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This top flat-rate card is an easy-to-use choice for a standalone card.
Written by Garrett Yarbrough
Edited by Courtney Mihocik
Reviewed by Rebekah Hovey
/ 11 min
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Snapshot
4.3
Bankrate rating
Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5
Bottom line
This card pairs a top-of-the-line flat cash back rate with generous welcome and introductory APR offers for no annual fee. Its simplicity makes it a premier standalone option.
BEST FOR EVERYDAY CASH REWARDS
-
Rewards value
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
4 / 5
APR
Rating: 1 stars out of 5
1 / 5
Rewards flexibility
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
4.7 / 5
Features
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
3 / 5
Good to Excellent(670–850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Recommended Credit
$200 cash rewards
Intro offer
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
2%
Rewards rate
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
$0
Annual fee
20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR
Regular APR
On This Page
On This Page
- Current offer details
- Active Cash pros and cons
- Reasons to get this card
- Reasons to skip this card
- Expert experience
- Wells Fargo Active Cash vs. other cash back cards
- Best cards to pair with the Active Cash
- Is this card worth getting?
- Rating methodology
- Frequently asked questions
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card Overview
The Active Cash card earns a top spot on our list of the best no-annual-fee credit cards and is a great pick whether you’re looking for an easy-to-manage standalone rewards card or a flexible backup card that pairs well with your current cards. However, your cash rewards may be limited compared to competing cards if you spend often in bonus categories typically included on tiered rewards cards.
Rewards
- Unlimited 2 percent cash rewards on purchases
Expert Appraisal:Good
See ourexpert analysisWelcome offer
- $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases within the first three months
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis0% intro APR offer
- 0 percent intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening
- 0 percent intro APR on qualifying balance transfers for 12 months from account opening (balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro APR and intro balance transfer fee)
- 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysisRates and fees
- No annual fee
- 3 percent intro balance transfer fee on transfers within the first 120 days ($5 minimum), then up to 5 percent ($5 minimum)
- 3 percent foreign currency conversion fee
- No penalty APR
- Up to $40 fee for late payments
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysisOther cardholder perks
- Cellphone protection: Up to $600 per claim against damage or theft when paying your monthly cellphone bill with the card (up to two claims per year, minus a $25 deductible)
- My Wells Fargo Deals
- Auto rental collision damage waiver coverage
- Visa Signature® perks
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis
Wells Fargo Active Cash pros and cons
Pros
Unlimited 2 percent cash rewards on purchases with diverse redemption options make this card hassle-free.
This card’s intro APR offer on purchases and qualifying balance transfers gives cardholders a chance to save on interest.
You’ll get Wells Fargo’s excellent cellphone protection by paying your bill with this card.
Cons
This card charges a 3 percent foreign currency conversion fee, making it a poor choice for traveling abroad.
Competing cash back cards provide more valuable perks and credits to add extra value.
Wells Fargo has limited travel rewards redemption value compared to competitors.
Why you might want the Wells Fargo Active Cash
When choosing a cash back rewards card, it’s hard to beat the flexibility of a flat-rate rewards card that earns unlimited rewards on purchases without worrying about bonus categories or spending limits.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash is one of the most well-rounded cards because it earns easy-to-understand rewards and provides solid intro APR offers for purchases and qualifying balance transfers.
Rewards: Top-notch flat cash rewards rate
Although other flat-rate cards earn 2 percent cash rewards, the Active Cash is one of the few that wipes away caveats and spending caps while keeping valuablefeatures like a welcome bonus.
Compared to other cash rewards cards, the Active Cash also gives you an impressive variety of redemption options. You can redeem your cash rewards as statement credits for as little as $1, physical cash in $20 increments at Wells Fargo ATMs, direct deposits intoWells Fargo savings or checking accounts, gift cards, travel via Wells Fargo Rewards or as credit for your mortgage toward your principal balance if you hold a qualifying mortgage account with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo is one of the only issuers that lets you redeem cash rewards at ATMs.
Welcome offer: Quality cash rewards bonus
The Active Cash card’s $200 cash rewards bonus is solid for a no-annual-fee cash rewards card and comes with a low $500 spending requirement in the first three months. Other cash rewards cards’ welcome bonuses require you to spend at least twice as much to earn the same bonus.
However, it’s worth noting that you won’t be able to sign up for the Active Cash card or be eligible for its welcome bonus if you’ve opened a Wells Fargo credit card in the past six months.This buffer is standard for Wells Fargo credit cards, and several other issuers require a similar waiting period between credit card applications.
Learn more:Best cash rewards credit card welcome offers
Rates and fees: No annual fee to undermine rewards
The low ongoing cost of the Wells Fargo Active Cash makes it easy to fit into your rewards strategy. You won’t need to worry about shifting your spending, a penalty APR or earning enough rewards to offset an annual fee. There’s also no penalty APR to worry about.
Just keep in mind there are a few fees to look out for, including the up to $40 late payment fee and a 3 percent intro balance transfer fee ($5 minimum) on each transfer completed within 120 days from account opening (up to 5 percent thereafter, $5 minimum), and a 3 percent foreign currency conversion fee.
