Wells Fargo credit card offers

A little about Wells Fargo: Of all the banks, Wells Fargo's history is the coolest - and they've even referenced it in television commercials.

Back in 1852, Henry Wells and William Fargo founded Wells, Fargo & Co. to serve the western United States. They offered banking — buying gold and selling paper bank drafts as good as gold — and express (rapid delivery of the gold and anything else valuable). So they were kind of like the Fed-Ex of their day. In fact, in 1861, Wells Fargo briefly took over the operations of the western part of the famous Pony Express, and throughout the 1860s, Wells Fargo became known for its stagecoach service.

The company really didn't become known as a bank, however, until the 20th century. By the 1980s, it was still a state-wide bank, in California, with its headquarters in San Francisco. But in the 1980s, even though it was only in California, it was the seventh largest bank in the nation. From there, it just kept growing.

Fun fact: As a result of Wells Fargo's deep and rich history, of which we've only scratched the surface, the bank has been saluted throughout popular culture, especially in westerns. For instance, there was a little-remembered TV series, Tales of the Wells Fargo, a western series that lasted from 1957 to 1962 (if you're curious, it's available for free streaming on Tubi TV). And if you've ever seen the 1962 musical film, The Music Man, you're well acquainted with "The Wells Fargo Wagon" song.

Headquartered in San Francisco, it is the 10th largest public company in the world and simply a very large bank. It employs 260,000 and has 7,400 locations and more than 13,000 ATMs. It also seems to be trying to be a force of good. The respected nonprofit Points of Light put it in its "top 50 most community-minded companies" list in 2019.

So that might make you feel pretty good about applying for one of Wells Fargo's credit cards, of which they have many.

CardRatings has named several Wells Fargo credit cards to its best credit cards of 2020 lists, including:

• Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® card - Best for Cash Back
• Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card - Best for Travel
• Wells Fargo Platinum card - Best for 0% Intro APR
• Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card - Best for Business Owners

Like any good bank that wants to make sure that no customer is left out, Wells Fargo has pretty much every type of credit card imaginable under the sun. If you're looking to build credit, Wells Fargo can help you out. If you're in need of a credit card that will let you do a balance transfer without spending a fortune, Wells Fargo is there for you. Are you interested in a cash back credit card? One that offers a lot of rewards? No annual fee? Wells Fargo has it.

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card is a great example of what Wells Fargo has to offer. It offers the cardholder three points for every $1 spent on travel-related purchases including flights, hotels, gas stations, transit and car rentals. You also will get three points for every $1 spent on dining purchases, which the card refers to as "eating out and ordering in" and three points per $1 spent on popular streaming services. All other purchases are one point per $1. In other words, everything you buy, you'll get something back.

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® card is also a nice addition to anybody's wallet. It's a good albeit not spectacular credit card, one that offers unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases - unless you buy something in the first year using Apple Pay® or Google Pay™, which gives you 1.8% cash back. There's also no annual fee.

What are Wells Fargo Credit Card Benefits?

Wells Fargo has been in the credit card business for some time (as have, yes, many of their competitors), and maybe because of that, they have a lot of benefits on many of their cards, especially when it comes to travel. But here are a handful.

Cell phone protection. If you lose your cell phone or it's stolen, not to worry. Your card will pay for the phone, or much of it (it depends just how expensive this phone was). Just make sure that you're paying your cell phone bill with your Wells Fargo credit card. This is a standard perk on all Wells Fargo personal credit cards.

Extended Warranty Protection. Many of things you buy (there are always going to be exceptions, like cars), if they break just beyond your warranty, your Wells Fargo credit card will extend that warranty. Helpful tip, though: Register the item with your credit card when you buy it. Otherwise, you'll have to root through documentation, like your billing statements, to prove that you made the purchase with your credit card.

Price Protection. This is a big deal because a lot of credit cards have done away from this perk; it's probably too confusing and not cost effective for them to keep track and offer it. But, anyway, some Wells Fargo credit cards will refund you the difference between the price if you discover a lower advertised price within 60 days of purchase (up to $250, and up to $1,000 a year). You need to request your money within 10 days of the advertisement being published, and, of course, you needed to have made the purchase with an eligible Wells Fargo credit card.

