Rob Berger

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card is a cash back credit card. It offers up to 1.5% cash back and a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. In this detailed review, we will weigh out the good, the bad, and the ugly to help you determine if this is the right card for you.

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card offers many benefits that will appeal to big spenders. Within the first 3 months of activating your account, you can earn a $150 cash bonus when you spend $500 with your Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card. With this card, you also earn 1.5% cashback per dollar spent on every purchase that you make.

If you spend say $3,000 a month on the card, the cashback rewards total $540 per year ($3,000 x 12 x 1.5%). With the Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card there are no category limits, spending caps or rotating categories, which makes this easier to use for everyday spending.

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card made its debut back in 2016. During the course of its 3-year (and counting) run, it has shaped up to be one of the best cash back cards available.

Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card At a Glance

Pros

• $0 annual fee
• 1.5% cash back on all purchases
• 1.8% cash back the first year on all qualified digital app purchases
• Cellular phone protection
• 0% APR for 15 months

Cons

• 3% Foreign Transaction Fee
• High Standard APR
• $20-$25 Minimum Redemption Fee at ATM or Online/Phone

Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card Rewards

Welcome Bonus

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card offers new members a $150 cash rewards bonus. To receive this bonus, a total of at least $500 must be spent within the first 3 months of your account being activated. Cardmembers can redeem this reward within one to two billing periods. 

Earning Rewards

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card earn 1.5% cash back with just about every purchase. As such, it’s ideal for those who want simplicity with a high rewards rate.

Note, however, that there are some transactions and purchases that do not earn rewards. This is common among all cash back credit cards. Transactions and purchases that will not earn cash back include the following:

• ATM Transactions
• Cash Advances
• Balance Transfers
• SUPERCHECKS™
• Money Orders
• Prepaid Gift Cards
• Casino Gaming Chips
• Off-Track Wagers
• Wire Transfers
• Lottery Tickets
• Wagers/Bets that occur over the internet
• Fees/Interest made to a linked account
• Payment Fees
• Late Fees
• Monthly/Annual Fees

During the first 12 months from the date the account is opened, you can earn an additional 20% digital wallet transaction bonus cash reward for a total of 1.8% cashback. You can only earn the rewards from transactions that come from using your Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card when you make transactions using a digital wallet such as: 

• Apple Pay® 
• Google Pay™. 
• Samsung Pay

Redeeming Rewards

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card earns Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards. With Go Far Rewards you have several ways to redeem and use your rewards that include:

• Cash
• Charitable donations
• Merchandise
• Physical and electronic gift cards
• Travel

Wells Fargo customers have additional ways to redeem rewards:

• Use your Wells Fargo Debit or ATM Card to redeem for cash at Wells Fargo ATMs ($20 increments)
• Direct deposit into your Wells Fargo savings or checking account
• Apply as a credit to your qualified Wells Fargo mortgage principal balance

Earn More Mall

Wells Fargo’s Earn More Mall, an online shopping portal, is another way to redeem rewards. Once you are a member, you can sign up to receive bonus rewards through the Earn More Mall service. Shopping at a variety of different retailers with this site can earn you up to 10x bonus rewards when making purchases. 

Gift Cards

If you are looking for a gift card for yourself, or someone else, Wells Fargo provides plenty of cards to choose from. There are currently 13 categories of gift cards with plenty of card options each. The information listed below shows what cards are currently available and will consist of the category name followed by the card name and cost per card.

On a side note, you will see that some cards have multiple prices available, but not all. Let’s take a look.

Estimated point values into card cost

• 2,500 points = $25 
• 5,000 points = $50 
• 7,500 points = $75  
• 10,000 points = $100 
• 15,000 points = $150 
• 20,000 points = $200 
• 25,000 points = $250

