The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is aimed at applicants with excellent/good credit who want to earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases for a $0 annual fee. If you don’t like keeping track of rewards categories, this card makes it easy.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card isn’t the first flat-rate 2% cashback card, of course. Consumers looking to earn a high cashback rate on every purchase have long turned to the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer. The latter card lets you earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. And its annual fee is also $0.
However, cardholders with the Citi® Double Cash Card earn half their cash back after making a purchase and the rest after paying on the card. If you prefer to earn all your cash back upfront, you might like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card better. Plus, the Wells Fargo card offers generous purchase and balance transfer intro APR deals.
Intro Purchase APR
0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening
Regular Purchase APR
19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR
Intro BT APR
0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers
Regular BT APR
19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR
Annual Fee
$0
Cash Advance Fee
Refer to Important Credit Terms
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Balance Transfer Fee
3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%; min: $5
Valuable sign-up bonus
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. Putting approximately $333.33 per month on the card should allow you to hit this spend requirement.
Earn flat-rate cash back
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. Unlike with some other cashback cards, there are no bonus categories to activate or spending categories that earn more cash back than other purchases — just a solid flat rate on every purchase you make. Redemption options include:
Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers
If you need to make a big purchase and want to pay it off over time without incurring interest charges, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card can help you do that with a 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening. After, a 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR applies.
There’s also a 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers. After, a 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR applies. The balance transfer fee is 3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%; min: $5. If you need to pay off high-interest debt from another card, this is a solid deal.
Cellphone protection
When you pay your monthly cellphone bill with the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you can get up to $600 of protection against damage or theft, subject to a $25 deductible. Terms apply. Maximum of two paid claims per 12-months period, with each claim being eligible for up to $600 of coverage.
$0 annual fee
The nice thing about cashback cards with no annual fee is that, as long as you don’t incur interest charges or other fees, everything you earn in rewards is net cash back from the very start. That’s the case with the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card and its $0 annual fee.
You might end up with a high APR
This card’s APR range is 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR. We recommend always paying in full each billing cycle so as to avoid interest charges, but we understand that might not always be possible. If you do need to roll over a balance from time to time, and your APR has been set at the higher end of the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card‘s range, be aware the interest charges you incur could be expensive. But know that interest charges will be waived during the initial intro APR period.
Sign-up bonus and intro APR eligibility restrictions
You might not be eligible for the introductory APR periods or the sign-up bonus on the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card if you’ve opened a Wells Fargo credit card within 15 months of applying for this card and received an introductory APR period, introductory fees, or a bonus reward offer. That restriction holds true even if your old Wells Fargo card is now closed and has a $0 balance.
There's a foreign transaction fee
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, so if you’re traveling abroad, leave this card at home and take one with no foreign transaction fee instead.
Cardholders willing to activate rotating bonus categories each quarter can get significant value from the Chase Freedom Flex℠. 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.
Some examples of past rotating 5% cashback categories Chase has offered include the following:
Plus, earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months. Plus, earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year This card offers a lot of value for a $0 annual fee.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ also offers cellphone protection of up to $800 per claim ($50 deductible). There’s a cap of $1,000 per year and a maximum of two claims per 12-month period.
Before you apply, however, make sure you’re in the clear with the unwritten Chase 5/24 rule. In short, if you’ve opened five or more cards from any issuer in the past 24 months, Chase will deny your application.
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| Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card | Chase Freedom Flex℠ | Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express |
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Apply Now on Wells Fargo's secure site
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Read Review |
Apply Now on Citibank's secure site
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Apply Now on American Express's secure site
Terms Apply
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| Welcome Offer | |||
| Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months | Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months. Plus, earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year | None | Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. |
| Rewards Rate | |||
| Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases | 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases. | Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. | 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%), 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions, 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations and on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more), 1% Cash Back on other purchases. Terms apply. |
| Annual Fee | |||
| $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. |
| Intro Purchase APR | |||
| 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening | 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months | N/A | 0% on purchases for 12 months |
| Regular APR | |||
| 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR | 19.49% - 28.24% Variable | 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) | 18.74%-29.74% Variable |
| Intro Balance Transfer APR | |||
| 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers | 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months | 0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers | 0% on balance transfers for 12 months |
| Regular Balance Transfer APR | |||
| 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR | 19.49% - 28.24% Variable | 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) | 18.74%-29.74% Variable |
| Balance Transfer Fee | |||
| 3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%; min: $5 | Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. | There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening. | Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. |
| Recommended Credit | |||
| Excellent/Good | Excellent/Good | Excellent/Good | Excellent/Good |
| Card Details | |||
| Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card | Chase Freedom Flex℠ | Citi® Double Cash Card | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express |
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card keeps things simple, and what it does, it does very well. Consumers who value simplicity and want consistent cash back on every purchase for a $0 annual fee will love this card.
If you’re aiming to maximize cash back, consider pairing this card with another. For example, those who spend heavily on groceries might wish to use the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express when swiping at U.S. supermarkets and the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card for all purchases where the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express doesn’t earn a boosted rate.
Be strategic when planning your Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card application, however. If you’ve opened any Wells Fargo credit card in the past six months, the bank is likely to deny your application for this one.
To see rates & fees for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express please click here.