Purchase Security. You break it, maybe you didn't buy it? In other words, your Wells Fargo credit card will reimburse you for something you bought or that was damaged or stolen - up to 90 days from making the purchase. Obviously, check the fine print for exclusions. For instance, if you bought something at a yard sale, and it was used, you won't be getting your money back.

Legal Referral Assistance. Here's an under-the-radar perk. If you happen to be traveling abroad and something goes wrong, and you need legal help, your Wells Fargo credit card may be able to help put you in touch with English-speaking attorneys and U.S. embassies and consulates if you're detained by local authorities, have a car accident, or need legal assistance. If this turns out to be a nightmarish trip, your card's benefit administrator will even coordinate bail payment from your account, if things go wrong, and can make sure your bail has been handled properly.

Wells Fargo Credit Card Approval Odds

It's easy if you have excellent credit, and it may still be easy if you have good or very good credit. If your credit score and history would be considered fair to middling to tragically embarrassing, then it will be hard.

That said, Wells Fargo does have a couple secured credit cards — the Wells Fargo Secured Visa® Card and the Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card (which has a 1.5 cash back rewards program). So getting some sort of Wells Fargo credit card should be in reach for most people.

Which Wells Fargo Credit Card Is the Best?

All the Wells Fargo credit cards are considered top-flight. There isn't a bad one among the bunch, but here are the best of them…

BEST WELLS FARGO CREDIT CARD FOR TRAVEL

Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card

For those still traveling or those who plan to do a lot after the pandemic, this travel rewards credit card has a lot to offer. Still, it's a pretty good card for anyone. You'll receive 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first three month. That translates to getting $200.

But, wait, there's more! (At the risk of sounding like a TV commercial…)

You'll also get…

- 3x points when you spend money on eating out and ordering in
- 3x points on travel expenses, including flights, hotels and car rentals
- 3x points when you plunk down your card at gas stations, rideshares and transit
- 3x points when you use your card to pay for streaming services
- 1x points on other purchases

There is no foreign transaction fee (if there had been, we wouldn't have said this was a good card for travel), and even more surprisingly, given all of these reward points: no annual fee.

BEST WELLS FARGO CASH BACK CREDIT CARD

Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® card

It's there in the name of the card - "cash wise." You will be rewarded in cash for spending. Here are the main ways:

- You'll get a $150 cash rewards bonus after making $500 in purchases during the first three months of opening the account.
- You'll get unlimited 1.5% cash rewards on purchases.
- You'll receive 1.8% cash rewards on qualified digital wallet purchases, like Apple Pay® or Google Pay™, during the first 12 months from account opening.

There are also perks like cell phone protection (as long as you pay for your phone bills with your Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® card), and no annual fee.

BEST WELLS FARGO CREDIT CARD FOR 0% INTRO APR

Wells Fargo Platinum card

Why should you mull over getting this card? If you're trying to kill off a lot of debt, or you want to go into some debt and need some time to pay it all off without generating a bunch of interest, this is a very good credit card.

You'll get 18 months with a 0% intro APR on balance transfers and new purchases (then, 16.49%-24.49% Variable). You'll want to pay everything off before a year and a half sails by.

You'll need a pretty good credit score, as you would imagine, to get this card. There is a balance transfer fee to be aware of — 3% for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%.

There is no welcome bonus and no rewards program, but you'll probably appreciate the cell phone insurance and that the card doesn't have an annual fee.

BEST WELLS FARGO BUSINESS CREDIT CARD

Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card

It's a simple card, but it's a solid card. The highlights…

- You'll get a $500 cash back bonus or 50,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months.
- You'll earn 1.5% cash back on every $1 spent.
- You'll earn 1 point on every $1 spent and receive 1,000 bonus points wen you company spend is $1,000 or more during any monthly billing period.
- 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first nine months (then, 16.49%-24.49% Variable).

On top of that, there's no annual fee, and you can get up to 99 employee cards with no annual fee. The card also comes with numerous cash management tools.