Pros
- No membership fees
- 0% intro APR on purchases
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers
- High rewards rate
Cons
- Balance transfer fee
- Requires good/excellent credit
Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
Transfer Fee: 3% intro for 120 days, then up to 5%
Rewards Details
- Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value
- Earn 3X points on eating out and ordering in
- Earn 3X points on popular streaming services
- Earn 3X points on gas stations, rideshares and transit
- Earn 3X points on travel including flights, hotels, homestays and car rentals
- Earn 1X points on other purchases
Additional Info
- $0 annual fee and no foreign currency conversion fee
- More Details & Reviews About Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
Wells Fargo Propel American Express Review Summary
The Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card is a $0 annual fee rewards credit card for people with good credit or better that excels in terms of rewards for travel, dining, gas stations, transit and streaming services in particular. Cardholders earn 3 points per $1 spent in those categories, along with 1 point per $1 on other types of purchases. Wells Fargo Propel also has some interesting initial promotions, including an initial bonus worth $200 and 0% intro APRs on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for the first 12 months. In addition to having no annual fee, Wells Fargo Propel doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee.
In other words, Wells Fargo Propel isn’t your average credit card.
At 20,000 points (worth $200) for spending $1,000 within 3 months of opening an account, the Propel card’s initial bonus is about the market average. You’ll also earn three times the average in some of the most popular spending categories. And even though the current offer is mostly about rewards, Propel has above-average introductory financing terms, too.
So at the end of the day, Wells Fargo Propel is a solid card for people with good or excellent credit to use for travel, gas stations, dining out, and staying entertained while staying in. You can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub and learn more below.
Wells Fargo Propel American Express Highlights
20,000-Point Initial Bonus
Wells Fargo Propel’s 20,000 bonus points (worth $200) is about what the average rewards cards will give you: 31,338 points/miles. And the Propel card’s initial spending requirement – $1,000 within three months of account opening – is pretty easy to achieve.
Lots of 3X Points Categories
The Wells Fargo Propel Amex card offers a base earning rate of 1 point per $1 spent. That’s nothing special, actually coming in slightly below the average for a rewards card. But Propel’s bonus categories make things more interesting. You get 3 points per $1 spent on travel, gas stations, dining and streaming services. That equates to 3% cash back, considering that Propel points are worth a penny apiece. So if you spend a lot in those bonus categories, you should definitely consider Propel, along with WalletHub’s picks for 2023’s best credit cards for travel, gas and dining.
No Annual Fee
Wells Fargo Propel is $22 per year cheaper than the average credit card, thanks to its lack of an annual fee. But that makes it neither unique nor automatically superior to cards that charge a fee. There are hundreds of credit cards with no annual fee. And paying a fee can make sense, if doing so enables you to get much better terms, which lead to savings that outweigh the cost.
0% Intro Rates for 12 Months
The Wells Fargo Propel American Express card currently offers 0% introductory APRs for the first 12 months on both new purchases and qualifying balance transfers. This offer is about the average for both types of transactions. But the purchase side of things is more attractive. It compares more favorably to the average card, for one thing. The average 0% purchase APR lasts for roughly 12 months, while the average 0% transfer rate sticks around for 13 months. Plus, there are other costs to consider with a balance transfer, and they make this type of transaction less appealing.
Wells Fargo Propel American Express Lowlights
Above-Average Regular APR
The Wells Fargo Propel card’s regular APR could be anywhere from 14.49% to 24.99% Variable, depending on your creditworthiness. But you need at least good credit for approval. And you’re unlikely to get a rate at the low end of the range unless you have excellent (maybe even perfect) credit.
That’s problematic considering the average credit cards for people with excellent and good credit charge 15.16% and 21.2%, respectively. So it’s just a matter of how much you’ll overpay on interest if you carry a balance from month to month with Propel, absent its 0% intro rates.
3% Intro Balance Transfer Fee for 120 Days
If you’re in the market for a balance transfer, good credit can get you a lot more than a 0% intro APR for 12 months and a 3% intro balance transfer fee (up to 5% after). The average 0% balance transfer card charges a fee of 2.53%.
Other Things to Consider about the Wells Fargo Propel American Express
- No Foreign Transaction Fee: If you plan to use Propel for international spending, its lack of a foreign transaction fee will save you 1.52% on every purchase processed abroad relative to the average credit card. The fact that it’s a chip-and-PIN card may also make it easier to use abroad.
- Good Credit Minimum: You need good or excellent credit to get the Wells Fargo Propel card, same as with most of 2023’s best credit cards. So you should probably check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub to confirm you have a good chance of qualifying.
Wells Fargo Propel American Express vs. The Competition
If you have the good or excellent credit needed to qualify for the Wells Fargo Propel Amex, you should be able to get most of the best cards for rewards or 0% financing (whichever type of feature is atop your most-wanted list). Below, you can see how Propel compares to some its top competitors, which excel in both categories.
Info | Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card | Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer | Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 intro 1st yr, $95 after |
Bonus Offer | 20,000 points | N/A | $200 | $250 |
Rewards Rate | 1 - 3 points / $1 | 2% Cash Back | 1 - 5% Cash Back | 1 - 6% Cash Back |
Purchase Intro APR | 0% for 12 months | N/A | 0% for 15 months | 0% for 12 months |
Transfer Intro APR | 0% for 12 months on qualifying balance transfers Transfer Fee: 3% intro for 120 days, then up to 5% | 0% for 18 months Transfer Fee: 3% intro fee ($5 min) for each transfer in first 4 months, after that 5% ($5 min) for each transfer | 0% for 15 months Transfer Fee: 3% | 0% for 12 months Transfer Fee: 3% (min $5) |
Regular APR | 14.49% - 24.99% Variable | 18.24% - 28.24% (V) | 19.24% - 29.24% (V) | 18.24% - 29.24% (V) |
Editors' Rating | 4.5 | 5 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
Details, Rates & Fees | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More Rates & Fees Terms Apply |
Winners |