• Charitable Organizations
  • CharityChoice  $25, $50, $100
• Fuel and Auto
  • Exxon Mobil   $50
  • Jiffy Lube   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Shell   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
• Gourmet and Floral
  • 1800 Flowers.com   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Jamba   $25, $50
• Grocery and Pharmacy
  • Safeway   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Whole Foods Market      $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
• Movies and Entertainment
  • AMC Theaters   $25, $50, $75, $100
  • Atom Tickets   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Cinemark   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Dave & Buster’s   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Fandango   $25, $50
  • Go Play Golf   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Regal   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Topgolf   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
• Multi-Brand Cards
  • Adidas   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Happy Beauty   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Happy Bites   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Happy Bride   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Happy Dining   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Happy Holidays   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Happy Local Eats West   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Happy Moments   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Happy Rewards   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Happy Student   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
• Online and Gaming
  • App Store & iTunes   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Google Play   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
• Restaurants
  • Applebee’s   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Baja Fresh Mexican Grill   $25, $50, $75, $100
  • BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Bloomin’ Brands Restaurant Group   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Bob Evans Restaurant   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Bonefish Grill   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Boston Market   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Brinker Chili’s   $25, $50, $75, $100
  • Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Buca di Beppo   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Buffalo Wild Wings   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Burger King   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • California Pizza Kitchen   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Carrabba’s Italian Grill   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Chart House Restaurants   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Chipotle Mexican Grill   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Cold Stone Creamery   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Cracker Barrel   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Darden Restaurants   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Domino’s   $25, $50, $75, $100
  • Dunkin Donuts   $25, $50
  • Firehouse Subs   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • IHOP   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Jack in the Box   $25, $50, $75, $100
  • Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Landry’s Restaurants   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Logan’s Roadhouse   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Maggiano’s   $25, $50, $75, $100
  • McCormick and Schmick’s   $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Morton’s   $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • O’Charley’s Restaurant and Bar   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • On The Border   $25, $50, $75, $100
  • Outback Steakhouse   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • P.F. Chang’s China Bistro   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Panera Bread   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Papa John’s Pizza   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Rainforest Cafe   $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Red Lobster   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Red Robin   $25, $50
  • Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse   $25, $50, $100
  • Starbucks   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Steak N’ Shake   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Subway   $25, $50, $75, $100
  • Texas Roadhouse   $25, $50, $75, $100
  • TGI Friday’s   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • The Cheesecake Factory   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Uno Chicago Grill   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Wendy’s   $25, $50, $75, $100
• Retail Stores
  • Aerie   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Amazon   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • American Eagle   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Athleta   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Aeropostale   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Banana Republic   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Barnes and Noble   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Bass Pro Shops   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Bath and Body Works   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Bed Bath and Beyond   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Belk   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Best Buy   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $250
  • Bloomingdale’s   $25, $50, $100
  • Brooks Brothers   $25, $50, $100
  • Build-A-Bear   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Burlington Coat Factory   $25, $50, $100
  • Buy Buy Baby   $25, $50
  • Cabela’s   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Callaway Golf   $25, $50, $100
  • Columbia Sportswear   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Crate & Barrel      $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Destination Maternity   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • DSW   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Eddie Bauer   $25, $50
  • Express   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Finish Line   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Foot Locker   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • GameStop   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Gap   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Gap Options   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Home Depot   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • JCPenney   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Kirkland’s   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Kohl’s   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • L.L. Bean   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Land’s End   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Lord + Taylor   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Lowe’s   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Lululemon   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Macy’s   $25, $50, $100
  • Michaels      $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Neiman Marcus   $25, $50, $100
  • Nike   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Nordstrom   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Old Navy   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Petco   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Petsmart   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Pottery Barn   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Pottery Barn Kids   $25, $50
  • REI   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Saks Fifth Avenue   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Sephora   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Staples   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Sunglass Hut   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Sur La Table   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • T.J. Maxx/Marshalls/Home Goods/ Sierra Trading Post   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Talbots   $25
  • Target   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • The Children’s Place   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • The Container Store   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Ulta Beauty   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Under Armour   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Victoria’s Secret   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Victoria’s Secret Pink   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Wayfair   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • West Elm   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Williams Sonoma   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Zappos   $25, $50, $100
• Salon and Spa
  • Spafinder Wellness 365   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250
• Specialty
  • Groupon   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200
  • Shutterfly   $25, $50, $75, $100
• Subscription Services
  • Hulu   $25, $50
  • Microsoft Xbox   $25, $50
  • Nintendo   $50
  • Sony PlayStation   $50   
• Travel and Experience
  • Airbnb   $50
  • Carnival Cruise Lines   $100, $150, $200, $250
  • Uber   $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $200, $250

Note that the above are subject to change.

Share Rewards

As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of ways to use your rewards with the Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card. We’ve covered how to earn and redeem points. You can also share points.

Wells Fargo offers a few different ways to share your rewards with others. They have Pooling, where you can combine your rewards with other Go Far Rewards customers and can together reach a goal. Pooling might be useful to buy a wedding gift, for example.

