Wells Fargo Propel Gets an Extreme — and Valuable — Makeover

» This card is no longer available

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card has been removed from the market. See our best travel cards roundup for other options.

The revamped Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card is bulked up and looking better than ever — at least if what you're looking for is a valuable travel credit card that won’t cost you anything to carry.

The all-new, berry-hued edition of the card, which will begin accepting applications July 16, 2018, will feature generous reward categories with wide appeal, plus a rich welcome offer: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value. Terms Apply.

The refreshed Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card will have an annual fee of $0. It will earn 3 Go Far Rewards points per $1 spent on the following categories:

• Eat & Drink. According to Wells Fargo, this means not just restaurants but also takeout, fast food and bars.

• Ride & Drive. Get those bonus points on gas stations, rideshares and transit.

• Fly & Stay. Book a flight, stay in a hotel, rent a car, or bunk down at a homestay. Travel agencies and discount travel sites like Travelocity, Expedia and Hotels.com count, too.

• Watch & Listen. You can earn bonus rewards if you subscribe to streaming services. The card includes Apple Music, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora and Spotify Premium as services that qualify.

All other spending earns 1 point per $1 spent. One point is worth one cent, and you can redeem for things like travel, cash back or gift cards through the Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards portal.

Existing Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card holders are being converted to the new version of the card, and their card numbers will stay the same. Wells Fargo will still offer, separately, the Wells Fargo Propel World American Express, but the Wells Fargo Propel 365 American Express® Card will no longer accept applications.

Loads of value

The new Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card offers some major improvements over its forerunner.

The breadth of the new bonus rewards categories puts its earning power on a par with some of the top rewards cards on the market, but without the hefty annual fee those cards charge. And its welcome offer is as high-value as the Nerds have ever seen on a card with no annual fee.

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card will offer 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 14.49%-24.99% Variable APR.

The card also includes a cellphone insurance benefit, travel accident insurance and roadside assistance.

A few trade-offs

Keep in mind that the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card lacks some of the key benefits offered by premium travel cards that do charge annual fees.

The card offers no airline or hotel transfer partners for your points. There’s also no reimbursement for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee, a common extra on travel cards.

And while the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card charges no foreign transaction fees, American Express isn’t as widely accepted overseas as Mastercard and Visa.

But if you're annual-fee-averse and you want a travel card that earns rich and easy-to-understand rewards on a wide range of spending, the Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card has a lot to offer.