The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card stands out with no annual fee and a flat 2% cash rewards rate on all purchases. While it has limited redemption options, the card’s consistent earnings and practical benefits like cell phone protection make it a solid choice for a basic rewards card.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
- bonus_miles_full
- Unlimited 2% Cash Rewards on Purchases
- 0% Intro APR for 15 Months
- Cell Phone and Zero Liability Protections
- No Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus for Active Cash
The Active Cash Card currently offers the following welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
For a no-annual-fee cash back card, this welcome offer hits a sweet spot of being both attainable and valuable. Keep in mind that Wells Fargo typically looks for applicants with good to excellent credit scores, generally 670 or higher.
Earning Cash Back
The Active Cash Card earns a simple 2% cash back on all eligible purchases, which makes it good for everyday spending, especially if you want simplicity without tracking categories.
While 2% on everything is solid, you can earn higher rewards in specific categories like dining, travel, or groceries with other cards.
For frequent travelers, a card that earns transferable rewards would provide more value through airline and hotel transfer options than this pure cash back offering.
The flat earning rate paired with cash back redemptions makes this most appealing for those who prefer straightforward rewards over maximizing travel value.
No Annual Fee
You won’t pay an annual fee with the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card, making it an appealing option for many cardholders.
Active Cash Card Benefits and Perks
The Active Cash Card doesn’t offer a lot of benefits, mainly because it’s a no-annual-fee card. However, cardholders can still enjoy the following benefits below: 0% Intro APR: Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months, after that reg_apr,reg_apr_type. 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. 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. 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.
Redeeming Active Cash Rewards
You can redeem your cash back with the Active Cash card to:
Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Simple Earning Structure: The straightforward 2% cash rewards on all purchases eliminates the need to track complicated bonus categories or spending thresholds, making it perfect for everyday spending.
Cell Phone Protection: You’ll receive up to $600 in protection against damage or theft when paying your monthly phone bill with the card, providing valuable coverage for an essential device.
No Annual Fee: You won’t pay anything to keep this card in your wallet, which means the rewards you earn are pure value with no offset needed.
Visa Signature Benefits: You’ll receive premium perks like concierge service and access to the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection, which are uncommon for a no-annual-fee card.
Cons:
Foreign Transaction Fees: The 3% foreign transaction fee makes this card expensive to use while traveling internationally, reducing its usefulness as a primary card.
Limited Redemption Options: Cash rewards can only be redeemed as statement credits, deposits to Wells Fargo accounts, or gift cards, offering less flexibility compared to travel rewards cards.
Basic Travel Benefits: You won’t find premium travel perks like airport lounge access or trip delay insurance, limiting its usefulness for frequent travelers.
No Bonus Categories: The flat 2% rate means you can’t maximize rewards in specific spending categories like dining, groceries, or travel, potentially earning less than cards with bonus categories.
Alternatives to the Active Cash Card
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Bilt Mastercard®
The Bilt Mastercard® (review) lets you earn valuable travel rewards on rent payments without fees while offering bonus points on dining and travel purchases. This no-annual-fee card stands out for its unique rent payment feature and strong travel benefits like rental car coverage and trip protection. Earning Rewards: 5x points on Lyft; 3x points on dining; 2x points on travel purchases; 1x points on rent payments without any transaction fees up to 100,000 points per year, and 1x points on everything else. (Five transactions are required per billing cycle to earn points.) Card Benefits: No transaction fees to pay rent and earn 1x points, primary rental car insurance, cell phone protection, trip delay and trip cancellation insurance, purchase protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card (review) has no annual fee and provides a straightforward 1.25 miles on every purchase plus elevated rewards on travel portal bookings. While the earning rate isn’t spectacular, you’ll still get valuable redemption options through airline and hotel transfers or travel statement credits. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earn Rewards: 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 1.25x miles on all other eligible purchases. Card Benefits: No foreign transaction fees, secondary rental car insurance, extended warranty, and 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, after that, a reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR. Transfer Partners: Accor (2 to 1), Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Choice Privileges, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, I Prefer Hotels (1 to 2), Japan Airlines(2 to 1.5), JetBlue (5 to 3), Qantas, Qatar, Singapore KrisFlyer, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Red, and Wyndham Rewards.
Is the Active Cash Worth It?
The Active Cash Card offers a straightforward 2% cash rewards rate on purchases, though it lacks the ability to transfer rewards to airlines and hotels for potentially higher value redemptions.
You’ll benefit from no annual fee and a competitive welcome bonus that’s easy to earn in the first few months.
The card includes valuable cell phone protection when you pay your monthly phone bill with the card, which helps protect your device against damage or theft.
Unlike premium travel rewards cards that let you transfer points to airline and hotel partners for business class flights or luxury hotel stays, this card limits you to simple cash back redemptions through statement credits or deposits to Wells Fargo accounts.
If you want a basic but rewarding card that earns consistent cash back with some useful perks thrown in, this card deserves consideration, though travelers seeking outsized value through point transfers should look elsewhere.
