A Complete Wells Fargo Balance Transfer Guide

Consolidating your credit card debt can be a big money-saver. If you’re trying to pick the right one, our Wells Fargo balance transfer guide has you covered. Image source: Getty Images.

Consolidating your credit card debt can be a big money-saver. If you’re trying to pick the right one, our Wells Fargo balance transfer guide has you covered.

Wells Fargo may not be the biggest credit card issuer, but one area where it excels is balance transfer offers. Some of the best Wells Fargo cards have 0% intro APRs, and if you’re dealing with credit card debt, that intro APR can give you an opportunity to pay it down without racking up more interest charges.

When you’re ready to transfer your debt, you’ll find everything you need to know in this Wells Fargo balance transfer guide, including the card issuer’s rules, how to do a transfer, and the right cards for the job.

Balance transfer rules with Wells Fargo

Before you transfer a balance to your Wells Fargo credit card, you should know about the rules and fees involved.

Qualifying for the intro APR:

• For Wells Fargo credit cards that offer an intro APR on balance transfers, this APR will only apply to balances that you transfer within the first 120 days.
• You may not be eligible for a 0% intro APR offer on a Wells Fargo card if you’ve already gotten any sort of welcome offer on another Wells Fargo card within the previous 15 months. Welcome offers can include sign-up bonuses and low or 0% APR intro periods.
• The top balance transfer cards usually require at least a good credit score for approval, so you should have a score of 670 or higher if you want the best chance of qualifying.

Types of debt you can transfer:

• Wells Fargo allows you to transfer just about every type of debt to one of its balance transfer cards, including credit card balances, personal loans, auto loans, and home equity loans. You can only transfer credit card balances online, though, and the rest must be done by phone.
• Like every other bank, Wells Fargo doesn’t allow transfers from accounts with itself or any of its affiliates to one of its balance transfer cards. For example, you couldn’t transfer a Wells Fargo auto loan balance to a Wells Fargo credit card.

Balance transfer fees:

• For some cards, the introductory balance transfer fee is $5 or 3% of the amount transferred, whichever is greater. This intro fee applies to balances transferred within the first 120 days.
• After that 120 days, or for any card that doesn't offer an intro fee, the balance transfer fee is $5 or 5% of the amount transferred, whichever is greater. Check your card's rates and fees information to see which balance transfer fee setup applies to you.

Transfer limits:

• You must have enough available credit after your transfer to cover the balance transfer fee. For example, if you have a $10,000 credit limit and it’s all available for use, you could transfer up to $9,700 during the first 120 days, as you’d need $300 to cover the 3% fee.

Rewards:

• You can’t earn any cash back or points on balance transfers.
• Balance transfers don’t help you meet the spending minimum on a sign-up bonus.

How to do a balance transfer with Wells Fargo

If you have your Wells Fargo card already and you’re transferring credit card balances, then you can do a balance transfer online. Here’s how:

1. Log in to your Wells Fargo account.

2. Place the cursor over “Accounts,” and then click “Request Balance Transfer” on the drop-down menu that appears.

1. Fill out the balance transfer form with the creditor names, account numbers, and the amounts you wish to transfer from each of those accounts.

In case you’re wondering about any of these, here is what you would put for each:

• Creditor name -- The name of the card issuer, such as American Express or Chase.
• Account number -- The credit card number of the card with the balance.
• Amount -- The amount to transfer over, which must be at least $100.

1. Once you’ve entered all the required information, submit the transfer.

Alternate balance transfer options

You can also submit your balance transfer over the phone by calling Wells Fargo at 1-800-400-9423. You’ll need to call to transfer any type of debt besides a credit card balance.

If you don’t have a Wells Fargo card yet, you can request your balance transfer during the application process. The application asks you whether you want to transfer a balance.

Making the most of a balance transfer

A balance transfer isn’t a silver bullet guaranteed to destroy your credit card debt. In fact, plenty of consumers waste this opportunity by relaxing once they have a 0% intro APR. To ensure that you make legitimate progress, follow these steps with your balance transfer:

1. Calculate how much money you can pay towards your credit card debt per month.
2. Figure out how long it will take you to repay your debt.
3. Choose the Wells Fargo balance transfer card with an intro period that fits your debt repayment timeline. If you expect repayment to take longer than 18 months, go with the Wells Fargo Platinum Visa card.
4. Transfer your balances within the first 120 days to lock in the intro APR and pay the lower balance transfer fee.
5. Make your payments on time every month and avoid putting more purchases on the card until you’ve paid off your debt.
6. Use a balance transfer calculator to see how much you'll save by transferring your balance to a new card.