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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 15 months from account opening
Regular Purchase APR
20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable APR
Intro BT APR
0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers
Regular BT APR
20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable APR
Annual Fee
$0
Cash Advance Fee
Refer to Important Credit Terms
Foreign Transaction Fee
3%
Balance Transfer Fee
3% intro 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.
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer, on the other hand, lets you earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. But the card doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus.
$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 15 months from account opening on purchases. After that, a 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% 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 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers. After, a 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% 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% intro 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. 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 intro APR of 0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers. After that, an 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) APR applies.
But keep in mind — while this card offers a $0 annual fee, it doesn’t provide a sign-up bonus or 0% intro APR on purchases.
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. Your cash back comes in the form of Blue Cash Reward Dollars, which you can redeem as a statement credit whenever your reward dollars balance reaches $25 or more.
Similar to the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, this $0-annual-fee card offers an 0% on purchases for 15 months (then an 19.24%-29.99% Variable APR) and an intro APR of 0% on balance transfers for 15 months (then an 19.24%-29.99% 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.
*Enrollment required for these benefits.
To see rates & fees for Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express please click here.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Welcome Offer | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | Intro Purchase APR | Regular APR | Intro Balance Transfer APR | Regular Balance Transfer Rate | Balance Transfer Fee | Recommended Credit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Review Coming Soon
|
N/A | Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months | Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases | $0 | 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening | 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable APR | 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers | 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% variable APR | 3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%; min: $5 | Excellent/Good | Review Coming Soon |
Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer
 Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
None | Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. | $0 | N/A | 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) | 0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers | 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable) | There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. A balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies if completed after 4 months of account opening. | Excellent/Good/Fair |
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
|
|
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
|
N/A | 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 | 0% on purchases for 15 months | 19.24%-29.99% Variable | 0% on balance transfers for 15 months | 19.24%-29.99% Variable | Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. | Excellent/Good | |
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Apply Now
on Capital One's secure site Rates & Fees |
N/A | One-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | 1.5% Cash Back on every purchase, every day; 5% Cash Back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply) | $0 | 0% intro on purchases for 15 months | 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) | 0% intro on balance transfers for 15 months | 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) | 3% for the first 15 months or at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time. No fee for amounts transferred at the Transfer APR | Excellent/Good |
Apply Now
on Capital One's secure site Rates & Fees |
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 and don’t mind not earning a sign-up bonus, 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%.
To see rates & fees for Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express please click here.
The information related to the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are 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 has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.