With Gifting, you can give your rewards to other Wells Fargo customers. It’s a really neat feature for a nice gesture. You can also donate your rewards. This allows you to use your rewards to support people or any causes you care about, adding a nice touch of self-reward. 

0% Introductory Rates

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card offers a 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. Once the 15 months pass, your APR will be based on your creditworthiness. Also, any balance transfers that are made within 120 days will qualify for the intro rate.

Balance transfers will have an introductory fee of $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. After this, the amount will be 5% for each transfer with a $5 minimum.

Additional Benefits

• Access to your FICO credit score: This benefit allows you to check your credit score when using the Wells Fargo Online service.
• Redeem at Wells Fargo ATMs: With this option, cardmembers can get the convenience of cash redemption of their rewards. There are more than 13,000 Wells Fargo ATMs in the U.S. to make this even easier. Cash redemption is available in $20 increments.
• 24/7 Fraud Monitoring: Wells Fargo monitors transactions for fraud and any unauthorized activity on your account. As long as your contact information such as email, or your phone number, is up to date, you will immediately be contacted to resolve the issue.
• Zero Liability Protection:  If there are ever any charges made with your card or card information that were unauthorized, you will not be held responsible for them.
• Chip technology: Your credit card is chip-enabled for added security.
• Emergency Card Replacement and Cash Disbursement: For this service, you must call the number located on the back of your card. This is for when you need an emergency cash advance or a replacement card delivered to you.
• Travel and Emergency Assistance: If you run into trouble and are away from your home, you can get a legal or medical referral or other emergency service. You will be charged for the services, such as roadside dispatch. The fees from whichever dispatch service you accept will be charged to you.

Cellular Telephone Protection 

The Cellular Telephone Protection provides coverage for “damage, theft of, or involuntary and accidental parting of your cell phone.” It sounds confusing, but an involuntary loss is a fancy way of saying your phone was stolen. “Accidental parting” means you know the whereabouts of your phone, but it’s not recoverable. For example, you go on a fishing trip and your phone drops out of your vest and into the lake. Surely you’re not going to dive in after the thing, right? 

That is where this service comes in handy. This benefit becomes available when you use your card to pay any monthly phone bill. If you’re wondering about eligibility, eligible cell phones are the lines that are listed on the most recent cell phone provider’s billing statement for the billing cycle prior to when the incident occurred.

There is a lot that can happen to a phone that will be covered under this service. There is also a lot that can happen that is not covered. What is not covered under this service include the following:

• Cell phone accessories other than standard battery or antenna provided by the manufacturer
• Cell phones purchased for resale, professional, or commercial use
• Cell phones that “mysteriously disappear.” This means that the phone vanished without any evidence of a wrongful act by a person(s)
• Cell phones under the control of a common carrier (Ex. U.S. postal worker)
• Cell phones stolen from baggage unless under your supervision
• Cell phones that are rented, borrowed, or are a “pay as you go” type plan
• Cosmetic damage to the cell phone that does not affect the cell phone’s capabilities and functionalities 
• Damage or theft resulting from the following: 
  • Abuse
  • Intentional acts
  • Fraud 
  • Hostilities of any kind 
  • Confiscation by the authorities 
  • Risks of contraband
  • Illegal activities 
  • Normal wear and tear 
  • Flood 
  • Earthquake 
  • Radioactive contamination
  • Damage from inherent product defects 
• Damage from misdelivery
• Taxes, delivery and transportation charges, or any other fees that are through your cell phone provider

Reimbursements typically take place within 10 business days after receipt and approval of your claim form, as well as all other needed documents.

FAQs

How Does the Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card Stack Up

Cash back credit cards come in three varieties. First, there are cards that pay increased rewards on certain categories of purchases. Second, some cards pay bonus rewards on categories that change every three months. Finally, some cards pay a flat cashback rate on all purchases. The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card falls into the later category.

As a flat rate card, it’s comparable to several other 1.5% cash back rewards cards:

• Capital One Quicksilver and QuicksilverOne cards
• American Express Cash Magnet Card
• Barclays Cashforward Card
• U.S. Bank Cash 365 American Express Card

There are a few cards that pay even more–2% cash back:

• Citi Double Cash
• Fidelity Visa
• Alliant Credit Card (2.5%)

Give this, why would anybody opt for a 1.5% cash back card? There are several reasons. The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card comes with other benefits many higher rate cards don’t have. The most notable benefit is the signup bonus. It can also be easier to qualify for some 1.5% cards. And finally, many of the 2% cards come with certain limitations that may not be acceptable to you (e.g., the Fidelity Visa requires an account at Fidelity).

