Best Wells Fargo Credit Cards

Wells Fargo’s credit score requirement is 700 or higher, though it depends on the card. Keep in mind that it’s best to wait to apply for a given card until you meet the credit score requirement. You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub.

Wells Fargo Credit Score Requirements by Card

• Wells Fargo Platinum card: 700 (Good credit)
• Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card: 700 (Good credit)
• Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: 700 (Good credit)

You should note that while your credit score is an important factor, there are plenty of other things that will impact your chances of being approved for a Wells Fargo credit card, too. Some other key criteria include your income, existing debt load, number of open accounts, recent credit inquiries, employment status and housing status.

The easiest Wells Fargo credit card to get is the Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card because applicants can get approved with bad credit. This means the odds of approval are good even with a credit score below 300.

The majority of Wells Fargo credit cards, though, require good (700+) credit in order to qualify.

Here are some of the easiest Wells Fargo credit cards to get:

• Wells Fargo Business Secured Credit Card: Accepts applicants with bad (300+) credit.
• Furniture Barn Credit Card: Requires fair (640+) credit.
• American Furniture Warehouse Credit Card: Requires fair (640+) credit.

Having one of these Wells Fargo credit cards may increase your chances of landing a higher-tier credit card in the future, if you use it responsibly. That means paying your bill on time every month and keeping your credit utilization below 30% of your credit limit.

Wells Fargo credit card limits aren’t particularly high; the minimum credit limit offered is $1,000, though some cardholders have reported receiving starting spending limits as high as $14,000. More specifically, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, the Wells Fargo Reflect, and the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card offer a minimum credit limit of at least $1,000.

What you need to know about Wells Fargo credit card limits:

It’s important to remember that $1,000 is the lowest credit limit you’ll start out with if you’re approved for an account. You could receive a higher limit. And the actual limit you’ll receive is based on your credit history, income, employment status, level of debt and more. Unfortunately, you won’t know how much your credit limit will be until you’re approved. Wells Fargo does not publicly disclose its maximum credit limits.

If you accept the initial Wells Fargo credit limit offer, you can request an increase in your credit limit after at least six months of timely payments. Also, after six months, Wells Fargo may review your account for an automatic increase. Eligibility is based on things such as payment history and your total amount of debt. But there’s no guarantee when, or if, an automatic increase will occur. An automatic increase uses a soft inquiry, which means your credit score is not affected.

Ultimately, if you’re not a Wells Fargo loyal customer, you can check our editors’ latest picks for the best high limit credit cards on the market to weigh your options.

Wells Fargo credit card approval odds are best for people who have good credit. This means that most Wells Fargo credit cards require  credit score of 700+.

Some exceptions are the Wells Fargo Rewards® Card, which requires a excellent credit score (750+), and the Wells Fargo Cash Back College℠ Card, which is available to students with even limited credit.  

Keep in mind that the higher an applicant’s credit score, the higher their approval odds are likely to be. But approval depends on many other factors as well. For example, applicants will need to have enough income to make payments on the card, and higher income generally leads to better approval chances. Other factors that will play a role in approval include existing debts, monthly housing payments and more.

Unlike many other major credit card issuers, you unfortunately can’t check your Wells Fargo credit card approval odds before you apply since the bank doesn’t have an online pre-approval tool. However, Wells Fargo does send out pre-approved offers by mail. If you receive one, it means that your approval odds for that particular card are high, though approval is still not guaranteed.

Wells Fargo credit card requirements include having a credit score of 700+ (for most cards) and providing standard personal information such as your name, address, and date of birth. A Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) is also required, and all applicants must be 18+ years old.

Wells Fargo Credit Card Requirements

• General requirements: You must be at least 18 years old and have a physical U.S. address to be eligible for a Wells Fargo credit card. You will also need to provide your SSN or your ITIN. No minimum income stipulated, but be sure to include any sources of income outside of wages and retirement benefits, if applicable. Documents such as birth certificates, drivers’ licenses, and Social Security cards are not required, but in some instances, you may be asked to provide copies in order to verify your personal information.
• Wells Fargo Platinum card: Requires a credit score of 700, at a minimum. That means applicants need good credit or better.
• Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: Requires a credit score of 700, at a minimum. That means applicants need good credit or better.
• Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card: Requires a credit score of 700, at a minimum. That means applicants need good credit.

Wells Fargo also issues a number of retail store cards that generally have more lenient approval requirements, as applicants with fair credit or better (a score of 640) can get approved.

Other factors such as your income, debts, housing payments, and your general ability to afford credit card payments will also be taken into consideration when evaluating an application.

It’s also worth noting that you may not be eligible for introductory APR’s, fees and/or bonus rewards offers if you opened another Wells Fargo credit card within 15 months of your application.

If you want the best Wells Fargo credit card approval odds, make sure to pay your bills on time and try to keep your credit utilization around 30%. And bear in mind that an application will trigger a hard inquiry which may temporarily cause a dip in your credit score. So make sure you know where you stand before applying. You can check your credit score for free, right here on WalletHub.

You can only cancel your Wells Fargo credit card over the phone at (800) 642-4720. But if your card is lost or stolen, you should report it immediately, by calling the same phone number.

Before completely cancelling your card, though, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. It might make sense for a card with an annual fee that you don’t plan to use anymore, for instance. But if your Wells Fargo credit card isn’t costing you any money, you’re better off keeping it open. In general, the more available credit you have, the better it is for your credit score. An account with zero balance also helps your credit utilization. Plus, you’ll still get credit for paying on time every month.

