Booking a trip through Wells Fargo Rewards

If you’re a Wells Fargo rewards cardholder, you’ve probably spent some time on Wells Fargo Rewards – the bank’s rewards redemption platform. But is it the best way to book travel purchases?

Wells Fargo points are pretty flexible and can be redeemed for cash or statement credits once you’ve reached 2,500 points. This makes it easy to apply rewards points to travel booked on other platforms. Plus, deals on Wells Fargo Rewards seem to be a bit more limited than other booking sites.

However, despite having slightly higher rates on flights and hotels than other booking sites, Wells Fargo Rewards travel can be very rewarding for Wells Fargo cardholders who follow a few simple tips.

What is the Wells Fargo Rewards travel portal?

Wells Fargo Rewards is Wells Fargo’s redemption portal for credit card rewards, and it enables users to shop for merchandise, gift cards, Apple products and travel purchases with their rewards points or cash back. The travel portal within Wells Fargo Rewards works similarly to third-party booking sites, and users can search for flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and more in one location.

Wells Fargo Rewards without an annual fee

Not many Wells Fargo credit cards give rewards points – instead, cardholders earn cash back in the form of Wells Fargo Rewards. That means you can use a Wells Fargo cash rewards card, like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, to book trips and flights on the Wells Fargo Rewards travel portal. With the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card, you can earn 2% cash rewards on purchases. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll save up Wells Fargo points and be able to plan for your next vacation.

How to book a trip with Wells Fargo Rewards

Booking a trip through Wells Fargo Rewards is very straightforward. When you log into your account, you can toggle between different kinds of travel purchases or view an interactive price map to pick your next vacation spot.

 No matter what kind of purchase you make through the Wells Fargo Rewards travel portal, you’ll have the option to pay entirely or partially with your points or online cash rewards. Every search result will include the cost of the trip in both U.S. dollars and points (or cash rewards if you have a cash back card). For the most part, travel purchases will cost you the same in rewards as they do in cash, but you can occasionally find special deals.

Booking flights

To find a flight through Wells Fargo Rewards, you simply need to type in your travel dates, destination and number of travelers. Like many third-party booking sites, Wells Fargo Rewards gives a quick breakdown of prices by airline and number of stops above your search results.

Wells Fargo Rewards also includes Southwest Airlines rates, which is unusual because the airline is well-known for keeping its information off third-party sites. Wells Fargo cardholders, therefore, have extra insight into the best deals.

Booking hotels

To find a hotel on Wells Fargo Rewards, simply enter information about your destination and date of travel. You then have the option to view available properties in a list or on a map, to ensure you are staying in the part of town you want to.

Booking cruises

Wells Fargo Rewards usually allows users to book cruises and receive special deals. However, either because of changes to the website or COVID-19, the portal does not offer cruises at this time.

Booking car rentals

When you book a car rental, your search results will include a quick breakdown of available rental companies and a price comparison.

Whether you earn points or online cash rewards on your Wells Fargo rewards card, be sure to compare the listed prices carefully and keep an eye out for special offers.

Booking vacation packages

If you’re the kind of traveler who likes to keep all your bookings together rather than keep track of several separate purchases, check out Wells Fargo Rewards vacation packages. However, at the time of writing,  you need to call the customer service number 1-877-517-1358 to find out the available vacation packages.

Drawbacks to booking travel through Wells Fargo Rewards

With a wide breadth of available travel purchases and the ability to pay with rewards, cash or a combination of the two, booking a trip through Wells Fargo Rewards seems like a no-brainer. However, there are a few drawbacks to using the platform:

No hotel elite benefits

Because the Wells Fargo Rewards travel portal is a third-party booking site, you won’t enjoy any hotel elite benefits with your favorite brand when you book stays this way. If perks like free Wi-Fi, late checkout and complimentary breakfast are important parts of your vacations, you might want to consider cashing your rewards in for a statement credit and booking directly with the hotel.

Only rewards cardholders can book through Wells Fargo Rewards

While some issuer travel portals – such as American Express Travel – allow anyone to book a trip with their site, Wells Fargo Rewards is limited to Wells Fargo credit cardholders. In fact, the travel portal isn’t even viewable to non-cardholders. Even if you  have a checking or savings account with the bank – but not a credit card –  you won’t be able to access the platform.

Is booking through Wells Fargo Rewards worth it?

Booking through Wells Fargo Rewards can help you get great value out of your points or cash back. Below are a few important factors to consider before deciding if using the portal is best for you:

No airline blackout dates

Unlike many airline rewards programs, Wells Fargo Rewards doesn’t impose any blackout dates on flights when booking with points. If you need to travel during a busy time of year, booking through Wells Fargo Rewards might include more options.

Use points or cash rewards to cover your trip

If you have plenty of points or online cash rewards stockpiled on your Wells Fargo rewards card, booking travel through the Wells Fargo Rewards portal is one of the easiest ways to redeem your rewards. Though you can redeem points for a statement credit, you’ll need a minimum of 2,500 points to choose this option. On the other hand, when booking through the travel portal you can redeem any portion of your points.

Tips for maximizing the Wells Fargo travel portal

If you decide that using the travel portal will work for you, make sure you get the most out it:

• Compare rates with other booking sites to ensure you are getting the best deal. If other sites offer better prices, you can always redeem points for cash or statement credits to book elsewhere.
• Pay anything you can’t cover with points or online cash rewards with the Wells Fargo Active Cash (or even the discontinued Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card* if you have it) to earn more points toward your next trip.
• Check out vacation packages and experiences for unique trips and savings.

Bottom line

Wells Fargo cardholders can get great value out of their points by booking travel through the Wells Fargo Rewards travel portal. But if finding the lowest price or hotel elite benefits are a top priority, you might be better off cashing out your points and booking elsewhere.

*All information about the Wells Fargo Propel American Express card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.