Whether you’re looking to chip away at credit card debt with a balance transfer card or get some wiggle room as you pay off new purchases, the Wells Fargo Reflect Card should be a terrific fit. Boasting a chance at one of the longest intro APR periods on the market, the card should be one of your best bets if your top priority is getting as much time as possible to pay down your balance while avoiding interest.
But since it carries no rewards program and comes with few noteworthy perks, the Reflect card is far from your most versatile balance transfer or flexible financing option. In fact, once you pay off your balance, the card likely won’t offer much ongoing value at all.
Though you’ll generally need to sacrifice a few months’ worth of promotional APR, you may be better off opting for a card that offers both an intro APR and rewards to ensure your card is worth keeping even after you’ve paid off your balance.
See related: How to transfer a credit card balance
Why you might want the Wells Fargo Reflect Card
If a long intro APR period is at the top of your credit card wish list, the Reflect Card will not disappoint. That said, the card’s introductory offers are not all it has going for it. Here are some of the biggest advantages the card offers and what may make the card a good fit for you.
Chance at one of the longest balance transfer periods out there
Assuming you make your monthly minimum payments on time, the Reflect card’s promotional APR offer on qualifying balance transfers should blow many competing offers out of the water.
The card’s unique, two-tiered offer can get you up to 21 months’ worth of 0% intro APR breathing room as you pay down your transferred balance: You’ll enjoy 18 months from account opening of 0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers to start, but if you make your minimum payments on time each month for the duration of the promotional period, you can extend your intro APR for up to three months, for a total of up to 21 months of 0% intro APR (14.49% to 26.49% variable APR after that).
Not only is this one of the longest intro APR periods on the market, but its structure also incentivizes timely payments, ensuring you’re making at least some headway as you tackle debt. This makes the card an ideal fit if you’re laser-focused on paying off your balance and simply need the time and space to do so. Of course, you should create a debt payoff plan before you get started and will need to pay more than the minimum if you want to clear your balance before the end of the promotional period.
To get a sense of just how valuable such a long intro APR period can be if you have significant debt hanging over you, let’s say you had a $4,000 balance on one of your credit cards with a 21% APR. If you chipped away at this debt with a $200 monthly payment, it would take you 25 months and cost you $966 in interest to pay off. If you transferred that qualifying balance to the Wells Fargo Reflect card instead, you could pay off your balance in 21 months and would only be out the card’s 3% balance transfer fee of $120 (if you transferred in the first 120 days). That’s four fewer stress-filled months and a savings of nearly $850.
See related: Balance transfer calculator
Tip: While it can’t quite match the up to 21 months of 0% intro APR offered by the Reflect card, the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card comes close, offering all qualifying cardholders a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 20 billing cycles, followed by a 15.99% to 25.99% variable APR. And while on-time payments are still expected with this card, you won’t need to “earn” an extra 0% APR period.
Great for financing large purchases or carrying a balance short term
Along with its generous intro APR offer on balance transfers, the card features a matching intro APR offer on new purchases: 0% for 18 months to start, plus up to three additional months if you make on-time minimum payments during your intro and extension periods, for a total of up to 21 months of 0% APR (14.49% to 26.49% variable APR thereafter).
If you have some big expenses on the horizon and would rather spread out payments over time, the Reflect card could be a solid alternative to a personal loan or the sort of deferred interest promotion you may be offered at a store. As long as you pay off your balance in full by the end of the promotional period, you won’t be charged any interest – and even if you don’t quite clear your balance, you’ll only pay interest on the amount that remains at the end of the promotional period.
Like the card’s balance transfer offer, this intro purchase APR offer is one of the longest on the market. And while some cash back credit cards and rewards credit cards feature an intro APR on new purchases, few carry a promotional rate on both balance transfers and new purchases like the Reflect card.
That said, if you don’t need to transfer a balance and can make do with a shorter intro purchase APR period, you should be able to find a cash back or rewards card that not only gives you an intro purchase APR but also offers rewards on your purchases, saving you even more.
See related: How to choose a 0% APR credit card
Reasonable rates and fees
If you’re trying to save on interest as you pay off debt or finance purchases, the last thing you need is a slew of additional fees piled on top of what you already owe. Luckily, the Reflect card keeps costs fairly low, featuring no annual fee, a generous low-end APR and a relatively low balance transfer fee if you transfer early.
