Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card Review [2024]: Earn Points on Travel, Redeem for Anything

Note: The Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card is not currently available from the issuer. For a full list of low-cost, travel rewards cards, check out our list of the best no-annual-fee travel credit cards.

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card packs a lot of perks for a card with a $0 annual fee. If you’re a frequent traveler of any kind (cross country or international), this card might spark your interest with its wide variety of spending categories in which you can earn bonus points.

Anything from gas to Airbnb or even campgrounds (and of course, plane tickets and hotels) will earn you major points. Earn 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months with Wells Fargo's generous welcome bonus and enjoy a 0% intro APR for the first 12 months (then 14.49% to 24.99% (variable)).

Here's what you need to know about this travel rewards card.

An Amazing Free Card for Travelers

Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card

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Current Offer

Earn 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

3X points on eligible dining, transportation, travel, and streaming service purchases; and 1X points on other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• 3X points on several popular categories
• 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers
• No foreign transaction or currency conversion fees
• Terms apply

Drawbacks

• American Express cards aren’t as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard
• Extra bonus points do not apply to grocery store purchases

Card Details

• Earn 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months
• 3X points on eligible dining, transportation, travel, and streaming service purchases; and 1X points on other purchases
• Intro purchase 0% APR offer: 0% for 12 months then 14.49% to 24.99% (variable)
• Intro balance transfer 0% APR offer: 0% for 12 months then 14.49% to 24.99% (variable)

Who should get the Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card?

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card is best for someone with good to excellent credit who can take full advantage of the bonus points by frequently using it at restaurants or for flights booked through an airline. Because there’s no annual fee involved, it’s also a good card for the casual user — even if it isn’t your only card or day-to-day card.

If you don’t travel enough to get the most out of the rewards points, you’re probably better off going with a different card — one that gives you more rewards for daily expenses like groceries.

Card basics

Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card benefits and perks

• Significant welcome bonus: You can earn 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. 20,000 bonus points isn’t a bad welcome bonus for a card with a $0 annual fee.
• Earn up to 3X points: Cardholders can earn 3X points on eligible dining, transportation, travel, and streaming service purchases; and 1X points on other purchases. This all-encompassing travel category which includes hotels, homestays (including Airbnb), gas stations, and even Uber rideshares is nice for someone who hits the road frequently, whether by car or plane.
  
• No foreign transaction fees: Anyone who travels abroad frequently will know how important it is to find a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. No one wants to get stuck calculating just how many fees they’ll incur while using foreign ATMs or swiping their card overseas. Although this feature is pretty standard for most travel credit cards, it’s still an important one to have.
• Lost luggage reimbursement: If you use this card to book your flights, you'll also receive a lost luggage reimbursement benefit of up to $1,000. Nobody likes to lose their luggage, but this can make the loss a little easier to take.
• No annual fee: While some cards with annual fees might offer more rewards than those without, this card does a good job of offering some of those benefits without having a hefty annual price tag.
• 0% introductory APR for the first 12 months: This benefit can help you take full advantage of the welcome bonus by giving you 12 months interest-free to spend the $3,000. Just be sure to pay down your balance in the first year before the standard interest rate of 14.49% to 24.99% (variable) kicks in.
• Car rental coverage: This card offers secondary insurance coverage on car rentals in North America.
• Roadside assistance: If your car breaks down or you need a spare tire, this card has you covered with emergency roadside assistance.
• Cell phone protection: Your cell phone is protected against damage and theft up to $600 when you use your Wells Fargo Propel Card to pay your cell phone bill.
  

Drawbacks to the Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card

• Not accepted everywhere: While American Express cards are accepted by 99% of U.S. merchants, they aren’t as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard internationally. If you plan to use this card while traveling abroad, check the Amex Merchant Map before your trip to ensure your card is accepted in your destination country. 
  
• Limited bonus categories: While many cards will earn you extra bonus points at the grocery store, this one does not.
  
• No luxury travel perks: If perks like free TSA PreCheck and Priority Pass access are important to you, another card may be a better option.
  

Earning and redeeming Go Far Rewards points

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your points can add up with this Wells Fargo credit card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of $0.01.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $779

Year two earnings: $579

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

Best ways to earn

This card lets you earn your Go Far Rewards points in several different ways. You can earn 3X points on eligible dining, transportation, travel, and streaming service purchases; and 1X points on other purchases. Not only can you earn bonus points through standard means of travel, but you can also snag some points by using this card at campgrounds; for cruise line tickets; at highway tolls, parking lots, and garages; and even at fast food joints or bars.

Using your card to pay for eligible subscriptions to popular streaming services will also earn you bonus points. As of May 2020, eligible streaming services include Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, Apple Music, Spotify Premium, and SiriusXM.

Maximizing your redemptions

When it comes time to redeem your points, the Wells Fargo Propel won’t limit you the way others might. You can redeem your points for travel, cash back, digital downloads, gift cards, or other merchandise.

If you have family or friends using Wells Fargo cards, you can even pool your rewards using Wells Fargo’s Go Far Rewards program. And if you also happen to have the Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card, your Go Far Rewards will be worth 50% more when redeemed on airfare.

Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card FAQs

Other cards to consider

While the Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card is a great option for frequent travelers who prefer cards with no annual fee, there may be other cards for you to consider.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a $95 annual fee and you can earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. You can also earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card also offers a higher welcome offer, but it comes with a $95 annual fee straight out of the gate. However, you can earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases. With this card, you also get access to the Chase Travel℠ program, which is one of the best and most flexible credit card rewards programs out there.

An Amazing Free Card for Travelers

Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card

5.0

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Why We Like It

Earn 20,000 points when you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months

See how these cards compare:

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

• Has a generous welcome offer
• Offers up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® statement credit
• Has an easy rewards program and highly flexible travel redemptions
• Doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees
• Offers valuable travel protections
• Rates and fees

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Generous welcome offer valued at up to $1,050 when redeemed via Chase Travel
• High rewards on dining and bookings via Chase Travel
• 25% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
• Up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
• Receive valuable travel protections like trip delay reimbursement and primary rental car insurance