Earn $200 in Cash Rewards After Spending $500 With This Credit Card

Most of us wouldn't say no to an extra $200 cash rewards. With the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (see rates and fees), you can earn that as a welcome bonus in your first three months as a cardholder (terms apply).

This is one of the top cash rewards cards, so it's worth checking out if you've been looking for a way to add to your savings or investments. Here are all the details on its welcome bonus, its cash rewards rate, and how much you could earn with it.

Here's how much the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card earns

When you open the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you can earn a $200 cash rewards welcome bonus for spending $500 in the first three months. It's one of the more valuable welcome offers, especially considering this card has a $0 annual fee.

It's also one of the easiest welcome offers to earn. You only need to spend $500 in three months, which breaks down to about $170 per month.

As great as the welcome offer is, this Wells Fargo card has another feature that's even more valuable: unlimited 2% cash rewards on all purchases. That rate applies no matter where you use your card.

So, for every $10,000 in purchases you make on your card, you earn $200 cash rewards. If you spend $30,000 per year, that's $600 in cash rewards. If you put $50,000 in purchases on your card, you'd earn a whopping $1,000 in cash rewards. And you'd also have that extra $200 cash rewards from the welcome bonus.

How can you use cash rewards?

You may be wondering how cash rewards work and if they're really as good as cash. The answer is yes. Wells Fargo gives you several ways to redeem the cash rewards you've earned on this card. Here are your options:

• Redeem for purchases you've made on your credit card. For example, if you made a $20 purchase, you could offset it with $20 in cash rewards. You can use this option with as little as $1 in cash rewards.
• Redeem as a credit toward an eligible Wells Fargo account. Options include an eligible Wells Fargo credit card, checking account, or mortgage.
• Redeem at an ATM. If you have a Wells Fargo ATM or debit card, you can take out cash rewards in $20 increments.
• Redeem for gift cards. Sometimes Wells Fargo has discounted gift cards available, so your cash rewards could be worth even more.
• Pay with cash rewards on PayPal. You can put your cash rewards toward purchases when you checkout with PayPal online.

The easiest option is usually to put your cash rewards toward purchases you've made on your credit card. By lowering your credit card bill this way, you'll save some money when you make your payment.

Pro tip: Consider banking whatever money you save. If you lower your credit card bill by $50 with cash rewards, transfer $50 to a high-yield savings account to build your savings. Or send $50 to retirement accounts and invest it. It may not seem like a lot, but over time, it adds up.

A great welcome bonus -- and much more

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card has just about everything you need in a rewards card. The welcome bonus and the 2% unlimited cash rewards give it some serious earning potential.

It's recommended that applicants for this card have good credit, meaning a credit score of 670 or higher. If your credit score is in that range, and you've been looking for a cash rewards card, consider applying. The sooner you open the account, the sooner you can start earning rewards.