Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card
On Wells Fargo’s secure website
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Rewards
Earn unlimited 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on other travel and restaurants, and 1X points on other purchases.
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Welcome Bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s 600 toward your next trip.
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Annual fee
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Introduction of APR
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Regular annual percentage rate
21.24%, 26.24% or 29.99% variable annual percentage rate
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Balance transfer fee
3% introductory for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, minimum $5
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Foreign assignment fee
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Credit required
Per
- Excellent reward prices for hotels, flights and travel
- Strong welcome bonus
- Access to transfer partners
Disadvantages
- Fewer transfer partners than comparable programs
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
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Rewards
Earn 10 points per dollar spent on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3 points per dollar spent on air travel and other hotel bookings, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
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Welcome Bonus
Earn 70,000 ThankYou® bonus points when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
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Annual fee
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Introduction of APR
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Regular annual percentage rate
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Balance transfer fee
5% of each balance transfer, minimum $5
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Foreign assignment fee
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Credit required
Per
- Amazing 10X and 3X spending categories
- Earn transferable points
Disadvantages
- $95 annual fee
- No special financing offers
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey vs Citi Strata Premier
Annual fee
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey and the Citi Strata Premier both have a $95 annual fee, which is reasonable for this type of rewards credit card. Both cards have no foreign transaction fees and similar variable APRs.
When you consider the rewards you can earn, it may be worth keeping both cards year after year. Both cards also offer an annual statement credit or rebate on certain travel purchases, which can lower the cost of card use even further. The Autograph Journey offers an annual $50 statement credit on airline bookings (minimum purchase $50 to qualify) and the Strata Premier offers an annual $100 rebate on eligible hotel bookings through Citi Travel (minimum purchase $500).
Welcome Bonus
The Citi Strata Premier Card offers a welcome bonus of 70,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. This bonus is worth $700 when you book travel through Thankyou.com, and you can transfer these points to a long list of 18 travel partners.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card’s introductory bonus is worth 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. You can redeem these points for $600 in gift cards, account credits, and other options. This card lets you transfer your rewards to six hotel and airline loyalty programs.
winner: Citi Strata Premier. It offers a bigger welcome bonus and you have access to more transfer partners.
Rewards
If you’re looking to earn travel rewards, look no further than the Citi Strata Premier or Autograph Journey. These cards offer higher rewards in a number of useful categories.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card vs. Citi Strata Premier℠ Card Rewards
| Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card | Citi Strata Premier℠ Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels, rental cars, attractions booked through Citi Travel | N/A | 10X points |
| Air travel | 4X points | 3X points |
| Further hotel purchases | 5X points | 3X points |
| gastronomy | 3X points | 3X points |
| Other trips | 3X points | 1X points |
| Supermarkets | 1X points | 3X points |
| Filling stations and charging stations for electric cars | 1X points | 3X points |
| All other purchases | 1X points | 1X points |
Which card is more valuable depends on what you spend the most on. The Autograph Journey is great for hotels, air travel, and other travel purchases, so it’s likely to be more valuable to anyone who spends a lot of money on travel.
The Strata Premier offers an amazing return on certain trips you book through the Citi Travel website (hotels, rental cars and attractions) and is a solid choice for airlines and hotels. It’s also a great option for supermarkets and gas stations (and for charging electric vehicles).
Winner: Tie. Both cards offer value on common purchases, so the more worthwhile option depends on where you spend the most.
Redemption options
Citi Strata Premier and Wells Fargo Autograph Journey allow you to transfer rewards to travel partners. Both programs also give you other options, such as redeeming points for gift cards, travel and account credits worth one cent per point.
Since both rewards programs offer a base value of one cent per point for cashback redemptions, the difference in value lies with the travel partners.
With the Autograph Journey you have access to these travel programs:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Electoral privileges
- Flying Blue (Air France and KLM)
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Iberia Plus
The transfer ratio is 1:1 for all Wells Fargo partners, except Choice Privileges, where the transfer ratio is 1:2.
With Citi Strata Premier, you have access to a much longer list of Citi ThankYou transfer partners:
- Accor Live Limitless
- Aeromexico Rewards
- Flight+Hotel offers
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad guest
- Eva Air Infinity MileageLands
- Flying Blue (KLM and Air France)
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Hotel Leaders Club
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
- Virgin Atlantic Flight Club
- Electoral privileges
- Wyndham Rewards
You also have access to Sears Shop Your Way Rewards at a 1:10 transfer ratio.
winner: Citi Strata Premier Card. Unless you place a lot of value on the loyalty programs of Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia, Citi ThankYou points give you many other options.
Advantages
Both cards offer valuable travel insurance benefits and annual travel discounts or account credits.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey includes a $50 annual credit toward airfare (with a minimum purchase of $50). Additional benefits include:
- Cell phone protection ($25 deductible)
- Travel accident insurance
- Reimbursement for lost luggage
- Travel cancellation and trip interruption protection
- Rental car insurance
- Travel and emergency assistance services
- Roadside dispatch
- Benefits of Visa Signature
With the Citi Strata Premier, you’ll receive an annual $100 discount on hotel bookings of $500 or more when you book through Citi Travel. You’ll also receive the following travel insurance benefits:
- Travel delay
- Cancellation and interruption of travel
- Lost or damaged luggage
- Rental car insurance (MasterRental®)
- Benefits of the World Elite Mastercard
Winner: Wells Fargo Autograph Journey. This one is similar, but Autograph Journey offers easier annual credit and additional insurance benefits not available with Strata Premier, such as cell phone protection.
Compare savings accounts
Which one should you get?
Until Wells Fargo expands its rewards program with more transfer partners, Citi Strata Premier offers more value for most people. It has a larger welcome offer, more transfer partners and a comparable rewards structure.
However, if you value certain insurance benefits or certain travel partners, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey might be the better choice. It offers cell phone coverage and travel accident insurance. The rewards program also works with several airlines, such as British Airways, which are not Citi transfer partners.
Overview of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card and the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
| Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card | Citi Strata Premier℠ Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Creditworthiness requirement | Good to excellent | Good to excellent |
| Annual fee | 95$ | 95$ |
| Rewards | 5X points for hotels, 4X points for airlines, 3X points for restaurants and other travel, 1X points for other purchases | 10x points on hotels, rental cars and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com, 3x points on air travel and other hotel bookings, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations, 1x points on all other purchases |
| Introduction of APR | None | None |
| Outstanding benefits | $50 annual credit on flight bill (with a minimum purchase of $50); travel protection; cell phone insurance (with a $25 deductible) | $100 off a hotel stay valued at $500 or more booked through CitiTravel.com each year; Travel Protection |
FAQ
Is it easy to get Citi Strata Premier?
The Citi Strata Premier Card typically requires good to excellent credit, so it’s not particularly easy to qualify for this card. To be eligible for the welcome bonus, you must not have received a new account bonus on this card or previous versions of it in the past 48 months.
Can you have more than one Wells Fargo card?
Does Wells Fargo have good travel cards?
With the addition of transfer partners and new credit cards in 2024, Wells Fargo has put itself on par with other top-tier travel credit card issuers. However, there is still room to grow by adding more transfer partners before it challenges the best travel rewards programs.
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