Yes, if you use this card to make purchases outside of the U.S., you’ll be subject to foreign transaction fees of 3% of each transaction converted to U.S. dollars.
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If you want to earn a solid cash back rate on every purchase without keeping track of rewards categories or spending caps, this card makes it easy to do so without paying an annual fee. That’s because the $0-annual-fee Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card lets you earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. Plus, it offers an easily attainable sign-up bonus, as well as interest-free periods on purchases and balance transfers for more than a year.
That said, you won’t get robust benefits with the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card — but that’s to be expected from a flat-rate cash back card with no annual fee. To help you decide if this is the right card for you, we’ll highlight its pros and cons and show how it compares to similar cash back credit cards.
Intro Purchase APR
0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening
Regular Purchase APR
19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR
Intro BT APR
0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers
Regular BT APR
19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR
Annual Fee
$0
Cash Advance Fee
Refer to Important Credit Terms
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Balance Transfer Fee
3% for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5
Flat cash back rate on every purchase
With the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you won’t have to keep track of bonus earning categories or spending caps. Instead, you’ll earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. This is one of the highest flat rates you can earn from a cash back credit card.
You can redeem your cash back the following ways:
Easy-to-earn, valuable sign-up bonus
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card lets you earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. Meaning, you only have to spend approximately $167 per month for three months to earn the sign-up bonus.
This is a valuable sign-up bonus, and slightly better than other flat-rate cash back cards — especially once you factor in the card’s rewards rate. For example, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card lets you earn a 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply), but offers a lower cash back rate on general purchases.
$0 annual fee
Since this card comes with a $0 annual fee, everything you earn in rewards will be net cash back from the very start. That is, as long as you don’t rack up interest charges or other fees.
Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers
If you want to make a big purchase and pay it off over time, this card lets you do so without incurring interest charges for more than a year. You’ll get a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. After that, a 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR applies.
Or, if you have a large amount of high-interest credit card debt that you want to transfer, the card offers a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers. After that, a 19.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% Variable APR applies.
These are both long intro APR periods — making the card ideal if you want a balance transfer or 0% APR card that also earns rewards.
No bonus earning categories
While the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card lets you earn an elevated cash back rate on every purchase, there are rewards cards available — like the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express — that offer even higher rates in popular spending categories, such as groceries and gas.
Foreign transaction fees
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card charges foreign transaction fees of 3% of the amount of each transaction when you use your card to make purchases outside the U.S. So if you’re planning a trip abroad, leave this card at home and take one with no foreign transaction fees.
Balance transfer fee
If you transfer your existing credit card debt to this card, you’ll be subject to a balance transfer fee of 3% for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5. For example, if you transfer $6,000 to the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card, you’ll be charged a balance transfer fee of $180 if transferred within the first 120 days, and $300 if transferred after the first 120 days.
Note, there are a handful of cards available that don’t charge balance transfer fees, but those are mostly issued by credit unions and typically offer shorter interest-free periods on balance transfers than the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card.
If you want a flat-rate cash back card that lets you to transfer rewards to travel partners, as well as offers a longer intro APR on balance transfers, the Citi Double Cash® Card is a great alternative.
You’ll 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, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. Along with redeeming your rewards for statement credit, direct deposit, checks, travel, merchandise and gift cards, you can transfer them to a few of Citi’s hotel and airline partners.
The Citi Double Cash® Card also offers a very long 0% intro APR for 18 months on Balance Transfers. After that, an 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable) APR applies.
If you spend a significant amount at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retailers and U.S. gas stations, a card that offers accelerated cash back on those purchases, like the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, may be a better choice.
You’ll get 3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%. 3% Cash Back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%. 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%. 1% cash back on other purchases. Terms apply. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
This $0-annual-fee card offers an 0% on purchases for 15 months (then an 18.49%-29.49% Variable APR) and an intro APR of 0% on balance transfers for 15 months (then an 18.49%-29.49% Variable APR).
The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express also offers more benefits than the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, including an annual Disney Bundle credit*, a Home Chef credit*, complimentary ShopRunner membership* and more.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card*
|
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months | Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases | $0 | ||
Citi Double Cash® Card
 Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
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. | 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, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25. | $0 |
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
|
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express*
Learn More
on American Express's secure site |
Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. | 3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%. 3% Cash Back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%. 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%. 1% cash back on other purchases. Terms apply. | $0 |
Learn More
on American Express's secure site |
If you value simplicity and want to earn consistent cash back on every purchase for a $0 annual fee, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is an excellent choice. But if you prefer a longer intro APR on balance transfers, the Citi Double Cash® Card may be a better option.
Or, if your main goal is to maximize your rewards and you don’t have a problem shifting between two cards, consider pairing the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card with another card. For example, if you spend heavily on groceries, gas or online retail purchases in the U.S., you can use your Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express to earn a high cash back* rate on those purchases. And for everything else, use your Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card to earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
Yes, if you use this card to make purchases outside of the U.S., you’ll be subject to foreign transaction fees of 3% of each transaction converted to U.S. dollars.
Wells Fargo allows you to request a credit limit increase by calling 800-642-4720.
Since the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card reports your payment activity to the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion), it can help you build credit with responsible usage. This includes paying your bill on time and in full (whenever possible) each month, as well as keeping your credit utilization ratio at or below 30%.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply
The information related to the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
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