Booking a trip through Wells Fargo Go Far® Rewards

If you are a Wells Fargo rewards cardholder, you have probably spent some time on Go Far Rewards® – the bank’s rewards redemption platform. But is it the best way to book travel purchases? Wells Fargo points are pretty flexible and can be redeemed for cash or statement credits once you’ve reached 2,500 points. This makes it easy to apply rewards points to travel booked on other platforms. Plus, deals on Go Far Rewards seem to be a bit more limited than other booking sites.

However, despite slightly higher rates on flights and hotels than other booking sites, Go Far Rewards travel can be very rewarding for Wells Fargo rewards cardholders (especially Wells Fargo Visa Signature users) who follow a few simple tips.

What is the Go Far Rewards travel portal?

Go Far Rewards is Wells Fargo’s redemption portal for credit card rewards, allowing users to shop for merchandise, gift cards, digital entertainment and travel purchases with their rewards points or cash back. The travel portal within Go Far Rewards works similarly to third-party booking sites, and users can search for flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and more in one location.

Premium rewards without an annual fee

Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card
Why should you get it? With a 3X rewards rate on major categories, including restaurants, gas and travel, the Wells Fargo Propel card is more rewarding than your average no-annual-fee card. Learn more	More things to know: 20,000 points if you spend $1,000 in first 3 months 3X points for eating out and ordering in 3X points for gas stations, rideshares and transit 3X points for travel including flights, hotels, homestays and car rentals 1X points on other purchases $0 annual fee

How to book a trip with Go Far Rewards

If you have a Wells Fargo rewards card, booking a trip through Go Far Rewards is very straightforward. When you log into your account, you can toggle between different kinds of travel purchases or view an interactive price map to pick your next vacation spot.

 

No matter what kind of purchase you make through the Go Far Rewards travel portal, you’ll have the option to pay entirely or partially with your points or online cash rewards. Every search result will include the cost of the trip in both U.S. dollars and points (or cash rewards if you have a cash back card). For the most part, travel purchases will cost you the same in rewards as they do in cash, but you can occasionally find special deals.

Booking flights

To find a flight through the Go Far Rewards travel portal, you’ll simply need to put in your travel dates, destination and number of travelers. Like many third party booking sites, Go Far Rewards gives a quick breakdown of prices by airline and number of stops above your search results.

 

One unique factor about the Go Far Rewards travel portal that sets it apart is its inclusion of Southwest Airlines rates – since the airline is well-known for keeping its information off of third-party sites. Wells Fargo credit card holders therefore have extra visibility into the best deals.

Booking hotels

To find a hotel on Go Far Rewards, simply enter information about your destination and date of travel. You then have the option to view available properties in a list or on a map, to ensure you are staying in the part of town you want to.

Booking cruises

Go Far Rewards also allows users to book cruises, offering special deals in addition to showing results based on destination, cruise line and duration of trip.

 

To help you get a better idea of what voyage is best for you, you can view a map of the cruise’s destinations before making your selection.

 

Booking car rentals

When you book a car rental, your search results will include a quick breakdown of available rental companies and a price comparison.

 

Though a small savings, the example above demonstrates a result where paying in rewards costs less than paying in cash. Whether you earn points or online cash rewards on your Wells Fargo Rewards card, be sure to compare the listed prices carefully and keep an eye out for special offers.

Booking vacation packages

If you are the kind of traveler who likes to keep all of your bookings together rather than keep track of several separate purchases, check out Go Far Rewards vacation packages. All you need is a destination and trip duration to filter to all sorts of unique trips.

Once you’ve found a package you are interested in, the booking process will work a bit differently than other purchases. Submitting your information works as a request, and a vacation planner will contact you within 48 hours to discuss trip details and what is included.

Booking experiences

In addition to flights, hotels, cruises and vacation packages, you can use your Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards points or online cash rewards to book hundreds of unique experiences, such as theme park tours or outdoor adventures. You can search all the available opportunities based on location.

 

Drawbacks to booking travel through Go Far Rewards

With a wide breadth of available travel purchases and the ability to pay with rewards, cash or a combination of the two, booking a trip through the Go Far Rewards travel portal seems like a no-brainer. However, there are a few drawbacks to using the platform.

No hotel elite benefits

Because the Go Far Rewards portal is a third-party booking site, you won’t enjoy any hotel elite benefits with your favorite brand when you book stays this way. If perks like free Wi-Fi, late checkout and complimentary breakfast are an important part of your vacations, you might want to consider cashing your rewards in for a statement credit and booking directly with the hotel.

Only rewards cardholders can book through Go Far Rewards

While other bank travel portals – such as American Express Travel – allow anyone to book a trip with their site, Go Far Rewards is limited to Wells Fargo credit card holders. If you only have a checking or savings account with the bank, you won’t be able to access the platform.

Is booking through Go Far Rewards worth it?

For many Wells Fargo cardholders, booking through Go Far Rewards can get great value out of your points or cash back. However, there are a few important factors to consider before deciding if using the portal is best for you.

Go Far Rewards rates compared to other booking sites

Though its rates are competitive, the Go Far Rewards travel portal might not always get you the best value on your trip. For example, take the five-night stay at Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston Logan Airport Chelsea pictured above. The nightly rate for a suite booked through Go Far Rewards comes out to $157, but booking through a site like Hotels.com or Expedia can save you a few dollars. The same stay on these two sites averaged a $125 nightly rate.

	Go Far Rewards travel portal	Hotels.com	Expedia
Suite (1 King bed)	$157	$125	$125

No matter what kind of travel purchase you are booking, you’ll want to check out rates on other travel sites to ensure you are getting a fair deal.

No airline blackout dates

Unlike many airline rewards programs, Go Far Rewards doesn’t impose any blackout dates on flights when booking with points. If you need to travel during a busy time of year, booking through Go Far Rewards might include more options.

Use points or cash rewards to cover your trip

If you have plenty of Go Far Rewards points or online cash rewards stockpiled on your Wells Fargo Rewards card, booking travel through the Go Far Rewards portal is one of the easiest ways to redeem your rewards. Though you are able to redeem points for a statement credit, you’ll need a minimum of 2,500 points to choose this option. When booking through Wells Fargo’s portal, you can redeem any portion of your points.

Higher point value with Wells Fargo Visa Signature card

If you have a Wells Fargo Visa Signature card, booking travel through Go Far Rewards is almost always a great value. With the Visa Signature, your points are worth 50 percent more when redeemed for airfare through Go Far Rewards.

Tips for maximizing the Go Far Rewards travel portal

• Sign up for a Visa Signature card (if you don’t have one already) to take advantage of a higher point value for flight purchases.
• Compare rates with other booking sites to ensure you are getting the best deal. You can redeem points for cash or statement credits to book elsewhere.
• Pay anything you can’t cover with points or online cash rewards with a Wells Fargo Propel to earn more points toward your next trip. The card earns users 3 points per dollar on travel purchases.
• Check out vacation packages and experiences for unique trips and savings.

Bottom line

Wells Fargo credit card holders, especially Visa Signature cardholders, can get great value out of their points by booking travel through Go Far Rewards. But if finding the lowest price or hotel elite benefits are a top priority, you might be better off cashing out your points and booking elsewhere.

See related: Earn 20,000 bonus points with Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card, Wells Fargo Propel vs. Capital One Venture