The mid-tier travel rewards card space is a cramped one. One of the best options on the market is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which offers great value to the average traveler with just a $95 annual fee (see rates and fees). It racks up 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases and comes with a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit of up to $100.
But there’s a new kid on the block: the recently launched Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (see rates and fees). It also has a $95 annual fee, plus valuable earning rates and benefits that make it a serious competitor to the more established Venture card.
Which is the better option for you now, and which will be the better option going forward? Let’s dig into the cards’ details to find out.
Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Wells Fargo Autograph Journey comparison
| Card | Wells Fargo Autograph Journey | Capital One Venture Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $95 | $95 (see rates and fees) |
| Sign-up bonus | Earn 60,000 bonus rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. | Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. |
| Earning rates |
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| Other benefits |
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Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Wells Fargo Autograph Journey welcome offer
The Venture Rewards comes with a welcome offer of 75,000 bonus Capital One miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
Those miles are worth $1,388 based on TPG’s valuations, so you’ll get a great value from the bonus, even though this is the standard offer for the card based on its offer history.
The Autograph Journey, meanwhile, comes with 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. These points are worth $960 based on our valuations.
Winner: Venture Rewards. It has a more valuable welcome offer than the Autograph Journey.
Related: How to redeem Capital One’s 75,000-mile sign-up bonuses for maximum value
Capital One Venture Rewards vs. Wells Fargo Autograph Journey benefits
The Venture Rewards comes with an up-to-$100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, plus rental car and travel accident insurance, extended warranty protection, Hertz Five Star status* and access to Capital One’s Lifestyle Collection of hotels and Capital One Entertainment.
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Meanwhile, the Autograph Journey comes with a $50 annual statement credit for airfare purchases, effectively lowering the annual fee to $45 if you can take advantage of that perk. Cardholders also receive cellphone protection and access to a new benefit called “Autograph Card Exclusives.”
While details are scant at the moment, Autograph Card Exclusives promises to offer access to concerts showing “big-name artists in small venues,” seemingly delivering an intimate experience with popular acts.
Winner: Venture Rewards. Despite the promise of the Autograph Journey’s perks, the Venture’s longer list of established benefits wins out.
Earning miles on the Capital One Venture Rewards vs. the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey
With the Venture Rewards, you’ll earn 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on all other purchases.
But the Autograph Journey has much broader bonus categories. With it, you’ll earn 5 points per dollar spent on hotels, 4 points per dollar spent on airlines, 3 points per dollar spent on other travel and dining and 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases.
Winner: Autograph Journey. While we figure Wells Fargo points to be worth slightly less than Capital One miles, the additional bonus categories — namely, dining and airlines — will more than make up for that difference for most consumers.
Redeeming miles on the Capital One Venture Rewards vs. the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey
The Venture Rewards earns extremely valuable Capital One miles, giving you a bevy of redemption options that make the miles worth about 1.85 cents apiece, per our valuations.
You’ll get the most value by transferring your miles to one of Capital One’s travel partners, but you can also redeem them for a statement credit to cover travel purchases or for gift cards or cash back.
The Autograph Journey has a much smaller list of redemption options and transfer partners upon launch. It remains to be seen how these options will change. However, the issuer has promised more transfer partners will come throughout the year (more on that below).
Winner: Venture Rewards. Again, this could change if the Wells Fargo program continues to expand, but for now, Capital One still has the edge.
Related: Should you transfer Capital One miles to partners or redeem directly for travel?
Transferring miles with the Capital One Venture Rewards vs. the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey
The Venture Rewards allows you to transfer your miles to any of Capital One’s 15-plus hotel and airline partners, including valuable options like Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles.
And if you can take advantage of a transfer bonus, you’ll get even more value from your miles. For instance, I prefer to redeem my miles by transferring them to Air France-KLM Flying Blue during a transfer bonus promotion and using them to book business-class flights to Europe.
The Autograph Journey currently allows cardholders to transfer points to five airline programs:
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club, Aer Lingus AerClub and Iberia Plus (all earning Avios)
These are all great transfer partners and TPG favorites, though the number of options is obviously much smaller than those available with the Venture Rewards.
You’ll also be able to transfer to a single hotel program, Choice Privileges, though that list hopefully will continue to grow as well.
Winner: Venture Rewards. Again, the current Wells Fargo transfer lineup isn’t quite at Capital One’s level.
Related: Wells Fargo transfer partners: How to use Go Far Rewards points
Should I get the Capital One Venture Rewards or the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey?
If you want an established card with great benefits and redemption options, you’ll want to stick with the Venture Rewards. You’ll get a strong earning rate, the ability to take advantage of Capital One’s transfer partners and some travel benefits for just a $95 annual fee (see rates and fees).
If you want higher earning rates, the newly launched Autograph Journey is a viable option worth considering.
Bottom line
Despite their differences, the Venture Rewards and the Autograph Journey are excellent travel rewards cards with valuable benefits and earning rates for their mid-tier annual fee. The Venture Rewards’ established list of perks and transfer partners give it the edge, but the Autograph Journey could be neck and neck soon given its growing list of redemption options.
Taking advantage of both cards could definitely make sense, too, if you can handle two $95 annual fees (see rates and fees for the Venture Rewards)..
For additional details, read more about the Venture Rewards and the Autograph Journey.
Apply here: Capital One Venture
Apply here: Wells Fargo Autograph Journey
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.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through Dec. 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