If you transfer a qualifying balance within your first 120 days, you’ll pay a fee of 3% of the amount you’re transferring (or a minimum of $5), which is tacked onto your total balance owed. If you miss that 120-day window, the balance transfer fee jumps up to 5% (again, with a $5 minimum). Though no fee-hike after 120 days would be ideal, many cards start you out with a 5% balance transfer fee, so the Reflect card’s 3% fee and transfer window are reasonable.
And while a card with no balance transfer fee would likely save you even more – often easily beating the savings offered by a few extra months’ worth of 0% intro APR – these offers are increasingly rare. To get a sense of the best path forward for you, you can compare the Reflect card with one of the few no balance transfer fee cards currently on the market, the Navy Federal Credit Union Platinum card, which offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 12 months and a variable APR of 5.99% to 18% after that. As you can see, your costs will vary considerably based on how much you put toward your debt each month and the ongoing APR you’re assigned.
| Card | Payoff plan ($4,000 transferred balance) | Total estimated charges |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Reflect Card | $200 per month for 21 months | $120 balance transfer fee (if transferred in first 120 days) |
| NFCU Platinum card | $200 per month for 21 months (12 months at 0% APR, 9 months at 5.99% variable APR) | $37 in interest charges |
| NFCU Platinum card | $200 per month for 21 months (12 months at 0% APR, 9 months at 18% variable APR) | $118 in interest charges |
The Reflect card also offers a fair range of APRs after your introductory APR period ends. Depending on your credit profile, you’re assigned a variable APR between 14.49% and 26.49%. If you can qualify for an APR at the low end of this range, you’ll enjoy an ongoing rate well below the national average credit card APR (around 16%).
Why you might want a different card
Despite its generous introductory APR offers and relatively low fees, the Reflect card falls short when it comes to long-term value and cardholder perks. While it may be a lifesaver if you’re looking for as much breathing room as possible while you tackle debt, the card will likely end up collecting dust once your intro period comes to an end.
You can find better value overall
Since the Reflect card carries no rewards program, you won’t have much incentive to keep using it after you take advantage of its introductory APR offers. In contrast, several cash back and rewards cards offer an intro APR on balance transfers or purchases in addition to ongoing rewards, allowing you to save not only on interest but also on most or all your everyday spending.
And though these cards will almost certainly feature a shorter promotional APR period, the value offered by a rewards program could easily outweigh the savings you’d get from a few extra months of 0% APR.
For example, the Citi® Double Cash Card earns up to 2% back on all qualifying purchases (1% when you buy and 1% when you pay off your purchase) and offers a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for the first 18 months (15.49% to 25.49% variable APR thereafter), with a 3% (minimum $5) intro balance transfer fee on balance transfers completed within the first 4 months from account opening. Let’s say you wanted to pay off a $4,000 balance over 21 months, contributing $200 per month to your transferred debt. Meanwhile, you used your card to pay for $500 in staples like groceries and gas each month. In this scenario, the Double Cash would offer better savings despite its shorter intro APR period and regardless of the APR assigned.
Check out this breakdown via the CreditCards.com balance transfer calculator, which uses the Double Cash card’s minimum and maximum variable APRs to demonstrate this:
| Card | Payoff plan ($4,000 transferred balance) | Total estimated charges |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Reflect Card | $200 per month for 21 months | $120 balance transfer fee (if transferred in first 120 days) |
| Citi Double Cash | $200 per month for 21 months (18 months at 0% APR, 3 months at 15.49% variable APR) | $120 in cash back – $120 balance transfer fee – $7.91 in interest charges = $7.91 total charges |
| Citi Double Cash | $200 per month for 21 months (18 months at 0% APR, 3 months at 25.49% variable APR) | $120 in cash back – $120 balance transfer fee – $13.20 in interest charges = $13.20 total charges |
As you can see, while your savings will vary considerably based on the size of your balance and your monthly contribution, you don’t need to get a dedicated balance transfer card to come out on top.
Unimpressive cardholder perks
Other than its card-linked offer program, My Wells Fargo Deals, and generous cellphone protection perk – which gets you up to $600 in coverage against eligible damage or theft when you pay your cellphone bill with the card (subject to a $25 deductible) – the Wells Fargo Reflect card offers little in the way of cardholder benefits.
