Update 11/3/22: The rule is now one Wells Fargo card each 6 months rather than the previous 15-month rule. This is one per 6 months across all personal Wells Fargo cards. (“You may not qualify for an additional Wells Fargo credit card if you have opened a Wells Fargo credit card in the last 6 months.”) The Hotels.com card still shows the 15 month rule from when you got your last Hotels.com card.
Update 10/5/19: Terms now say ‘may not’ rather than ‘will not’. Not sure if this is really a change or just a lawyer verbiage change for no real reason. Hat tip to reader JC
Update 01/30/18: It looks like the use 15 month language in both places now, so this is really a 15 month rule.
Some time ago Wells Fargo added exclusionary language to their credit card applications. Under the terms and conditions you can find the following:
If you opened a Wells Fargo credit card within the last 16 months, you will not qualify for the introductory rate(s), fees and bonus offers.
It goes into a bit more detail here:
Eligibility for introductory rate(s), fees, and bonus rewards offersIf you opened a Wells Fargo credit card account during the last 15 months from the date of this application you will not be eligible for the introductory APR(s) or bonus rewards offers until the 1st day of the calendar month after the 15 month anniversary.
Contents
Is This Actually Enforced?
I’m not 100% sure why but I was under the impression that this rule is not actually enforced. This is incorrect, as many readers have pointed out and it is enforced. If anybody knows the exact dates that this type of language was added, let us know in the comments.
Bypass The Rule?
One person was able to get around this by signing up for two cards on the same day. Another reader was unsuccesful in doing this and they were told that their second application was marked as a duplicate.
F.A.Q’s
Does this apply across all cards or is it card specific?
All Wells Fargo cards have this language in the fine print. In addition if you sign up for the Wells Fargo Visa Signature then you’d need to wait 15/16 months to get the Wells Fargo Propel world for example.
Final Thoughts
We will add this to our list of churnable credit cards.
So, if we’re understanding this new wording correctly, it says we can “qualify” for a new WF credit card after 6 months from the last one, but the real question is, do you still qualify for the sign up bonus?
They seemed to inconveniently remove that part from their original wording. Looks like a few people are wondering the same thing in the comments section below, but no replies yet. Hopefully someone here can help confirm.
I got Autograph last month, so does this mean that I can apply for Active in 6 months?
Can anyone please help me confirm? thanks
Good, GOOD! (Emperor voice)
It worked. I just was approved for WF Autograph, even though the latest WF card I got less than a year ago.
Did you still qualify for the sign up bonus?
Seems like they are gearing up to launch next round of reward cards and they want people who got Active Cash/Reflect last/this year still be eligible for new card/s
Actually this change happened right when the WF Autograph launched back in July. There were a lot of posts on r/creditcards about it.
Has anyone actually received a bonus from Wells Fargo for a personal card more than 15 months from opening their last personal card, but less than 15 months from closing it?
There are a couple old data points of Wells Fargo telling people they count from when you closed/had the last card, not when you opened it:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wells-fargo-cash-wise-visa-credit-card-full-review/#comment-429707
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wells-fargo-one-bonus-per-16-month-rule/#comment-396154
Anyone know if this applies to WF business cards as well. Was going to open a WF Business Platinum.
Thx
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/best-current-credit-card-sign-bonuses/#Wells_Fargo_Business_Platinum_8211_500
There should be plenty of DP’s in that thread. Please check for DPs before you ask questions that have been answered before.
EDIT: What makes it worse is that there are MULTIPLE DPs on this page.
Having opened a WF personal card in last 6 months has no bearing on Business card bonuses.
In addition, WF Business cards have their own set of bonus eligibility rules based on when last card was opened:
“Offer is not available if the business already has a Wells Fargo business credit card or had a Wells Fargo business credit card opened or closed in the immediately preceding 12 months.”
@ William Charles
It looks like the terms have been updated again. They now say “Eligibility for introductory rate(s), fees, and bonus rewards offers
You may not be eligible for introductory annual percentage rates, fees, and/or bonus rewards offers if you opened a Wells Fargo Credit Card within the last 15 months from the date of this application and you received introductory APR(s), fees, and/or bonus rewards offers, even if that account is closed and has a $0 balance.
You may not qualify for an additional Wells Fargo credit card if you have opened a Wells Fargo credit card in the last 6 months.”
As such, the terms are more ambiguous than in the past since they replaced the words “will not” with “may not.” However, the issue I am confused about is whether this now means if you are approved for another card prior to the 15 months that you will receive introductory rates and signup offers or whether some people may be approved with a promotional offer and others denied the promotional offer.
LoL… “May not” sounds so much nicer than “Will not”.
Just FYI, to tag someone, when you type the @ sign and the name, don’t use a space, and you have to click on the person you want to tag (except for Will). So, to tag you,
JC, I typed @ sign, no space, JC, clicked on you, and your @guest number populated. That number correlates to the message number.
Nice research, overall. Guess we need some DP’s!
William Charles
It sounds like the limit depends on when you opened the card, not when the bonus posts. Is that correct? It would make a big difference, particularly with the Visa Signature, where they consider the 5X on up to $12,500 of supermarket and drugstore spend over the first 6 months to be a bonus.
That seems correct. I have the Propel World and would very much like to get the Visa Signature in addition, to redeem for 1.5% on travel. My WF banker inquired and confirmed: that the earning on the Visa Signature for the first six months is considered “bonus”. So I can either forego the bonus and apply after 6 months of the Propel World application, or would have to wait out the 15 months to receive the bonus.