash of Wells Fargo Rewards points by swiping an eligible Wells Fargo credit card. Presently, two products — the Wells Fargo Autograph® Card (Rates & Fees) and the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (Rates & Fees) — issue rewards as (transferable) points.
Rates & Fees
- 5X points per $1 spent on hotels
- 4X points per $1 spent on airlines
- 3X points per $1 spent on other travel and restaurants
- 1X points per $1 spent on other purchases
Rates & Fees
- 3x on travel – including airfare, hotels, car rentals, timeshares, cruises, and more
- 3x on transit – including parking, tolls, subways, ride shares, railways, ferries, and more
- 3x on dining – including dining in, take-out, catering, delivery and more
- 3x on gas – including gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations
- 3x on phone plans – including landline providers and cell phones
- 3x on streaming services
- 1x on other purchases
Wells Fargo also offers the option to combine points and cash rewards. So, if you have both a cash-back card — such as the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (Rates & Fees) — and a point-earning card (like one of the two above), you can combine your rewards into one account. Combining rewards is an easy way to get more mileage out of your cash rewards.
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
- Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
- $0 annual fee.
- No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don't expire as long as your account remains open.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
Outside of its point-earning and cash-back cards, Wells Fargo issues a suite of co-branded credit cards, such as the Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® (Rates & Fees) and The Bilt Mastercard®. However, these cards are separate entities; you can't combine the points earned on these cards with Wells Fargo Rewards points.
Do Wells Fargo Rewards points expire?
As long as your Wells Fargo account is active and in good standing, your Wells Fargo Rewards points will never expire.
Wells Fargo Rewards Transfer Rates
Wells Fargo is a newcomer to the transferable points space, which explains its short list of partners. However, the issuer made good on its promise to add throughout 2024, as Wells Fargo added Virgin Red (including Virgin Atlantic Flying Club) as its seventh transfer partner.
In the program's current state, you can transfer your Wells Fargo Rewards points to six airline partners at a 1:1 ratio plus a hotel partner at a 1:2 ratio. However, Virgin Red is kinda its own entity; you can use Virgin points to redeem for flights, cruises, hotels, and more.
As AwardWallet users earn and burn points, our transfer times tool will reflect the average time it takes for points to show up in your account.
Wells Fargo Airline Partners
Of Wells Fargo's seven transfer partners, six are airline frequent flyer programs, including:
Aer Lingus AerClub
Aer Lingus is Ireland's flag carrier, which means its Aer Club program offers unparalleled access to the Emerald Isle. You can book one-way awards from the U.S. East Coast to Ireland starting at 13,000 Avios — or 16,250 from the rest of the United States.
Provided you can navigate the carrier's peak and off-peak schedule, there's great value to be found by transferring points to the Aer Club frequent flyer program.
Related: How To Avoid Paying High Fuel Surcharges When Booking Flights With Avios
Air France–KLM Flying Blue
Flying Blue is the loyalty program of Air France and KLM. Since the airlines belong to the SkyTeam alliance, you can convert Wells Fargo Rewards points to Flying Blue miles and book award flights on airlines alliance-wide, such as Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and more — plus several non-alliance carriers.
Prospective award travelers will also find value in the Flying Blue Promo Rewards. Each month, Flying Blue discounts select routes by 25%. If you play your cards right, you can extract fantastic value by transferring Wells Fargo Rewards points to Flying Blue during one of these offers.
Related: Air France–KLM Flying Blue Award Sweet Spots
Avianca LifeMiles
With one of the most expansive route networks in Central and South America, there are plenty of reasons to stockpile Avianca LifeMiles. As a Star Alliance member airline, Avianca offers unique access to partner award space on Lufthansa, Swiss, United, and more.
Even if you never fly on one of the carrier's routes, this is a program to familiarize yourself with. Fly United with any regularity? You can book over 500 domestic United awards starting at just 6,500 LifeMiles.
Related: Avianca LifeMiles Program: Overview and Sweet Spots
British Airways Executive Club
British Airways Avios are incredibly valuable. And a large part of that is because of the number of things you can do with them. As a Oneworld airline, British Airways Avios can be redeemed for partner airline flights alliance-wide, which means you can book award tickets on American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Qatar Airways, and more.
Even better, the program has several sweet spots that award travelers can take advantage of without transiting London Heathrow. Short-distance flights in North America from 9,500 Avios are a perfect example.
Related: Do British Airways Avios Expire?
Iberia Plus
Iberia belongs to the Oneworld alliance and uses the Avios currency — just like British Airways and Aer Lingus. However, the airline's unique award chart offers access to some of the most affordable transatlantic business-class awards. Fancy flying business class from Chicago to Madrid for 34,000 Iberia Plus Avios per way or snagging a cheap economy award on American Airlines? You can book those awards and a whole lot more with a stash of Iberia Plus Avios.
