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 is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Travel℠. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee.
The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers elevated rewards on everyday purchases including restaurants, travel, gas stations, and streaming services. The card provides solid travel and shopping protections including cell phone coverage, making it a practical choice for daily spending with no annual fee.
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.
Table of Contents
Overview: Sapphire Preferred vs Autograph Card
Welcome Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
Let’s begin with one of the most attractive aspects of the Chase Sapphire Preferred: the welcome bonus. Currently, new cardholders can earn the following welcome bonus:
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
Wells Fargo Autograph:
The Wells Fargo Autograph Card currently offers the following welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
Winner:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a much more valuable welcome bonus than the Autograph card.
Earning Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
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 Chase Travel;
- 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;
- 2 points per dollar on all travel not booked through Chase Travel; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible spending.
Wells Fargo Autograph:
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
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers nice benefits, including:
10% Points Bonus: You will earn bonus points equivalent to 10% of your total spending in points earned with your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card during the past account anniversary year. For example, if you spent $10,000 during your cardmember year, you would receive an additional 1,000 points ($10,000 * 10% = 1,000 points).
$50 Hotel Credit: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers up to $50 in statement credits every account anniversary year if you book your hotel stays through Chase Travel.
DashPass Membership: This card offers a one-year DashPass membership for free, which includes DoorDash and Caviar, offering unlimited deliveries with free delivery fees and reduced service fees for eligible purchases. The offer must be activated by December 31, 2027. Once the free membership is over, you will be automatically enrolled in DashPass at the prevailing monthly rate.
Instacart Membership: Have your groceries delivered to your doorstep with a complimentary 6-month Instacart+ membership plus a $15 credit once every quarter. Enrollment is required by July 31, 2024.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Travel Benefits
Primary Rental Car Insurance: When you rent a car and pay with this card, you’ll receive comprehensive coverage including damage and theft protection. Simply decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver and charge the entire rental to your card to activate coverage. This insurance covers damage, theft, and valid loss-of-use charges worldwide.
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance: This protection reimburses you for non-refundable, prepaid travel expenses if you need to cancel before departure or cut your trip short due to covered situations like severe illness or weather events. Coverage activates when you pay for your trip with the card, but it’s important to note that reimbursement only applies for specific covered reasons rather than any cancellation.
Trip Delay Insurance: When your trip is significantly delayed due to covered reasons like equipment failures or severe weather, this protection reimburses you for reasonable expenses including lodging, meals, toiletries, and medication. The coverage activates when you pay for travel with your card and extends to family members on the same itinerary, though you’ll need to seek reimbursement from the travel carrier first.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Your checked luggage gets extra protection against loss, theft, or damage beyond the basic compensation offered by carriers when you pay for travel with this card.
Baggage Delay Insurance: Missing luggage doesn’t have to derail your trip – this coverage steps in to reimburse you for essential purchases when your checked bags are delayed by airlines, trains, or other carriers. You can grab the necessities you need, from a fresh outfit to personal care items, while waiting for your bags to arrive.
Purchase Benefits
120-Day Purchase Protection: Get 120 days of protection against damage, theft, and even loss of your purchases – one of the longest windows available. This premium coverage automatically applies when you pay with your card.
Extended Warranty Protection: Your purchases gain an extra year of warranty protection when bought with this card, extending manufacturer warranties of three years or less without the inflated prices of store warranty plans.
Wells Fargo Autograph:
The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers the following benefits for its cardholders:
Intro APR: Enjoy a 0% Intro APR for 12 months. After that, either a reg_apr,reg_apr_type applies.
Cell Phone Protection: When you use your card to pay your monthly phone bill, you’ll receive valuable coverage against damage or theft of your device.
Secondary Rental Car Insurance: This card provides backup protection for rental car damage or theft when you charge the full rental to your card.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Roadside Dispatch: Get access to 24/7 emergency roadside assistance for situations like dead batteries, flat tires, fuel delivery, and mechanical breakdowns. While you’ll need to pay for the actual service provided, having access to reliable help when stranded can be invaluable.
Visa Signature Benefits: This card is a Visa Signature card offering special benefits such as rental car discounts, golf and wine discounts, and emergency travel assistance.
Visa Signature Concierge: Your card comes with a dedicated 24/7 concierge service ready to assist with your lifestyle needs. Whether you need help securing dinner reservations, finding event tickets, or planning travel arrangements, your personal concierge is just a phone call away.
Winner:
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
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, which may give some people pause. However, as a frequent traveler, I’ve found that the card’s benefits and rewards can easily offset this cost.
Think about it this way: if you take advantage of the welcome bonus and redeem those points for travel, you’ve already recouped the annual fee many times over. Plus, the ongoing rewards and perks like travel insurance, hotel credit, and no foreign transaction fees can save you money and provide peace of mind during your trips.
Wells Fargo Autograph:
The Wells Fargo Autograph Card has no annual fee, allowing you to enjoy its benefits without a yearly cost.
Winner:
Wells Fargo Autograph Card since it has no annual fee.
Redeeming Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers exceptional flexibility when it comes to points redemption, allowing you to create the travel experiences you’ve been dreaming of.
One popular redemption option is booking travel through the Chase Travel portal. Here, your points are worth 1.25 cents apiece, meaning that a substantial amount of points can be redeemed for a significant value towards travel. I’ve used this option to book flights, hotels, and rental cars, and I appreciate the simplicity of the process. Plus, when you book through the portal, you can still earn airline miles and hotel points on your reservations.
If you’re looking to stretch your points even further, transfer to Chase’s airline and hotel partners. Some notable transfer partners include United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Hyatt, and Marriott. By strategically transferring points, you can unlock incredible redemption opportunities like first-class flights or luxurious resort stays.
In my experience, transferring points to Hyatt has yielded some of the most valuable redemptions. By leveraging my Ultimate Rewards points, I’ve booked top-tier properties like the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme and the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort for a fraction of the cash price.
Of course, if you’re not in the mood for travel, you can always redeem your points for statement credits or gift cards at a rate of 1 cent per point. While this may not provide the most bang for your buck, it’s a decent option to have for those times when you need a little extra cash in your pocket.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
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Aer Lingus
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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Air France/KLM
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British Airways
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Emirates
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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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Wells Fargo Autograph:
Through the Wells Fargo rewards portal, you can redeem your points at a fixed value of 1 cent per point in several ways: statement credits applied directly to your card balance, gift cards available in $25 increments, travel bookings including flights, hotel stays, and rental cars, credits to qualifying Wells Fargo products like credit cards, checking accounts, or mortgages, and direct purchases at participating merchants, including PayPal.
However, transferring points to Wells Fargo’s airline and hotel partners can potentially provide even greater value. The bank currently partners with several major programs including Air France-KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Executive Club, and Choice Privileges hotels, with more partners likely to be added as the program expands.
Wells Fargo Transfer Partners
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Aer Lingus AerClub
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Air France-KLM Flying Blue
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Avianca LifeMiles
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British Airways Executive Club
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Iberia Plus
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Choice Privileges (1 to 2)
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Winner:
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.
Which card are you going to choose?