0% intro APR offer: Decent intro offers on purchases and balance transfers
The Active Cash card’s 12-month intro APR offers make it a good option if you want to transfer a qualifying balance to a Wells Fargo card or have big purchases coming up. The card’s ongoing APR (20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR) holds steady with the current average interest rate.
The intro APR offers and ongoing interest rates aren’t the best available on a credit card, but the combination of intro APR periods and rewards should still make the Active Cash a more enticing option than other low-interest flat-rate rewards cards.
Learn more:Why card expert Ted Rossman signed up for the Wells Fargo Active Cash
Why you might want a different cash rewards card
While the Wells Fargo Active Cash is a top-tier flat-rate cash rewards card, it has some disadvantages you might consider.
Perks: Better benefits available on competing cards
The Wells Fargo Active Cash carries a decent portfolio of benefits as a Visa Signature® credit card. It will also cover your cellphone against damage or theft for up to $600 per claim (subject to a $25 deductible, two claims per year) each month you pay your cellphone bill with the card.
Visa Signature perks are common on no-annual-fee cash rewards cards and match perks offered with rival cards. Plus, the Active Cash card benefits aren’t as strong as those you’ll find on some other cash rewards cards.
Rewards value: Limited potential
The Active Cash rewards work like other cash rewards programs:Your cash rewards are worth 1 cent, and you earn 2 percent cash rewards back for every purchase.
Cash back cards with tiered rewards above 2 percent can earn more cash back if you spend reliably in eligible boosted categories like gas, groceries and dining. While you’ll always earn a solid rate with the Active Cash, you won’t have any opportunities to earn extra cash rewards.
We tried it: Here’s what our experts say
Our credit card expert, Re’Dreyona Walker, applied for the Active Cash card when opening her first credit card account.The Active Cash card’s simple cash rewards program and generous intro APR offer are two features that made this card stand out for her as a first-time cardholder.
This card’s application was very simple since I’m already a Wells Fargo customer, so it was a great choice as my first credit card. My favorite feature is its high flat-rate cash rewards toward purchases because no matter what I buy, I can earn rewards for future expenses. Though I only use this card for emergencies and purchases that I would prefer to pay over time, such as travel booking fees or auto maintenance costs, it is quite useful for those situations. The card’s intro APR period was also a decent length and gave me enough time to save on interest while paying off my balance.
— Re'Dreyona Walker Editor, Credit Cards
How the Wells Fargo Active Cash card compares to other cash rewards cards
The Wells Fargo Active Cash is an excellent cash rewards option for people looking for a no-annual-fee card with a generous welcome bonus and a simple rewards structure. However, you may find it lacks benefits typically found on other top cash back cards.
Bankrate Score
See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
on Wells Fargo's secure site
Annual fee
$0
Intro offer
$200 cash rewards
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
Rewards rate
2%
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
Good to Excellent(670–850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Bankrate Score
See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply
on Capital One's secure site
Annual fee
$0
Intro offer
$200
Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Rewards rate
1.5% - 5%
Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day.
Recommended Credit Score
Good to Excellent(670–850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Annual fee
$0
Intro offer
$200 cash back
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Rewards rate
1% - 5%
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.
Recommended Credit Score
Good to Excellent(670–850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Best cards to pair with the Wells Fargo Active Cash
The best way to maximize your flat-rate card is to pair it with other Wells Fargo cards that earn higher reward rates on your most significant spending categories. Then, use the Wells Fargo Active Cash card to earn more rewards on spending outside those categories.
*The information about the Wells Fargo Attune Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
Who is the Wells Fargo Active Cash right for?
The Wells Fargo Active Cash could be a great addition to your overall earning strategy whether you prefer simplicity or strategizing. It's also a great choice for credit card newbies.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the Wells Fargo Active Cash card worth it?
The Wells Fargo Active Cash Card remains one of the market's best flat-rate cash rewards credit cards because it’s a low-maintenance option that provides top-rate rewards and redemption options.The Active Cash card’s versatility fits into almost any rewards strategy.
Dig deeper:Is the Wells Fargo Active Cash worth it?
How we rated this card
100+
card ratings
400+
APRs tracked
3000
data points analyzed
40+
perks evaluated
Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring balance transfer and low-interest cards, including each card’s introductory APR, intro APR period length, ongoing APR, balance transfer fee, perks and more.
While balance transfer and low-interest cards share a similar ratings rubric, we weigh features differently based on how a card is categorized. We categorize cards that carry an especially long intro APR offer on balance transfers as dedicated balance transfer cards, while cards that offer an especially low ongoing APR are considered general low-interest cards.
Based on its features, we assigned this card a primary category of balance transfer and tailored our ratings accordingly.
We analyzed over 100 of the most popular balance transfer and low-interest cards and scored each based on how its key features stacked up against those of other cards in its category.
Here’s a breakdown of what gave this card its score:
Frequently asked questions
Compare the best cash back credit cards
Bankrate expert Garrett Yarbrough strives to make navigating credit cards and credit building smooth sailing for his readers. After regularly featuring his credit card, credit monitoring and identity theft analysis on NextAdvisor.com, he joined the CreditCards.com and Bankrate teams as a staff writer to develop product reviews and comprehensive credit card guides focused on cash back, credit scores and card offers.
Edited by Courtney Mihocik
Reviewed by Rebekah Hovey
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
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