Wells Fargo Credit Cards

The Wells Fargo foreign transaction fee is 0% or 3%, depending on the card. The Wells Fargo Propel American Express credit card does not have a foreign fee, but all other Wells Fargo cards charge 3%. So most people with a Wells Fargo credit card or debit card will pay an extra 3% on purchases from a foreign merchant, both in-person and online. That’s why it’s best to get a Propel card for making international purchases.

The Propel Amex card has really good rewards too. It offers 3 points per $1 spent on travel, dining and transit expenses, along with 1 point per $1 on everything else. It also has a $0 annual fee. But Propel is not the only option for avoiding Wells Fargo’s foreign transaction fees. Plenty of other credit card companies, like Chase, Citi and U.S. Bank, offer cards with no foreign transaction fees. Plus, none of the cards from Capital One, Discover or USAA charge foreign transaction fees.

You can check your Wells Fargo credit card application status online or by phone. The Wells Fargo credit card application status phone number is 800-967-9521. And you can check online whether or not you already have an online account. No matter which method you choose, you’ll need to provide your Social Security number in order to verify your identity. Altogether, the process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

Your Wells Fargo credit card application status will be one of three things – approved, denied or still pending. If you’re approved, you can expect to wait 7-10 business days for your card to arrive.

Here’s how to check your Wells Fargo credit card application status:

• Online with Username and Password: Go to Wells Fargo’s application status page. Click “Wells Fargo username & password.” Log into your account. You won’t have to enter any extra information this way.
• Online without Login Credentials: Go to Wells Fargo’s application status page. Click “Access Code from Email.” Enter the 8-digit access code Wells Fargo sent after you submitted your application. Then put in your last name, your date of birth and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number.
• By Phone: Call Wells Fargo at 800-967-9521. Say “check application status” or press 1. Enter your full Social Security number when prompted.

If your Wells Fargo credit card application is rejected, you may want to consider asking for reconsideration. But in order to actually have a denial overturned, you’ll need to prove your credit and available income are better than they appeared on your application. 

To do a Wells Fargo cash advance, you will need to request a PIN from customer service and be comfortable paying pricey finance charges. The standard Wells Fargo cash advance fee is $10 or 5% of the cash-advance amount, whichever is greater. And Wells Fargo’s cash advance APR is currently between 24.99% and 26.99%. The exact rate depends on your overall creditworthiness at the time you’re approved for an account. But those terms are the same for  all Wells Fargo credit cards.

Given the high costs, cash advances should be avoided whenever possible. But it’s still worth knowing how to perform such a transaction and how much it will cost should you need to do one in an emergency.

Here’s what you need to know about Wells Fargo cash advances:

• Limit & Requirements: To get a Wells Fargo cash advance, you’ll need to call customer service at 1-800-642-4720 and ask them to give you a PIN. After that, you’ll be able to take out up to $500 in cash per day from your line of credit, up todepending on your available credit limit.
• Wells Fargo Cash Advance Fee: $10 or 5% of the total amount, whichever is higher. So if you take out $250, for example, your fee will be $12.50. But if you withdraw less than $200, you’ll pay $10.
  
• Wells Fargo Cash Advance Rate: 24.99% to 26.99%. Where you fall in that spectrum will depend on your credit standing. And it’s important to remember that unlike purchases, cash advances do not come with any grace period. Interest starts accruing as soon as you make a withdrawal, so repaying your advance as soon as possible will save you money.
  
• Overdraft Protection: If you have a Wells Fargo checking account, you can link it to your credit card as overdraft protection. If your bank account dips below zero, you’ll get a cash advance from your credit card to cover transactions. However, this isn’t a great option. For one thing, you’ll pay a $12.50 fee for advances under $50, and $20 for anything above. Plus, the same high cash advance APR applies right away.

At the end of the day, a Wells Fargo cash advance costs too much in fees and interest to be a good option for convenient cash. But if you do one, make sure to repay your balance as soon as possible.

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 Wells Fargo Rewards® Card requires excellent credit. And you need good credit or better to get the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® Card or Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® Card. If you have bad credit, the Wells Fargo Secured Card is your best shot at approval.
• 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 1800-642-4720.

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.

You can easily report a Wells Fargo credit card lost or stolen online, but the only way to completely cancel a Wells Fargo credit card account is to call customer service at 1-800-642-4720. 

Before you do so, however, make sure you’re canceling your Wells Fargo card 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. And you’ll still get credit for paying on time every month.

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.

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 1-800-642-4720. 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.

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.