Joe McConnell
Earlier this year, Wells Fargo significantly improved its travel rewards program by adding transfer partners. That means if you have a card that earns Wells Fargo Rewards points, you can now transfer those points to a handful of airlines and hotels, where you can often get more value for your points than redeeming them directly through Wells Fargo’s portal.
But if you decide to use Wells Fargo’s transfer partners, how long will it take to transfer your points?
Fortunately, based on our testing, the answer is: not much.
Related: Why I Got the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card and How I Plan to Use the Welcome Bonus
Wells Fargo Rewards Point Transfer Times
With some programs, it can take several days or even weeks for your points to transfer to certain partners. This can cause issues when you schedule a redemption and your reward space disappears before the points reach your frequent flyer or hotel rewards account.
Fortunately, in the case of Wells Fargo, our tests show that transfers are nearly instant when transferring points to any of the six available transfer partners.
| Plan | Transfer report | Transfer time |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 1:1 | In a few minutes |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue flight | 1:1 | In a few minutes |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 | In a few minutes |
| British Airways Executive Club | 1:1 | In a few minutes |
| Privileges of choice | 1:2 | In a few minutes |
| Iberia more | 1:1 | In a few minutes |
These times are based on our personal experiences and should not be considered as hard and fast rules. Your transfers may be faster or slower, but you can use these times as guidelines when planning your redemptions.
Related: Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card Review: Valuable Earnings Rates and New Transfer Partners
Tips for Transferring Wells Fargo Rewards Points
While many points programs require you to transfer in increments of 1,000, Wells Fargo allows you to transfer as few as a single point, a useful feature when you’re just a few points away from redeeming an airline ticket or hotel.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with TPG’s daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides, and exclusive offers from TPG experts
As with most transferable point currencies, transfers from Wells Fargo to any of its partners are irreversible. We recommend keeping a redemption in mind and confirming award availability with your desired airline or hotel before transferring those hard-earned points.
Some airlines allow award tickets to be put on hold, and the only one of Wells Fargo’s transfer partners is Air France-KLM Flying Blue. If you’re planning to redeem Flying Blue with Wells Fargo points, it might be a good idea to put your award ticket on hold before initiating the transfer.
Related: Your Ultimate Guide to Finding Award Availability for Major Airlines
Can I transfer Wells Fargo Rewards points to someone else’s account?
When transferring points to travel partners, Wells Fargo stipulates that “the partner’s loyalty program account must be identical to the name on the credit card.” Therefore, you can only transfer points to your airline and hotel accounts.
However, you can transfer Wells Fargo Rewards points to someone else’s Wells Fargo account if they have a card that earns Wells Fargo Rewards points. Just choose the “Gift to Others” redemption option in your Wells Fargo account.
On the next screen, select “Transfer Rewards as a Gift,” which lets you send points directly to someone else. You can transfer as little as 1 point this way, and the gift recipient can then transfer their new points to their airline and hotel accounts.
TPG confirmed that these transfers between cardholders are processed instantly, just like transfers to Wells Fargo airline and hotel partners.
Related: Book Award Travel Faster by Pooling Your Points
Is there a fee for transferring Wells Fargo Rewards points?
Good news: Wells Fargo does not charge a transfer fee or excise clearing fee. Just know that when you transfer points to airlines and use them to book an award flight, you will likely still have to pay taxes and fees on your ticket.
Which cards qualify for Wells Fargo Rewards points?
While Wells Fargo offers several credit cards, including several that qualify for cash back rewards, you can currently earn transferable Wells Fargo Rewards points only with the following cards:
Related: Wells Fargo Autograph vs. Autograph Journey: Should You Pay an Annual Fee to Get More Benefits?
In conclusion
Wells Fargo’s transfer partners open up a lot of new redemption options for cardholders and make it more competitive with points programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Bilt Rewards. Wells Fargo’s list of transfer partners is still pretty short (and all of its partners work with other issuers, too), but the near-instant transfer times and no minimum transfer amount make it easy to redeem rewards with these partners, and we hope to see more partners added soon.
To learn about Wells Fargo Autograph rates and fees, click here.
To learn about the rates and costs of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey, click here.