Final Thoughts

The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card is a solid cash back card. At 1.5% cashback on all purchases, it competes well with other popular brands. It’s ideal for those who already bank at Wells Fargo. There are, however, cards that pay even higher rewards.

Forget about rotating categories. Ignore cards with enhanced rewards on just some purchases. In this article, we list the best 2% cashback credit cards.

The “best” rewards cards will vary depending on how you use the card. They will also vary based on how many cards you want to use. What won’t change is the card you should use for everyday purchases. And that card should give you at least 2% in rewards for every $1 you charge to the card.

With that here’s our list of the best 2% cash back credit cards.

Alliant Cashback Visa Signature Card

This is currently my go-to EveryDay credit card. I will say, as good as it is, that it used to be better. When I applied for the card, it paid 3% cash back on every purchase for the first year, and then 2.5% cash back there after. In addition, there were no spending caps. Unfortunately, this is now changed. Still, it’s an excellent credit card.

It now pays 2.5% cash back on everything. The 3% cash back the first years now no longer available. And there is a monthly spending cap of $10,000. Well that won’t limit most people, for you Big Spenders, anything over $10,000 in a given month will earn just 1%.

There is a $99 annual fee, however it is waived the first year. As a result, for those that spend more than $20,000 a year on the card, the annual fee is worth the cost. If you spend less than $20,000 a year on the card, you’ll want to consider other options below. 

Citi Double Cash Card

I carried the Citi double cash card for years. It pays 1% cash back on every purchase plus 1% when you pay for the purchase. Because we pay off our credit cards in full every month, we effectively earn 2% cashback on all purchases.

The card comes with other features we like as well. There is no annual fee. And if you need a balance transfer, this card offers 0% for 18 months. That said, there are some downsides. It’s not a great card to travel overseas with as it charges a foreign transaction fee. It also requires excellent credit to get approved.

Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature Card

With this card you don’t have to worry about when you pay the charges. It rewards you with an unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. There’s no cap on rewards and there’s no annual fee.

So what’s the catch? The rewards have to be paid into an eligible Fidelity account. That’s not a problem if you already have a Fidelity account. If you don’t have a Fidelity account, the credit card is probably not a good enough reason to open one.

Capital One Spark Cash for Business

This is another card I carried for years. Actually, I first started off with the Capital One spark miles for business. It paid 2x on every purchase, but only if you used it for travel. With Spark Cash, you get 2% cash back on every purchase. There is a $95 annual fee, but it’s waived the first year. In addition, you could earn a one-time $500 cash bonus as a new card member after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account. 

For my money, this is one of the best business credit cards available today.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

In truth, this is not a true 2% cash back credit card. Yes you do arm two miles for every $1 spent. The miles are only worth one penny, however, if you use them to pay for travel purchases. Use them for anything else, and the value is cut in half. As a result, he qualifies as a 2% rewards card only if you use the rewards for travel.  for frequent Travelers, however, this card can serve is a 2% credit card.

PayPal Cashback MasterCard

This 2% cash back credit card is one that not many people are familiar with. The rewards are simple. You learn 2% cashback on all purchases anywhere MasterCard is accepted. Similar to the Fidelity card, the cash back from this card is deposited into a linked PayPal account. From there, however, you can transfer the words to a linked bank account or use them to make purchases and payments via PayPal.

The card, issued by Synchrony Bank has no annual fee. 

Apple Card

We give the Apple card honorable mention. Well it doesn’t pay 2% cash back on every purchase, it comes very close depending on how you use it. First, you get 3% cashback on all purchases from Apple. This includes not only buy Hardware from an Apple store or online, but also on subscriptions such as Apple music and iCloud.

Beyond Apple purchases, it pays 2% cashback on all purchases made through Apple pay. That’s how we use the card. If you swipe the card, however, you only earn 1% cash back.

Beyond rewards, the card has many great features. It doesn’t charge an annual fee or just about any other fee for that matter. And the Apple card app on the iPhone is a thing of beauty. It helps you manage your spending and shows you the effect of interest charges if you don’t pay off the card in full each month.

FAQs