How long do Wells Fargo Rewards points take to transfer?

Earlier this year, Wells Fargo significantly improved its travel rewards program by adding transfer partners. That means that if you hold 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 out of your points than by redeeming them directly through Wells Fargo's portal.

But if you decide to take advantage of Wells Fargo's transfer partners, how long will your points take to transfer?

Thankfully, based on our tests, the answer is: not very long.

Related: Why I got the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card — and how I plan to use the welcome bonus

Wells Fargo Rewards points transfer times

With some programs, transferring points to certain partners may take several days or even weeks. This can cause problems when you're planning a redemption and the award space disappears before the points reach your frequent flyer or hotel rewards account.

Fortunately, when it comes to Wells Fargo, our tests show that transfers are almost instant when you move points to any of the six available transfer partners.

These times are based on our personal experiences and should not be taken 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 transfer partners

Tips for transferring Wells Fargo Rewards points

Although many points programs require you to transfer in increments of 1,000, Wells Fargo allows you to transfer as little as a single point — a handy feature when you're only a few points away from an airline or hotel redemption.

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As with most transferable points currencies, transfers from Wells Fargo to any of its partners are irreversible. We recommend having a redemption in mind and confirming award availability at your desired airline or hotel before you transfer those hard-earned points.

A few airlines allow you to put award tickets on hold, and the only one among Wells Fargo's transfer partners is Air France-KLM Flying Blue. If you're planning a Flying Blue redemption with Wells Fargo points, putting your award ticket on hold may be a good idea before you initiate the transfer.

Related: Your ultimate guide on how to search award availability for the major airlines

Can you transfer Wells Fargo Rewards points to someone else's account?

When transferring points to travel partners, Wells Fargo stipulates that "The partner loyalty program account must be identical to the name on your credit card." So, you can only transfer points to your own 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. Simply choose the "Gift to Others" redemption option in your Wells Fargo account.

On the next screen, choose "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 your giftee can then transfer their new points to their own airline and hotel accounts.

TPG confirmed that these transfers between cardholders process instantly, just like transfers to Wells Fargo's 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 or excise tax offset fee. Know, though, that when you transfer points to airlines and use them to book an award flight, you will likely still need to pay taxes and fees on your ticket.

Which cards earn Wells Fargo Rewards points?

Though Wells Fargo offers multiple credit cards, including several that earn cash-back rewards, you can currently only earn transferable Wells Fargo Rewards points with the following cards:

• Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (see rates and fees)
• Wells Fargo Autograph® Card (see rates and fees)

Related: Wells Fargo Autograph vs. Autograph Journey: Should you pay an annual fee for more benefits?

Bottom line

Wells Fargo's transfer partners open many new redemption possibilities 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 transfer partner list is still pretty short (and all of its partners work with other issuers as well), but the near-instant transfer times and no minimum transfer amount make it easy to redeem rewards at these partners — and we hope new partners will be added soon.

For rates and fees of the Wells Fargo Autograph, click here.
For rates and fees of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey, click here.