It’s not every day a major credit card issuer designs a product just for you. And yet, that’s apparently what Wells Fargo recently did.
I’m talking about the new Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card, which was introduced in June. The response was initially skeptical; many noted its unusual bonus categories, which focus more on self-care, sustainability, and lifestyle purchases rather than the typical travel purchases or everyday essentials like gas or groceries.
As my colleagues and I chatted about the Attune, many seemed to wonder, “Who is this for?” My immediate response was…well, me!
As someone with a dual-income household, three pets I love to spoil and a love for public transit, the new Wells Fargo card could not be more perfectly suited to my lifestyle. And I’m willing to bet that many consumers – especially millennials and Gen Z-ers who live in cities – will feel the same.
A weekend spent with the Attune Card
Let me describe my idea of a perfect weekend: it begins on Friday night, when my wife and I hop on the bus to get to the venue where we’ll be seeing our favorite band live. On Saturday, I might pop into the bookstore nearby to pick up a couple of new releases I’ve had my eye on. Or I might summon the energy needed to go to the gym. If we’re feeling really adventurous, we might make the drive to the Camden Aquarium, because my wife loves the shark tunnel.
Sundays are our errands days: a quick trip to the flower shop to pick up some fresh flowers because I think starting the week off with fresh flowers in the house makes all the difference. Then, it’s time to drop our dog — a 70-pound giant schnoodle named Yoko Ono — off at the groomer. On the way home, my wife asks to stop at the craft store for more yarn that she needs to finish the blanket that she’s been crocheting for months.
This is a typical summer weekend for my household, which consists of my wife, me, our dog and our two cats. And nearly all of it would be rewarded by the Attune Card — yes, even Yoko’s haircut and my wife’s yarn. With Wells Fargo’s new card, which aims to reward self-care and “planet-friendly purchases,” I could earn cash back — in the form of Wells Fargo Cash Rewards — for everything from my city bus ride to our aquarium trip.
Wells Fargo Attune Spending Categories
The Attune Card was designed to “reward cardholders on their purchases that impact their wellbeing, their pets, and the world around them,” according to a Wells Fargo press release. And the card’s spending categories certainly deliver on this promise, with many categories that are typically underrepresented among the most popular reward cards.
My lifestyle prioritizes shopping local, taking in local art and entertainment and doing what I can to live sustainably, which often means using public transit and buying things secondhand. My wife and I treat our pets like our kids, meaning a good portion of our budget goes to pet grooming, pet food and toys — we even have a stroller for our two cats so that we can take them to the park. The Attune Card rewards all of these, and at an impressive 4 percent cash reward rate.
Take a closer look at the categories below:
Attune cardholder benefits I love
It’s not just the wide variety of Attune’s bonus categories that draw me to the card. First of all, the rewards rate for these spending categories stands out compared to other cards — an unlimited 4 percent on all of the above categories (and then 1 percent on all other purchases). If you don’t spend much on purchases or activities that fall within these categories, the card might not be worth much. But I would easily take advantage of most of them every month.
In addition to 4 percent cash rewards in the Attune’s bonus categories, the card also offers benefits like:
- No annual fee
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases (19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% variable APR thereafter)
- Security benefits including Mastercard Global Service, Mastercard ID Theft Protection and Zero Liability Protection
- Mastercard travel benefits such as Concierge Service and Mastercard Travel & Lifestyle Services
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Access to personalized deals through My Wells Fargo Deals
- Free credit score tracking with Credit Close-Up®
With a focus on sustainability and impactful choices, the Attune Card is also made from recycled materials and you’ll automatically be enrolled in paperless statements.
Who should get the Wells Fargo Attune Card?
This is a card that rewards a very specific kind of person — if you prioritize health and wellness, spend a lot of money on live entertainment or attractions like zoos and aquariums, give up a good chunk of your paycheck for your fur babies, or take a lot of public transportation, the Attune Card is calling your name.
And I’m not the only one on our team who is hearing the call. Liza Carrasquillo, a credit cards editor at Bankrate, is also excited about the Attune Card and the chance to earn cash rewards in unique bonus categories that fit her lifestyle and interests:
As someone who spends more than I care to admit on collectibles and gaming merchandise, the Attune Card’s ‘Create & Collect’ category in particular stood out to me. Plus, the card rewards ‘planet-friendly purchases’ like taking public transportation and buying things secondhand, which I try to do as much as possible. I can’t think of many other cards that reward my interests in such a unique way.
— Liza Carrasquillo, Credit Cards Editor
Much like Liza, I’m drawn to the Attune Card because it doesn’t just fit my lifestyle — it rewards it, in ways that most credit cards don’t. I don’t do much traveling, so travel cards don’t hold much value for me. I have a fairly simple credit card portfolio: I have the Apple Card*, which I use for all of my grocery shopping and dining (while getting 2 percent Daily Cash back where Apple Pay is accepted), and a Citi Double Cash® Card, which I’ve used for a balance transfer.
Adding the Attune Card to my wallet would fill some pretty significant gaps, as I could net 4 percent cash rewards while doing things I do every week for fun, like buying books or stocking up on art supplies, in addition to paying for my bus rides and gym memberships. Most significantly, the Attune Card would allow me to get rewarded for one of my biggest monthly expenses: my beloved pets.
Let’s take a look at a spending example, using my typical spending I described earlier, assuming I made purchases within those same categories throughout the year:
| Annual spending | Amount | Wells Fargo cash rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Self-care (gym membership, a haircut and misc. wellness expenses) | $2,000 | $80 (unlimited 4 percent cash rewards) |
| Entertainment (streaming services, bookstores and movie theaters) | $1,350 | $54 |
| Create & collect (Art supplies and other hobby-related purchases) | $1,200 | $48 |
| Pet care (grooming, pet boarding and pet food) | $2,500 | $100 |
| Live entertainment (concerts and live theater) | $600 | $24 |
| Planet-friendly purchases (public transit and thrift stores) | $400 | $16 |
| Total rewards | – | $322 Wells Fargo Cash Rewards yearly |
Keep in mind, this is the total for the bonus categories that earn 4 percent cash rewards. If I were to use the Attune for other purchases, like dining out or filling up my tank, I would also earn 1 percent on those.
The bottom line
Does the Attune Card fit everyone’s spending habits or lifestyle? Definitely not, but it’s not supposed to. With their new rewards card, Wells Fargo is targeting a very specific demographic: millennial and gen-z city dwellers with pets who want to prioritize eco-friendly habits.
Rather than rewarding international travel like so many of the most popular credit cards, this card encourages public transportation and supporting your local community. While this card doesn’t reward you for shopping at grocery stores or wholesale clubs, “fun” shopping that city dwellers tend to do are included, from independent bookstores to antique shops.
If you — like me — find yourself spending more money on books and theater tickets than you do on travel, or if you’re just looking for a new card to add to your wallet that rewards some of those fun miscellaneous purchases that aren’t singled out by your other cards’ bonus categories, consider taking advantage of Wells Fargo’s newest card.
*The information about the Wells Fargo Attune℠ Card and the Apple Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
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