The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey® Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) are some of our top-ranked travel credit cards. Both feature reasonable annual fees, provide useful perks and earn flexible travel rewards that you can transfer to partner hotel and airline loyalty programs.
If you're deciding between the two cards, CNBC Select has all the details you need to make an informed decision about which to choose.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections, flexible rewards and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- Annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation and more
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for 12 months when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey® Card offers generous rewards on travel and dining purchases, along with flexible redemption options, all for a modest annual fee.
- Excellent tiered rewards rates on purchases with hotels, airlines and general travel
- Access to all of the Wells Fargo transfer partners, including Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and Virgin Red
- Offers an easy-to-use $50 airline credit each year
- Up to $1,000 in cell phone protection against damage, theft, or unintended separation (subject to $25 deductible)
- Wells Fargo offers fewer transfer partners than comparable programs
- No intro APR offer on purchases or balance transfers
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Select Learn More to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that's $600 toward your next trip.
- Earn unlimited 5X points with hotels, 4X points with airlines, 3X points on restaurants and other travel, and 1X points on other purchases.
- $95 annual fee.
- Book your travel with the Autograph Journey Card and enjoy Travel Accident Insurance, Lost Baggage Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
- Earn a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.
- Up to $1,000 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
Balance Transfer Fee
3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5
Foreign transaction fee
None
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs Wells Fargo Autograph Journey® Card
Annual fee
Both cards come with a $95 annual fee, which is standard for mid-tier rewards credit cards.
It's not difficult to justify either card's yearly fee. Both offer an annual $100 statement credit — the Sapphire Preferred's credit is for hotels booked through Chase Travel℠ and the Autograph Journey's credit is for airline purchases. Both cards also earn valuable points at a healthy pace for common purchases such as travel and dining.
Winner: Tie.
Welcome bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has an intro bonus offer of 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You can also transfer these points to 14 different travel partners.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey® Card's welcome bonus is worth 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first three months. This is worth $600 for redemption such as gift cards or statement credits. You can also transfer these points to six airline and hotel partner programs.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Rewards
If you want to earn transferable rewards and earn them in bunches, the Sapphire Preferred and Autograph Journey can both fill that need.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card rewards
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Travel℠ | 5X points | N/A |
| Hotels | 2X points | 5X points |
| Airlines | 2X points | 4X points |
| Other travel | 2X points | 3X points |
| Dining | 3X points | 3X points |
| Select streaming services | 3X points | 1X points |
| Online groceries | 3X points | 1X points |
| All other purchases | 1X points | 1X points |
Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our credit card marketplace or get personalized offers via CardMatch™.
Both cards earn 3X points on one of the most common spending categories, dining.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card is a better option for earning points on hotels, airlines and travel because the Sapphire Preferred only earns 5X on travel you book through Chase Travel℠ (not through other sites) and 2X on other travel spending.
The Sapphire Preferred is more rewarding for online grocery and select streaming services.
Winner: Wells Fargo Autograph Journey. It has more valuable and versatile travel-related spending categories. The areas where the Sapphire Preferred is more valuable are limited (online groceries only) or for smaller expenses (streaming subscriptions).
Redemption options
The Sapphire Preferred and Wells Fargo Autograph Journey both offer a range of similar redemptions. You can use points for options such as statement credits, gift cards and travel. You're also able to transfer points to travel partners.
With Chase Ultimate Rewards and Wells Fargo Rewards, you can redeem points for one cent each toward statement credits. This is as good as cash since you can offset any purchase, so that should be your baseline value for the points you earn with either card.
You can also transfer points to partner travel programs with both cards. The Autograph Journey has access to these airline and hotel programs at a 1:1 ratio:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Flying Blue (Air France and KLM)
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Iberia Plus
You can also transfer points to the Choice Privileges hotel program at a 1:2 ratio.
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you'll have access to a much longer list of Chase Ultimate Rewards partner travel programs:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Flying Blue (KLM and Air France)
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
You can also transfer points to the World of Hyatt hotel program at a 4:3 ratio.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred. It has more transfer partners and you receive a higher value when booking through Chase Travel℠.
Benefits
These cards both have a solid list of other perks and insurance benefits. With either card you'll have access to the following benefits:
- Primary rental car insurance
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
- Travel accident insurance
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Travel and emergency assistance services
- Visa Signature perks
- No foreign transaction fees
- Roadside dispatch
The Chase Sapphire Preferred's benefits also include limited-time partner offers, valuable ongoing perks plus additional insurance coverages. You'll get:
- Up to $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit
- A complimentary DashPass membership for 12 months when you activate by December 31st, 2027.
- Baggage delay insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty protection
Additional benefits available with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey include cell phone protection ($25 deductible with an allowable maximum of two paid claims per 12-month period; limit of $1,000) and an annual $50 credit for airline purchases (with a minimum $50 purchase).
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred. It has a few additional benefits that can be extremely useful such as purchase protection, extended warranty protection and trip delay coverage.
Reasons to get both cards
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Wells Fargo Autograph Journey are similar travel rewards credit cards with overlapping benefits. Both earn transferrable rewards and offer travel protections, so most people likely won't need both cards.
However, there are some situations where it can make sense to get both. For example, the Autograph Journey is more rewarding for most travel purchases, while the Sapphire Preferred earns more valuable rewards and offers useful purchase protections.
If you're trying to maximize your rewards and book premium airfare with your points, these rewards programs share some of the same travel partners. It takes large point balances to book the best first- or business-class awards and if you earn points with both cards, you can combine them into the same loyalty account with these airlines:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Flying Blue (Air France and KLM)
- British Airways Executive Club
- Iberia Plus
This allows you to more easily accumulate the points you need to book off-peak business-class awards with Iberia from many East Coast cities in the U.S. to Spain, which cost 68,000 points round-trip. Or you could book one-way business-class flights from the U.S. to Europe with Flying Blue for 50,000 miles or less if you can take advantage of the monthly Flying Blue Promo Rewards.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card overview
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Credit score requirement | Good to excellent | Good to excellent |
| Annual fee | $95 | $95 |
| Rewards | 5X points on travel purchase through Chase TravelSM; 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3X points on dining, online groceries and select streaming services; 2X points on all other travel; 1X points on all other purchases | 5X points on hotels, 4X points on airlines, 3X points on restaurants and other travel, 1X points on all other purchases |
| Intro APR | None | None |
| Standout benefits | $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit; Travel and purchase protections | $50 annual airline statement credit; Travel protections; Cell phone insurance (Subject to a $25 deduction) |
FAQs
What is the Chase 5/24 rule?
The Chase 5/24 rule is an unpublished restriction that applies to certain Chase credit cards. The way it works is that you're typically unable to get approved for a Chase card if you've been approved for five or more cards from any bank in the previous 24 months.
What credit score do you need to get a Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card?
Although Wells Fargo doesn't publish an official credit score limit, to get approved for a Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, you'll typically need a good to excellent credit score (FICO scores 670 and above).
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