While you’ll need to shell out an annual fee to enjoy the best credit card perks, some no annual fee rewards or cash back cards – including the likes of the Chase Freedom Unlimited, U.S. Bank Altitude Go and Citi Custom Cash℠ Card – come with intro APR offers as well as useful extras like complimentary food delivery subscriptions, streaming service or ride-share credits and more. Such benefits shouldn’t be your top priority when your focus is paying off debt, but they can certainly help a card keep its value longer.
High credit score threshold
Like most cards that carry a balance transfer offer, the Wells Fargo Reflect card requires a good to excellent credit score for approval (a FICO score of 670 or higher). That will put the card out of reach if you are hoping to do a balance transfer with poor credit.
If you want to get a better sense of your approval odds before you apply, you can check if you’re prequalified for the Reflect card at the issuer’s site or using the CreditCards.com CardMatch tool. This only requires a soft pull of your credit report and has no impact on your credit score until you submit a formal application. Keep in mind, however, that getting approved for the card does not mean you’ll be able to transfer all of the debt you want to the card. Whether and how much debt you’re able to transfer will depend on your credit profile and assigned limit.
See related: What to do if you’re denied for a balance transfer card
How does the Wells Fargo Reflect Card compare to other balance transfer cards?
The Reflect card features one of the longest intro APR offers on the market, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best balance transfer card for you. If you’re willing to trade a few months’ worth of intro APR for perks like a rewards program or a one-time cash bonus, you may save money in both the short and long term. Here are a few alternatives worth considering:
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|
 Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
|
Rewards rate
|
Rewards rate
None |
Rewards rate
|
| Introductory period (balance transfers)
18 months |
Introductory period (balance transfers)
18 billing cycles (for balance transfers made within 60 days of opening account) |
Introductory period (balance transfers)
15 months from account opening (for qualifying balance transfers made within the first 120 days) |
| Introductory period (new purchases)
6 months |
Introductory period (new purchases)
18 billing cycles |
Introductory period (new purchases)
15 months from account opening |
| Regular APR
12.74% – 23.74% (variable) |
Regular APR
13.74%–23.74% (variable) |
Regular APR
16.49%, 21.49%, or 26.49% (variable) |
Other things to know
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Other things to know
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Other things to know
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Wells Fargo Reflect Card vs. Discover it Balance Transfer
The Discover it Balance Transfer has long been considered one of the best balance transfer cards on the market thanks to its lengthy intro APR and top-notch cash back rewards program. Not only will you earn outsized rewards in a wide variety of quarterly rotating categories, but you’ll also get all the cash back you’ve earned matched at the end of your first year. While you’ll want to focus on paying down debt initially, this card’s versatility could make it a smarter long-term option than the Reflect card, especially for people who get a kick out of strategizing over when and where to buy to maximize their savings.
Wells Fargo Reflect Card vs. BankAmericard credit card
Though, like the Reflect card, the BankAmericard credit card is primarily a balance transfer card with few ongoing perks and benefits, it features a chance at a unique one-time cash bonus that could help you minimize the cost of your balance transfer and potentially offset the cost of your balance transfer fee entirely. You can earn a $100 statement credit online bonus after spending at least $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. That’s a spending threshold that could be easily and responsibly reached just by using the card for everyday staples like groceries and gas. The Reflect card, meanwhile, offers little opportunity to offset the cost of its balance transfer fee.
Wells Fargo Reflect Card vs. Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
One of the best flat-rate cash back cards on the market, the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card offers tremendous short- and long-term value thanks to its ongoing rewards rate and sign-up bonus, as well as an intro APR on both purchases and qualifying balance transfers made within the first 120 days. Though Active Cash card’s promotional period is much shorter than the Reflect card’s, the value offered by its sign-up bonus and rewards on everyday spending could easily outweigh the savings you’d enjoy with a few extra months of no-interest payments.
Is the Wells Fargo Reflect Card right for you?
Though it’s far from the flashiest or most lucrative balance transfer card out there, the Wells Fargo Reflect Card scores major points where it counts: its introductory APR offer. As long as you make your payments on time during the intro and extension periods, you‘ll enjoy one of the longest promotional periods on the market and get plenty of breathing room as you tackle debt or finance purchases.
That said, if you think you can manage with a slightly shorter promotional period or make do with only a long intro APR on balance transfers or new purchases – not both – you will likely get more long-term use and squeeze greater savings overall out of a no annual fee rewards card.