Wells Fargo Active Cash Card Review: An All-Around Cash Rewards Champ

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is a standout rewards card that's great for a one-card wallet, or to round out your maximization strategy. This no annual fee credit card offers a great flat rewards rate, plus it also comes with a competitive welcome bonus and intro APR offer.

Read our full Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card review for an in-depth look at all the pros and cons.

This credit card is a good fit for: Shoppers who want a one-card wallet with no hoops or hassle.

Features and benefits

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is a great do-it-all cash back card for folks who don't want to deal with multiple rewards cards. It offers a flat-rate 2% back on purchases, giving you a respectable return regardless of purchase category. On top of that, it has a welcome offer, intro offer, and $0 annual fee.

Unlimited 2% cash back means you don't have to activate or track bonus categories

I love all my rewards credit cards, but I can admit that activating categories, tracking bonuses, and keeping up with rewards caps can be a bit much at times. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card requires none of that.

With the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you get unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases -- period. Nothing to activate, nothing to track. (In fact, this actually sets it apart from other 2% cards, too, since many of them have extra speed bumps like only getting half your rewards when you make your purchase, or having to redeem your rewards into a specific account.)

• Heading to the grocery store? 2% cash rewards. 
• Hitting the hardware store? 2% cash rewards. 
• Buying concert tickets? 2% cash rewards.

This rewards versatility means you could use the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card as the only card in your one-card wallet, since you'll get a fair rate on pretty much everything. 

However, that's not its only use. It's also a nice pick for rounding out your cash back maximization strategy. Pair it with a nice gas and grocery rewards card, maybe a dining rewards card, and you could cover most of your bases without a huge amount of effort.

Earn an easy $200 cash rewards welcome bonus without a ton of spend

When the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card first came out, it wasn't the only 2% cash back card -- but it was the only one I knew of that had a regular welcome bonus. (I don't think it's a coincidence that similar cards now have welcome bonuses, too!)

Beyond the fact that it exists at all, the amount of the welcome bonus isn't remarkable; many of the best no annual fee rewards cards have $200 welcome bonuses. But what I really like about the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is that you don't have to spend a fortune to earn that welcome bonus. You only need to put $500 on your new card in the first three months to earn the $200 cash rewards welcome bonus. 

That's half, if not a third, of what other cards require for the same size welcome bonus. And it works out to around $167 a month. If you're like me, you could meet that by paying for just your cellphone, internet, and streaming services -- with a lot of bills left over!

Long 0% APR intro offer gives you time to pay off big purchases without big fees

As someone still paying off an expensive move last year, I have a new appreciation for intro 0% APR offers. And the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card has a very competitive one: 0% intro APR, 15 months from account opening. (After the intro period, a go-to rate of 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR applies.)

That's more than a year you could carry a balance without having to pay interest fees on it. This lets you break down large purchases into smaller monthly payments, giving you a lot of breathing room to pay them off without fees. 

Here's an example: Suppose you open your card in March 2024 and make an eligible purchase of $5,000. You can make just the minimum payment each month (which will be significantly less than $5,000) and interest won't start to accrue on that purchase until June -- of 2025.

Pro tip: Make sure you make at least the minimum payment on time every month or you'll lose your 0% APR!

No annual fee to eat into your rewards

I love a good no annual fee card, and the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is certainly that. Having a $0 annual fee on a card is good for just about any type of cardholder. 

One-card walleter? Great! You never have to worry about annual fees and can live your life in peace.

Maximizing rewards and want a flat-rate card for non-category purchases? Also great! You don't have to worry about how often you use your card in an effort to justify some inflated fee.

Cellphone protection gives you $600 worth of peace of mind

If you've ever watched in shocked horror as your $1,000 cellphone slips from your partner's hand while they angle for the perfect shot -- well, let's just say everyone should have some kind of cellphone insurance. Those things aren't cheap to replace.

The simplest way? Use your Wells Fargo credit card to pay your cellphone bill. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers coverage in the event of theft, damage, or "involuntary and accidental parting." You can get up to $600 per claim, minus a $25 deductible.

Drawbacks worth considering

Every choice we make means saying no to something else. Here are some factors to consider when you choose this card.

Flat-rate rewards mean there are no bonus categories

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card's greatest asset is also arguably its greatest drawback: flat-rate cash rewards. Yes, you're getting a competitive rate on non-category purchases, but the trade-off is that the card doesn't have any bonus categories. 

Some cards make these categories exceptionally lucrative. One of my favorite cards offers 6% cash back on groceries, for instance. So you're potentially missing out on a lot of rewards if you choose to use only the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card.

Folks who don't want to bother with multiple cards will be happy with the tradeoff. Folks who want to earn more rewards may want to consider augmenting their Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card with a few cards with bonus categories that match their spending habits.

Foreign transaction fees make it expensive to use your card abroad

If you're thinking of taking this credit card on your next trip out of the country, think again. The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card includes a 3% foreign transaction fee for any purchases made in a foreign currency or that routes through a foreign bank. 

That's more than you'll earn back in cash rewards, meaning these purchases are going to cost you money. For example, if you travel to Canada and use your card to pay for some fresh poutine, you'll earn 2% cash back but end up paying 3% in foreign transaction fees on the purchase. 

And you don't need to travel to wind up paying this fee; some online purchases could be in a foreign currency, especially on marketplace or crowdfunding sites. Even if you pay in USD, if the purchase is from a foreign supplier and goes through its bank, it could still trigger the foreign transaction fee.

Folks who travel regularly may want to pick up another card with no foreign transaction fees to supplement their Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card.

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is best for applicants with good credit, which typically means a credit score of 670 or higher. However, remember that issuers look at more than your credit score when evaluating your card application, including your income and full credit history.

Take a look at our guide to the Wells Fargo credit card application rules to learn more about how the process works.

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is a stand-out flat-rate rewards card ideal for folks who want a one-card wallet or a card for non-category purchases.

To top it off, the card comes with a big welcome bonus and a competitive 0% intro APR offer. While the card doesn't have a lot of secondary cardholder benefits, it doesn't charge an annual fee, either.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.