To cancel a Wells Fargo credit card:

• Pay any pending balance and redeem your rewards first.
  You won’t be able to close your account with an unpaid balance, and you’ll lose any unredeemed rewards once your account is closed.
• Call Wells Fargo credit card customer service at (800) 642-4720.
  Enter your card number, press the pound key and tell the representative that you’d like to close your account.
• Wells Fargo will close your account immediately.
  They will mail a letter formally confirming the change within 10 business days of your call.
• Check your free credit report.
  At the very least, make sure to do so two months after receiving Wells Fargo’s letter, to confirm the account is closed.

Keep in mind that the credit score implications are at least worth considering before you cancel any credit card account, especially if you plan to take out a big loan in the next six months or so. In any case, it’s always good to have an escape plan, so all Wells Fargo cardholders should know how to cancel their accounts should the need arise.

Ultimately, after closing your Wells Fargo credit card, you may want to re-evaluate how much you spend on any other credit cards you may have. Closing a credit card means you have less available credit, and thus possibly higher credit utilization, which can be bad for your score. You can monitor your credit score with WalletHub’s free daily updates to ensure that your credit isn’t affected by closing your Wells Fargo account.

The best Wells Fargo cash back credit card is the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card because it gives you $200 Cash Rewards. This card also offers 2% cash rewards on all purchases. Plus, cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account stays open. The card has a $0 annual fee, too.

The Wells Fargo Active Cash card even comes with an intro APR of 0% for 15 months from account opening on both purchases and balance transfers. The card’s regular APR is 15.74% - 25.74% Variable. There is, though, a balance transfer fee: 3% intro for 120 days, then up to 5% (min $5). These features make Wells Fargo Active Cash an attractive card all-around.

Other Good Cash Back Credit Cards

Although the Wells Fargo Active Cash card is considered one of the best credit cards for cash back rewards, there are also several other good options available on the market. So, if you’re not loyal to Wells Fargo, you may want to try cards from other issuers:

Ultimately, you can check out our editors’ latest picks for the best cash back credit cards to weigh your options.

The easiest way you can activate your Wells Fargo credit card is either online or through the Wells Fargo mobile app. Alternatively, you can activate your card or over the phone, by calling (877) 294-6933. To activate online or through the app, log in to your Wells Fargo online account (or create one first). To activate over the phone, you must provide your full card number and verify your identity. In total, the activation process should take you less than five minutes. You’ll also be able to use your card right after.

Here’s how to activate a Wells Fargo credit card:

• Online: Log in to your Wells Fargo account on the activation page. From there, verify your identity by entering your personal information (address, Social Security number) in order to activate your card. If you don’t have an online account yet, you can create one in minutes by entering your account number and SSN and then making a username and password.
• Over the phone: Call Wells Fargo at (877) 294-6933. Enter your card number. Enter any identifying information requested, like your Social Security number.
• Wells Fargo App: Download Wells Fargo Mobile app for iOS) or Android. Log in to the app using the same username and password as your online account. Select your card from your list of accounts to activate it.

You need to activate your Wells Fargo credit card before you can use it. And it’s a quick and easy process, so you should be able to start using your card within minutes of receiving it.

If you’re looking to activate a Wells Fargo debit card instead, you can use all of the above methods. But there’s a fourth way to activate a Wells Fargo debit card. You can activate it at any Wells Fargo ATM by simply inserting your card and entering your PIN. Your PIN should have been mailed to you in a separate envelope from the one with your card.

You can’t check for Wells Fargo credit card pre-approval. The only way to find out if you’ve been pre-approved for a Wells Fargo credit card is to receive an offer in the mail. If you get such an offer, it means Wells Fargo has done a soft inquiry on your credit history and determined that you’d be a good candidate for the card they mailed you about. Pre-approval doesn’t guarantee your application will be successful. But it does mean you have extremely good odds.

If you’ve received a Wells Fargo pre-approval offer, it will include a unique code. To respond, just go to the Wells Fargo credit card page, click “Respond to an Offer,” and enter your code.

And if you haven’t received a pre-approval offer, you can still estimate your chances of success before actually applying.

Here’s what you should know about Wells Fargo Credit Card pre-approval:

• Wells Fargo will look at a combination of your credit history, income and other debts to determine whether to approve you for a card. You can stay on top of your credit score with WalletHub’s free daily updates.
• Some cards may simply be out of reach, depending on your credit standing. For example, the Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card requires good (700+) credit, while the Wells Fargo Platinum card needs a good (700+) credit score.
• One of the best ways to improve your chances of approval is to boost your credit score. You can do this by paying down your debt, making your monthly payments on time, and using less of your available credit. WalletHub’s personalized credit analysis will tell you exactly what to do.
• If you already have a Wells Fargo credit card, credit reallocation may help you get a new one. Reallocation lets you shift some of your credit limit from an existing Wells Fargo card to a new Wells Fargo card. You can’t shift your entire credit limit, and it’s not guaranteed to get you approved for a new card, but it can’t hurt. To ask about credit re-allocation, call (800) 642-4720.

There’s no way to check for Wells Fargo credit card pre-approval. But if you know your credit score, and what type of card you want, you should be able to get a ballpark sense of your approval chances.  

The Wells Fargo annual fee is $0. For comparison, the average credit card annual fee on the market is $22 right now.

Wells Fargo Annual Fees

• Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: $0
• Wells Fargo Platinum card: $0
• Hotels.com® Rewards Visa® Credit Card: $0
• Dillard's Store Card: $0
• Furniture Barn Credit Card: $0