Wells Fargo Reflect Card Review: A 0% Intro APR for 21 Months

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is good for paying off big purchases or refinancing credit card debt. It has the longest 0% intro APR I've seen, so it's hard to beat for saving on interest. But this card is light on other perks and doesn't have much to offer after the introductory APR ends.

Read our in-depth Wells Fargo Reflect® Card review to learn all about its pros, its cons, and to figure out if it's right for you.

Is the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card worth it?

If you need a 0% intro APR for as long as possible, then the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is worth getting. It gives you plenty of time to pay off purchases and balance transfers without incurring interest charges. Those who can make do with a shorter intro APR period should look for cards with more benefits, such as cash rewards and a welcome offer.

Author's note

The nice thing about credit cards with a 0% intro APR is that it's easy to compare them. The key factor is how long the intro rate lasts -- on purchases, balance transfers, or both, depending on what you need the card for. For example, if you have a lot of debt and are looking for a way to refinance it, then you'd probably want to go with the card that has the longest 0% intro APR on balance transfers. Wells Fargo has done a great job in this regard. Not only does this card have a lengthy introductory period, it applies to purchases and balance transfers.

Want to know what other sites and real cardholders think of the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card? Here's what we found.

What our competitors think

Average competitor rating: 4.1 / 5 stars

After reading reviews from five other top sites, there's a pretty clear consensus about this Wells Fargo card. We all agree that the 0% intro APR offer is excellent, making it one of the best credit cards for avoiding interest, and that the cellphone protection is a valuable extra.

Everyone's in agreement about this card's drawbacks, too: Lack of rewards, a high balance transfer fee, and a foreign transaction fee. The only difference of opinion is the overall rating each of us gave this card.

The social media consensus

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card hasn't exactly set the social media world on fire, but responses have generally been positive. It's widely recognized as an excellent 0% intro APR and balance transfer card.

Some cardholders have called out the balance transfer fee of 5%, min: $5, since that's more than the 3% charged by several other cards. But they also acknowledge that 21 months from account opening is a long time to pay off credit card debt.

Perfect for saving on interest with a long 0% intro APR

If you need to avoid interest charges for as long as possible, look no further. The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card has a 0% intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for 21 months from account opening. That's nearly two years where you won't be paying credit card interest.

Balance transfers made within the first 120 days qualify for the intro rate. After the intro period ends, the go-to 18.24%, 24.74%, or 29.99% Variable APR applies on your card's balance going forward.

This is the longest 0% intro APR I've seen. Since it applies to purchases and balance transfers, there are all kinds of ways to use it. You could:

• Put a home improvement project on this Wells Fargo card, instead of paying for it with an expensive loan.
• Set up balance transfers for any credit card debt you have. Don't forget to make the balance transfers within 120 days, so they qualify for the introductory rate.
• Use this card to cover big emergency expenses, and then pay them off over time.

Keeps your smartphone safe with complimentary insurance coverage

Considering how much smartphones cost, and the many hazards they seem to face, it's a good idea to have yours insured. They may seem affordable when you're paying them off across 24 monthly payments. When you lose one and need to pay MSRP for a new iPhone, that's when you realize it costs about as much as a rent payment.

If you have this card and use it to pay your monthly cellphone bill, you won't need to shell out extra for insurance. It has complimentary cellphone protection of up to $600, with a $25 deductible. This covers damage, theft, and involuntary or accidental parting (when you know where your phone is, but it's impractical to recover it).

No rewards: Limited value outside of the intro APR

The biggest drawback with this card is that it doesn't offer any sort of rewards program. That means:

• There's no welcome bonus. Some credit cards offer welcome bonuses of $200 or more for new cardholders.
• There are no purchase rewards. Other cards earn cash rewards or points on all your eligible purchases, which can add up over time. It's possible to earn $500 or more every year in rewards this way, depending on how much you spend.

To be fair, this card has special offers through My Wells Fargo Deals, where you can earn cash back statement credits on shopping, dining, and experiences you pay for with your eligible Wells Fargo card. But earning some statement credits here and there isn't nearly as valuable as earning cash rewards on all your everyday purchases.

Because of the lack of rewards, this card doesn't have much long-term value. Once the 0% intro APR ends, there's no incentive to continue using it. You're better off switching to a rewards credit card at that point.

It's worth noting that there are 0% APR credit cards that also have rewards programs. They just have shorter 0% APR intro periods. If you don't need the entire 21 months from account opening this Wells Fargo card offers, then it could make more sense to pick a card with a shorter intro period that earns rewards.

Costly fees on balance transfers and foreign transactions

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is a great balance transfer card because of its 0% intro APR. But it also has a balance transfer fee of 5%, min: $5.

Balance transfer cards normally have a fee like this, but some of them only charge 3%. It may not seem like much, but if you're transferring $5,000, that 2% difference would cost you an extra $100. If you don't need 21 months from account opening to get out of debt, you may want to look at more credit card reviews and pick a card with a lower balance transfer fee.

There's also a foreign transaction fee of 3%, which is another reason why this isn't the best card for long-term use. If you ever travel outside the United States, it's important to have a card you can use without any extra fees, like a travel credit card

Wells Fargo Reflect® Card credit score

A FICO® Score of 670 or higher, which is considered good credit, is suggested to apply for the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card. Keep in mind that credit card applications depend on many factors, including your income and other parts of your financial profile.

Pre-approval process

Wells Fargo offers an online prequalification tool. All you need to do is provide some basic information, and you'll see any prequalified credit card offers you have with Wells Fargo, which may or may not include the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card.

Intro APR

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card has a 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. Balance transfers made within 120 days from account opening qualify for the introductory rate.

Fees

Here are the fees for the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card:

• Annual fee: $0
• Balance transfer fee: 5%, min: $5
• Cash advance fee: 5% ($10 minimum)
• Foreign transaction fee: 3% of each transaction converted into U.S. dollars
• Late payment fee: Up to $40

Credit limit

The minimum credit limit on the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is $1,000. It's possible to get a much larger amount -- some cardholders have reported being approved for limits of over $25,000. When you're approved for this card, Wells Fargo sets a credit limit based on several factors, primarily your income and credit history.

If you want to earn cash rewards: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card earns an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases and has a $200 cash rewards welcome bonus for spending $500 in the first three months. This card's intro APR doesn't last as long, but if you don't need as long as 21 months, then its cash rewards could make it a better choice.

If you want a lower balance transfer fee: The Citi Double Cash® Card has a balance transfer fee of 3% ($5 min.) on transfers in the first four months, 5% ($5 min.) thereafter. Those transfers also qualify for a 0% intro APR for 18 months. If you can pay off your debt within a year and a half, this card is a good choice, because you'll save money on fees.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.