Prefer Chase Sapphire: There's a new travel credit card in town

You can now apply for Wells Fargo's newest credit card, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa® Card. *This new travel card could potentially compete with existing travel credit cards from Chase, American Express, and Capital One. Wells Fargo does one thing better than its competitors. That being said, it offers a more flexible rewards program where you don't have to book your trip on the portal to get the best rates.

Here's why we think Wells Fargo's Autograph Journey can compete head-to-head with some of the best travel credit cards, and four insider tips to help you do just that. you Decide whether to add it to your credit card lineup.

What you need to know about the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Visa Card

Before we get into the hidden features and benefits, here's an overview of what you can expect with Autograph Journey.

• Earn 60,000 Welcome Bonus Rewards points when you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months of account opening.
• Earn 5x points on hotels, 4x points on airlines, 3x points on other travel and dining, and 1x points on other purchases.
• Receive an annual statement credit on ticket purchases of at least $50.
• There are no foreign transaction fees.
• Other benefits include trip cancellation and interruption insurance, lost baggage refunds, roadside rides, and cell phone insurance.
• Annual membership fee is $95.

4 important details about your signing journey

Here are four facts we found about the signing journey that you should know when deciding whether to apply.

1. You can transfer points with Wells Fargo points-based cards

The launch of Autograph Journey also marks the first transferable points program by Wells Fargo, joining other card issuers such as Chase and Capital One, which have their own pool programs.

With Autograph Journey, you can transfer points using the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ card with no annual fee. This is especially noteworthy because the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ card offers bonus benefits in a different category than the Autograph Journey.

For example, the Autograph Card earns 3x points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans, plus 1x points on all other purchases. So, you can make the most of the points you earn in different categories, transfer them to your Autograph Journey account, and access premium travel benefits.

2. More options to earn bonus miles on your travels than some competitors

The Autograph Journey offers more flexibility than many travel rewards cards when it comes to earning more points on travel purchases. For example, the cardholder can earn 5x points on unlimited hotels booked directly with the hotel brand, and 4x points on flights booked with the airline.

This makes this card stand out from other popular travel credit cards that only offer maximum bonus points when you book travel through the portal. For example, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card* and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card* offer only the best bonus benefits for travel booked through Capital One Travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 5x points at the highest rate on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, while he earns 2x points on other travel purchases.

Autograph Journey Cardholders can also earn at least 3x points on other travel purchases, including car rentals, cruises, and trips booked through online travel agents like Expedia and Priceline.

3. Card value can increase as more transfer partners join

The Autograph Journey Card earns flexible Travel Rewards points that can be transferred to select airline and hotel partners, similar to Amex Membership Rewards points and Chase Ultimate Rewards. Although the list of relocation partners is limited, Wells Fargo said in his initial press release that “more partners will continue to be added throughout the year.”

Transferring points can dramatically change the value proposition of the Autograph journey, especially if new partners include national airlines or popular hotel loyalty programs.

Wells Fargo points transfer will be available to new cardholders starting April 4th. Currently, Wells Fargo's transition partners include:

4. It may take some time to apply

If you applied for another Wells Fargo card within the past six months, you may need to wait a little longer before applying for Autograph Journey.

In its terms and conditions, Wells Fargo states, “If you opened a Wells Fargo Credit Card account within the past six months, you may not be eligible to open an additional Wells Fargo Credit Card account. ”. We may also limit the number of open Wells Fargo Credit Card accounts you may have. ”

So if you want the new Autograph Journey, you should hold off on applying for any other Wells Fargo cards for now. If you're approved and use your card responsibly for six months or more, you can consider adding a Wells Fargo credit card to your portfolio.

*All information about the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is independently collected by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.