Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card vs Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
Annual fees: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card $95/yr, Wells Fargo Active Cash Card $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card on hotels, Wells Fargo Active Cash Card on everyday spending.
Card data as of October 12, 2026.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardCapital One · $95/yr
Wells Fargo Active Cash CardWells Fargo · No annual fee
Overview
- Annual fee
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card$95Wells Fargo Active Cash Card$0Lowest
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card75,000 milesWells Fargo Active Cash Card$100 cash back
- Rewards
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardCapital One MilesWells Fargo Active Cash CardCash back
- Foreign transaction fee
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardNoneLowestWells Fargo Active Cash Card3%
- Network
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardMastercard World EliteWells Fargo Active Cash CardVisa Signature
Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other
- Everything else
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card2xWells Fargo Active Cash Card2%
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
- Travel
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- $300 Stays Credit (1st Year) · $300 one-time
- $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck · $120 every 4 years
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card—
Perks & access— means none on record
- Lounges
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Lounge access at $45/visit
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card— - Hotel status & programs
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- $50 Lifestyle Collection
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card- 900+ luxury hotel properties with exclusive perks
- Car rental
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Free Hertz Five Star Elite Status with Premium Benefits
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card— - Other perks
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Get 50% Off All Handcrafted Beverages at Capital One Cafes
- Exclusive Capital One Dining Access to Popular Restaurants
- Exclusive Capital One Entertainment Access with VIP Packages
- Zero Foreign Transaction Fees on All International Purchases
- Around the Clock 24 Hour Travel Help
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card- 24/7 Visa Signature Concierge service
- Extra cash back at select merchants with personalized deals
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
- Trip insurance
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Travel Accident Cover at No Extra Charge
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card— - Rental car
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Secondary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver for Rental
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card- Up to $50,000 rental car coverage when you decline the count
- Purchase & returns
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Automatic Price Drop Cover and Price Match Guarantee
- Purchase Security up to $10,000 per claim
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card— - Extended warranty
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Extended Warranty Protection up to $10,000 per claim
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card— - Cell phone
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card—Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
- Up to $600 coverage for damaged or stolen phones
- Other protections
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Credit monitoring
- Card Replacement and Cash Advance When Traveling Abroad
- Zero Dollar Fraud Liability Cover on All Unauthorized
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card- 24/7 worldwide travel and emergency assistance
- Get emergency cash and card replacement worldwide
- Check your FICO score anytime for free
- 24/7 roadside help with free towing up to 5 miles
Pros & cons
- Pros
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Unlimited 2X miles on every purchase with no category tracking required
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- One-time $300 stays credit for hotels and vacation rentals in the first year
- 75,000 mile welcome bonus after $4,000 spend in 3 months
- TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit ($120 value every 4 years)
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card- Unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase with no category limits
- No annual fee
- $100 welcome bonus after just $500 spend in 3 months
- 0% intro APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers
- Cell phone protection up to $600 per claim when paying bill with card
- Cons
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- $95 annual fee (only partly offset by the one-time first-year stays credit)
- No lounge access or premium travel perks like Venture X
- 5X earning requires booking through Capital One Travel portal
- 2X flat rate beaten by category-specific cards in dining, groceries, etc.
Wells Fargo Active Cash Card- 3% foreign transaction fee makes it poor for international use
- No bonus categories - heavy dining/travel spenders earn less than category cards
- Points have no transfer partners (cash back only)
- Requires good to excellent credit
- Penalty APR of 29.99% for late payments
Category-by-Category Winner
No unconditional category winner — 3 categories depend on how you earn.
Hotels
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Wells Fargo Active Cash Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Car Rentals
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Wells Fargo Active Cash Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Vacation Rentals
Depends: via issuer travel portal
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5X when conditions are met; Wells Fargo Active Cash Card earns 2X (2X without restrictions)
Year One vs Ongoing Value
Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.
Ongoing value favors the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card; year-one value favors the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
| Scenario | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Wells Fargo Active Cash Card | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $312 Credits (our usable estimate): $30 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $247 Year one: $1,402 | Rewards: $348 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $348 Year one: $448 | Wells Fargo Active Cash Card | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $1,248 Credits (our usable estimate): $30 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $1,183 Year one: $2,338 | Rewards: $1,392 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $1,392 Year one: $1,492 | Wells Fargo Active Cash Card | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card |
Is the Fee Difference Worth It?
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card costs $95/yr — that's $95 more than the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $95 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card includes travel credits, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $95 fee gap for your own usage.
Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $95 fee gap means the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card needs roughly $95 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on hotels and car rentals and everyday spend.
What You Give Up
Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.
Choosing Wells Fargo Active Cash Card means losing:
- -Global Entry credit
The Bottom Line
Ongoing value favors the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card; year-one value favors the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Published annual fees: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card $95/yr, Wells Fargo Active Cash Card $0/yr — a $95 difference before welcome offers and credits.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card worth the higher annual fee?
- The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card costs $95/yr vs $0/yr for the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $95 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card also lists travel credits).
- Which card earns more rewards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Wells Fargo Active Cash Card?
- Both cards earn 2X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
- What benefits does the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card have that the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card doesn't?
- The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers travel credits. The Wells Fargo Active Cash Card offers cell phone protection.
- Should I get the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card?
- Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card has a lower $0/yr fee; the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $95/yr.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.