【Updated 2025.4】The welcome bonus on this no-annual-fee card has increased to 60,000 points, and the spending requirement is quite low: just $1,000 in three months. If you expect to stay at their hotels, this card is worth considering. Choice points are worth about 0.6c/p on average, so this bonus is worth roughly $360, which is pretty decent.

About the Wells Fargo Choice Credit Card

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Full review

Wells Fargo Choice

5x at Choice Hotels; no annual fee

  • Welcome bonus: 60,000 Choice points (spend $1,000 in the first three months)
  • Rewards: 5x at Choice Hotels; 3x on gas, groceries, home improvement, and phone plans; 1x on other purchases
  • Redemption: Redeem for Choice Hotels stays
  • Annual fee: $0
  • Apply now>>

Benefits

  • Complimentary Gold status: Cardholders receive 10 Elite Nights automatically, which gives you Gold status directly, with benefits such as 10% bonus points on stays.
  • Cell phone protection: If you use this card to pay your monthly cell phone bill, you can receive up to $800 in coverage if your phone is damaged or stolen ($25 deductible applies). See also: Guide to credit card cell phone protection
  • Free FICO score: Provides your Experian FICO credit score every month. See also: Which free credit score is best
  • No Foreign Transaction Fee (FTF): Most cards with no foreign transaction fee have an annual fee, so it is nice that this card has no annual fee. See also: About FTF

Introduction to Choice Hotel Points

  • Point value: The average value is about 0.6 c/p, so 100 Choice points = $0.6 (Point Values & Analysis). In other words, a hotel stay worth $60 would require about 10k Choice Hotel points.
  • Redeeming for hotels: You can search for eligible hotels directly on the Choice Hotel website. There is no fixed award chart, and the number of points required fluctuates with the cash price. Awards start at just 6,000 points, usually top out at 35,000 points, and some hotels in Oceania can go as high as 75,000 points. You can also use Cash + Points, which usually costs 6,000 points plus $35–$180 in cash, but it is not always a good deal compared with booking entirely with points.
  • Transfer to miles: 5,000 points can be transferred into 1,000 miles with programs including AS, UA, AA, AC, Spirit, Czech Airlines OK, AeroMexico, and more. This can be useful when you only need a small top-off for miles in a major airline program.
  • Point expiration: Points expire after 8 months with no activity; if there is account activity, the expiration is automatically extended by 18 months. If your points are about to expire, you can also consider transferring in 1,000 MR points to extend their validity.
  • My take: Choice Hotel points are often a good value for booking hotels in Europe or major US cities. If you have a specific stay in mind, it is worth checking whether your target hotel offers solid redemption value. Their transfer-to-miles feature also creates some interesting opportunities, especially when combined with promotions to buy Choice points cheaply and transfer bonus offers.
  • Related credit cards: Wells Fargo Choice Privileges 、 Wells Fargo Choice Privileges Select
  • Detailed analysis: Introduction to Choice Privilege Points

My Take

Compared with the annual-fee version (the one with bonus points), this card is a bit weaker. However, if you prefer no-annual-fee cards, it still has some value, especially since the cell phone protection is quite good. Another strategy is to apply for the annual-fee version first to earn the higher welcome bonus, then downgrade to this card later.

How to Apply

Wells Fargo Credit Card Application Guide

  • Application status check link. Or call: (800) 967-9521
  • If you applied for one of their cards within the past 6 months, you will not be approved for a new personal card. For Hotles cards, the restriction is 15 months. For business cards, the restriction is 12 months.
  • Wells Fargo credit cards appear to have an unknown limit on the total number of cards you can hold. You may need an SSN, and you may need to be a U.S. citizen or green card holder to apply.
  • You can call the reconsideration line at 866-412-5956 to speed up credit card approval or request a review of a denied application.
  • Having a Checking account may help with getting approved for a credit card.
  • More about applying for Wells Fargo credit cards

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