The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card are popular options for individuals looking to dip their toes in the credit card rewards game.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers high earning potential for travel and dining expenses, with flexible redemption options and various bonuses, including a $50 hotel statement credit and a 10% anniversary points bonus.
On the other hand, the Wells Fargo Autograph Card has no annual fee and offers 3x points on restaurants, travel, gas, transit, ridesharing, streaming, and phone plans.
This article will compare each card based on several factors to help you make an informed decision on which card is the best to add to your wallet.
Full Reviews: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card.
Overviews of Each Card
Welcome Bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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The Wells Fargo Autograph Card currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
The Sapphire Preferred card offers a much more valuable welcome bonus than the Autograph card.
Earning Points
The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points and offers bonus points on spending in several categories:
- 5 points per dollar on travel booked through the Chase travel portal;
- 5 points per dollar on Lyft purchases (through March 2025);
- 5 points per dollar on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases of $250 or more (through March 2025, with a limit of 25,000 bonus points);
- 3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out;
- 3 points per dollar on online grocery store purchases (excludes Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs);
- 3 points per dollar on select streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, Youtube TV, Pandora, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Hulu, and ESPN+;
- 2 points per dollar on all travel not booked through the Chase travel portal; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible spending.
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The Wells Fargo Autograph Card earns points at the following rates:
- 3 points per dollar on restaurants, including take-out, catering, and delivery;
- 3 points per dollar on travel, including airfare, hotels, car rental, and cruises;
- 3 points per dollar at gas stations;
- 3 points per dollar at EV charging stations;
- 3 points per dollar on transit, including subways, ride shares, parking, tolls, and more;
- 3 points per dollar on popular streaming websites;
- 3 points per dollar on cell phone and landline providers; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Winner: Tie.
Although the Autograph card earns “3 points per dollar” in more categories than the Sapphire Preferred, the Autograph’s points are only worth 1.0 cents per point, but we value Chase Ultimate Rewards at about 1.7 cents per point.
Card Benefits
The Sapphire Preferred offers nice benefits, including:
- Receive 25% more value on points redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal.
- $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Ultimate Rewards.
- 10% Points Bonus for each Cardmember anniversary.
- A complimentary one-year subscription to DashPass by DoorDash when you enroll by December 31, 2024.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance (up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip).
- Primary car rental insurance.
- Lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger)
- Baggage delay insurance (up to $100 per day for five days).
- Trip delay insurance (up to $500 per ticket for a delay longer than 12 hours or overnight).
- Extended warranty.
- 120 days purchase protection (up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per year).
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Free 6-month membership to Instacart+ (activate by July 31, 2024).
The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers the following benefits for its cardholders:
- 0% Intro APR for 12 months. After that, either a reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR applies.
- Cellphone insurance
- Secondary car rental insurance
- No foreign transaction fees
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers better travel and purchase protections over the Autograph Card. Plus, it offers a $50 hotel credit, 10% points bonus, and benefits with several partners.
Value of the Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with an annual fee of $95.
While some users might be initially deterred by this cost, it’s important to consider the value and benefits that come with the card.
The rewards points, travel benefits, and purchase protections can help offset the cost of the annual fee for frequent travelers.
One of the best aspects of the Wells Fargo Autograph Card is that it has no annual fee.
Winner: Wells Fargo Autograph Card.
It is hard to beat no annual fee.
Redeeming Points
The earns Ultimate Rewards points, one of the most flexible points currencies.
You can use your points to book flights, hotel stays, and even rent a car through Chase Travel — all at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point. For example, 100,000 points are equivalent to $1,250 towards travel.
You can unlock even more value than 1.25 cents per point by transferring rewards to Chase airline and hotel partners.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
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Aer Lingus
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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British Airways
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Emirates
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Air France/KLM
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Hyatt Hotels
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Iberia
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IHG Hotels
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JetBlue
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Marriott
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Singapore
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Southwest
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United
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Virgin Atlantic
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With the Wells Fargo Autograph Card, you can redeem your reward points for one cent per point for several options, including:
- Cashback as a statement credit
- Travel and vacation, such as flights, car rentals, and hotel stays (cash + rewards payment is allowed)
- Gift cards
- Merchandise from participating merchants
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Sapphire Preferred offers a higher redemption value, especially for travel redemptions. Plus, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to several hotel and airline partners across different airline alliances.
The Verdict
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the better overall card than the Wells Fargo Autograph.
Despite its higher annual fee, the Sapphire Preferred has a better welcome bonus, travel and purchase protections, card benefits, and the ability to travel the world in style using your points.
