Wells Fargo Points Guide: New 1:1 Transfer Partner Cathay Pacific

【Updated 2026.4】Wells Fargo points can now be transferred 1:1 to Cathay Pacific (CX) miles. AMEX previously reduced its transfer ratio, so using Wells Fargo points for this transfer now makes a lot of sense. If you previously had a Bilt card, you may have automatically received an Autograph card. That card can be used for point transfers, which is pretty nice: it has no annual fee and is worth keeping for the long term.

About Wells Fargo Points

In 2024, Wells Fargo officially launched transfers between its points and airline miles / hotel points, making the program much more useful. That said, it is still not as fully developed as mature ecosystems like MR, TYP, and UR. Hopefully it will continue to improve over time. This article gives a simple overview.

Earning Points

At the moment, Wells Fargo has two Autograph cards that can directly earn points, and those points can also be transferred to airline miles and hotel points. The no-annual-fee Autograph is already quite strong for earning points, with solid coverage across everyday spending and travel. If you spend heavily on travel, you may want to consider the annual-fee version, which can earn up to 5x.

Besides these two cards, if you also have other Wells Fargo credit cards, you can combine the cash back earned on those cards into one of these two cards. Once combined, those rewards can be transferred to miles. But if you do not have either of these two cards, that is not possible.

Using Points

First, Wells Fargo points can be redeemed for cash back at a 1:1 rate, meaning 100 points = $1. We will not focus on that here; the main topic is transfer partners.

• 1:1 partners are all airline mileage programs: Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue, Cathay Pacific
• 1:2 partners are hotels: Choice Privileges, Wyndham

One nice feature is that transfers to these airline and hotel partners are all instant. If your points have not shown up yet, try logging out and back in before checking again.

Airline Partners

Wells Fargo does not have a huge number of airline transfer partners, but it already covers all three major alliances, so in theory you can redeem for flights on most major airlines. Compared with AMEX MR and Chase UR, though, the overall ecosystem is less flexible and is better suited to people with a specific redemption goal in mind.

Oneworld

• British Airways Executive Club
• Iberia Plus
• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Cathay Pacific

Other than Cathay Pacific, the first three all use the Avios ecosystem, so points can be transferred among them. These programs can cover Oneworld airlines such as AA, JAL, and Qantas, making this the most valuable group at the moment, especially for redemptions within Asia and across the Pacific.

Star Alliance

• Avianca LifeMiles

LifeMiles can be used to book flights on carriers such as UA and AC. Its advantages include no fuel surcharges and occasional sweet spots on the award chart. The downside is that the system is not always very stable, so it is better suited to more experienced users.

SkyTeam and Others

• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• Virgin Atlantic
• JetBlue

Flying Blue can be used to redeem flights on Delta and others, and it often offers Promo Rewards. Virgin Atlantic is not part of an alliance, but it can be used to book ANA, Delta, and more. Some routes can offer very good value, though taxes and fees may be high.

Cathay Pacific Supplement

• Pros: strong coverage across Asia, useful for connections via Hong Kong; can redeem Oneworld partners; consistently solid business-class experience
• Cons: multiple devaluations in recent years, with higher mileage requirements; fuel surcharges are relatively high, making long-haul cash costs noticeable; award availability is inconsistent

Overall, Cathay Pacific is better for travelers who can plan ahead. If you are sensitive to out-of-pocket cash costs, pay close attention to fuel surcharges.

They also added Virgin Atlantic as a transfer partner at a 1:1 ratio, and transfers can start from as little as 1 point. In addition to redeeming Virgin Atlantic's own flights, you can also use it for Delta, ANA, Air France-KLM, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, South African Airways, and Hawaiian Airlines. One important thing to note is that some Virgin Atlantic redemptions come with very high taxes and fees.

Hotels

On the hotel side, there is currently only one partner, Choice Privileges, and its points are generally worth around 0.6 cents per point. In other words, 100 Choice Privileges points are worth roughly $0.6 in redemption value, or a $60 hotel stay would cost about 10,000 points. The nice part is that Wells Fargo transfers at a 1:2 ratio, the same as Citi ThankYou Points. By comparison, AMEX and Capital One both transfer at 1:1, so they are much less attractive here. Choice Privileges can offer especially strong value in Japan. If you get lucky and find a redemption at 1 cent per point, that is quite good.

How to Transfer Points

All images are screenshots from online articles and are for demonstration purposes only.

Find the transfer option in Rewards.

Choose the partner you want and link your account.

Once linked, you can transfer points.

After the transfer is completed, you will receive an email.

Summary

Overall, Wells Fargo still has a fairly limited list of transfer partners. It does not include the major US airlines, and on the hotel side there is only Choice. Hopefully it will gradually expand like Bilt did. If Hyatt and Alaska were added in the future, that would be excellent.