Related: Do Iberia Plus Avios Expire?
Virgin Red (including Virgin Atlantic)
Wells Fargo's newest transfer partner shouldn't come as any surprise. Virgin Red — and, by extension, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — seemingly partners with every transferrable program known to man. While you can redeem your Virgin points in several ways, cashing out for flights will offer you some of the best value. Virgin Atlantic has some incredible sweet spots — from cheap flights to the UK, competitive pricing on SkyTeam partner awards, and more.
Wells Fargo Hotel Partners
Wells Fargo's roster of transfer partners includes one hotel loyalty program: Choice Privileges.
Choice Privileges
Several hotel brands belong to the Choice Privileges program. And while they might not be the splashiest of accommodations, there are several reasons why you might want to convert Wells Fargo Rewards points to Choice points. The main reason is the favorable 1:2 transfer ratio. You'll get two Choice points for every Wells Fargo point you transfer.
Since your points will go twice as far with Choice, you can book award stays at properties worldwide and likely have several points left over to fund future free nights. Look out for discounted awards through Choice Sweet Spot Rewards as well as great deals in Japan, Europe, and beyond. More about this sweet spot below.
Related: You Can Now Redeem Choice Privileges Points Online at Preferred Hotels
Best Ways To Redeem Wells Fargo Rewards Points
Wells Fargo doesn't have the number of transfer partners that American Express, Chase, or Capital One do. While objectively smaller, there's still plenty of value to be found by transferring Wells Fargo Rewards points to partner loyalty programs.
Of all the Wells Fargo partners, the Avios programs offer some of the most flexibility; you can move your Avios between all the airlines that use the currency. If that's any indication, you can do a lot with Avios, including booking flights in some of the world's best business-class cabins (think Qatar Airways or Cathay Pacific) or nearly free economy flights to Hawaii.
Like Avios, there are dozens of ways you can redeem LifeMiles. From Lufthansa First Class to budget United flights, you'll never get bored of extracting fantastic value from your Avianca miles. For instance, here's a flight in business class from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Dubai (DXB) via Istanbul (IST) on Turkish Airlines for 78,000 LifeMiles. That's a great deal.
One of Wells Fargo's most underrated transfer partners is Choice Privileges. While AwardWallet users average a comparatively lower 0.6¢ apiece out of their Choice Points, there's a hidden value to transferring your Wells Fargo Rewards points to Choice.
You will get a better return on your transfer, and Choice has incredibly attractive redemption rates in expensive markets such as Tokyo, Japan. Suffice it to say, don't discount Choice points just because the average cent-per-point value on redemption isn't the highest of all the transfer partners.
After all, it's hard to beat booking a hotel in Tokyo for just 4,000 Wells Fargo Rewards points!
How To Transfer Wells Fargo Points
To transfer points to partners, head to the Wells Fargo Rewards page and log in here. Once you've logged in, look for “See All Options” under “Use your rewards” and click that.
From here, scroll down to find the “Rewards Points Transfer” option and click that.
On the next page, you'll see “Airlines” and “Hotels.” Clicking on either will expand your list of options to set up a points transfer. After choosing the program you want, click on “Link accounts” and provide your account number for the program. If you don't have one yet, Wells Fargo has a link for signing up to get a rewards number in the partner program.
After confirming your information, you'll be ready to transfer points to partner programs. Your information should save in the platform, meaning you won't need to link your account number for future transfers.
Tips for Maximizing Wells Fargo's Transfer Partners
Before you redeem your Wells Fargo Rewards points, here are some tips to keep in mind to ensure you get the most out of your hard-earned rewards:
- Check to ensure that flights or hotel nights are available for booking before transferring points to a partner. Points transfers are irreversible, so if you change your mind or can't find the award space you want after transferring, you'll be out of luck.
- Check cash prices for your flight or hotel. Sometimes, the flight or hotel you want to book with points will offer a compelling cash price. Always check the cash prices before transferring; it might be worth saving your points for a more valuable redemption down the road.
- Remember that each of Wells Fargo’s airline partners has its own list of partner airlines. You don’t have to be flying one of the airlines listed in this guide to use your Wells Fargo Rewards points. For instance, you can use British Airways Avios to book American Airlines flights.
- Look at the total cost. Several airlines are bookable with multiple transfer partners. Be sure to compare the total number of Wells Fargo Rewards points required plus how much you’ll have to pay in taxes and fees.
Related: How Much Do AwardWallet Members Actually Save When Redeeming Points?
Final Thoughts
Wells Fargo is the latest entrant into the world of transferable point programs. Despite a limited list of airline and hotel loyalty programs, Wells Fargo Rewards earners can extract fantastic value with the current partner programs. Plus, more transfer partners should continue to join the program, offering further value to Wells Fargo cardholders.
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