Wells Fargo Active Cash Card review: Earn 2% in cash rewards everywhere

This Active Cash Card is best for those who want a flat-rate cash-rewards program and don’t want to pay an annual fee. You can also save on interest with this card’s intro-APR offer.

You’ll get an intro 0% APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 12 months from account opening. After that, a variable APR of 19.49%, 24.49% or 29.49% applies. For a balance transfer to be eligible for the intro APR, it must be completed within 120 days from account opening. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount transferred ($5 minimum), which applies for the first 120 from accounts opening. The standard balance transfer fee is 5% of the amount of each transfer ($5 minimum).

Other perks include cell phone protection if you use the card to pay your cell phone bill. If your phone is damaged or stolen, you can be reimbursed for the replacement or repair of your cell phone for up to $600 per claim and two claims per 12 months (with a $25 deductible).

You can also take advantage of Visa Signature perks, including Visa Signature® Concierge and access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection. The concierge is a 24/7 complimentary personal assistance service to help you book travel, dining and entertainment. When you book through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, you’ll get premium perks like a food and beverage credit, free daily breakfast and room upgrades (when available).

Earning

The Active Cash Card has a simple rewards program. You’ll earn 2% cash rewards on all eligible purchases and there are no bonus categories to track.

Before signing up for this credit card, consider your spending habits. If you spend a lot on dining or travel, a card that earns bonus rewards for those purchases may make more sense. On the other hand, anyone who would rather not worry about maximizing spending categories will appreciate being able to earn a high flat-rate return everywhere.

Redeeming

Regardless of how you use your rewards, the value is the same. You can redeem your cash rewards in a variety of ways, including:

• Statement credit to offset purchases ($1 minimum)
• Wells Fargo ATM withdrawal using a Wells Fargo debit or ATM card ($20 increments)
• A credit to an eligible Wells Fargo credit card, checking account or mortgage
• Gift cards
• PayPal purchases

The Active Cash card has no annual fee. There is a 3% foreign transaction fee, so it’s not the best option when traveling out of the country. It has a standard variable APR of 19.49%, 24.49% or 29.49%. Late payments can be assessed a fee of up to $40.

While it has a lower return on most purchases, the Discover it® Cash Back has a potentially more valuable welcome bonus and a longer intro-APR than the Active Cash Card.

New Discover it Cash Back cardholders receive a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from account opening (then the APR is a variable 18.74% to 27.74%). There is a 3% intro balance transfer fee of up to 5% on future balance transfers (see rates and fees; terms apply). With this card, you’re getting an extra three months to pay off your balance before interest kicks in.

Discover will match the cash back you earn from spending on the card in the first year. So, if you earn over $200 in cash back that first year, the Discover it Cash Back card’s welcome bonus is more valuable. By maximizing this card’s rotating cash-back categories, you earn $300 cash back in a year, so it wouldn’t be hard to get more value from this card in the first year.

Learn more: Discover it® Cash Back

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card vs. Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is one of the best no-annual-fee travel credit cards. It earns transferrable Wells Fargo Rewards points and it has generous spending categories.

This card earns 3X points on dining, travel, transit, phone plans, popular streaming services and gas. If you regularly spend in those categories, you could easily come ahead compared to the Active Cash Card’s 2% back in cash rewards.

Plus, the points you earn with the Autograph Card can be more valuable because you can transfer them to hotel and airline loyalty programs. The Autograph Card gives you the ability to transfer your points to Wells Fargo’s growing list of travel partners, including Iberia Plus, Avianca LifeMiles and Flying Blue (Air France/KLM).

If you have both the Active Cash Card and Autograph Card, you can combine the cash rewards you earn with the Active Cash and transfer those points to travel partners. So it can make sense to have both cards since they complement each other.

Learn more: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

If you’re looking for a card that doesn’t require a lot of effort to maximize, look no further than the Active Cash Card. With no annual fee and unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases, it’s a great choice for people who want cash back but don’t want to change their spending habits every quarter to maximize their rewards in rotating spending categories.

For anyone interested in boosting the value of their rewards, pairing this card with the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card allows you to combine rewards and transfer them to hotel and airline loyalty programs. Neither card has an annual fee, so you’re not increasing your expenses when you pair these cards.

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For rates and fees of the Discover it® Cash Back, click here.