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What’s the Best Credit Card for Couples?
August 30, 2024
You may want to start consolidating your finances after you’ve been in a serious relationship for a while. Piling up your income and expenses together can be a great way to save cash—and it’s also a way to take your relationship to the next level.
If you’re in a place where you’d like to start sharing finances with your partner, and you want to earn rewards for your trouble, it might be time to explore couples’ credit cards.
If you’re ready to share a credit card account with your significant other, there are loads of credit card companies that offer ways to do it—whether it’s via a joint account or adding your loved one onto an existing account as an authorized user.
This guide explains various credit card strategies for couples and breaks down four of the best credit cards for couples.
Can a couple have a joint credit card?
Yes, a couple can have a joint credit card together. You don’t need to get married to do it, either!
As long as both people are over 18, meet the eligibility criteria, and are willing to accept joint responsibility for the account, then you can share a credit card with practically anyone.
There are generally two ways that you can share a credit card with your partner, regardless of whether they’re a spouse or significant other. Let’s go over them now.
Apply for a joint credit card
Some credit card companies will offer products where more than one person gets listed as the primary cardholder. That means both parties are listed on the account and are equally responsible.
Although this is a joint credit card in the most traditional sense, it’s worth bearing in mind that it’s becoming less and less common. Most credit card issuers don’t offer joint credit card accounts like this anymore. So it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to get yourself this type of arrangement.
Add an authorized user
Since very few card issuers offer true joint credit cards anymore, this is now the easiest and most popular option.
First, one person will apply for their own credit card individually. Then, you can add your spouse or partner as an authorized user after the fact.
An authorized user is someone who’s been added to the account by the primary cardholder. This lets them access the account, make purchases, and generate reward points.
But the big difference between this and a true joint credit card is that additional authorized users aren’t responsible for repaying the balance on the account. This responsibility will always fall upon the main account holder who opened the account.
Adding someone as an authorized user is a great option if either you or your partner has a poor credit history and can’t get approved as a primary cardholder for a card of their own.
Becoming an authorized user and using your couple’s card responsibly can even boost your credit score. Just be sure to check that your card issuer is reporting your transactions to the three big credit bureaus.
Also, be aware that authorized users don’t get their own sign-up bonus. So there’s no double-dipping when it comes to rewards. Some credit card companies might want an extra fee to add an authorized user to your existing account.
Keeping credit card accounts separate
Of course, another option that might work for you as a couple is to simply keep your credit card accounts separate.
If you’ve already both got your own separate finances all sorted out, it might be simpler to stick with what you’ve already got as separate primary cardholders. It can be a lot of work to cancel your existing credit cards or switch banks when you already have separate savings accounts.
Although keeping things separate might not feel as “couple-y,” it can help you to maximize rewards and benefits. For example, you could both apply for the same card and (if approved) double your sign-up bonus as well as your total credit capacity.
Just be aware: By going with this option, you’ve got more credit accounts to keep track of, and you can’t boost one another’s credit with your own responsible activity.
It’s also easier to keep purchases secret with separate credit card accounts, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
On the one hand, having a separate credit card allows you to buy a surprise gift for your significant other without them seeing it on the shared credit card statement. (Although if you share a card, you could get around this by using your credit card to purchase gift cards and then spending those.)
On the other hand, it can make it harder to coordinate finances when things are kept separate. And if either of you is irresponsible with money, that person could secretly rack up thousands of dollars in debt without the other partner knowing, hurting their credit history.
Want to start looking through all of your couples’ credit card options? Try our card explorer tool for free.
Best credit card for couples
The best credit card for you and your partner will depend on your personal situation, financial goals, and other factors. However, here are four of our top recommendations for the best credit cards for couples.
Best credit for couples who love to travel: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is worth checking out if you and your partner want to work together to build up rewards points faster on a travel credit card. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card, you can add your significant other as an authorized user for free.
You can earn 60,000 bonus points if you and your partner are able to spend a combined $4,000 within the first three months of opening the account. That represents $1,000 in credit card rewards on purchases when you redeem your points using Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
There are also no foreign transaction fees, which makes it simple to use this travel rewards card on vacations together.
You’ll also get $50 worth of annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x points on travel purchases you make using Chase Ultimate Rewards®, triple points on eating out, and double points on every other travel purchase you make.
Note: Although it’s free to add authorized users, this card will charge you an annual fee of $95. Your interest rates will be 20.49%–27.49% with a variable APR.
Best credit card for couples, with no annual fee: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card lets you and your partner work together to earn a $200 cash rewards bonus when you spend $1,000 in everyday purchases in the first three months of opening the account.
This is another card where it’s free to add an authorized user onto your account.
It’s also got a useful promotional period: 0.00% introductory APR for 15 months (including balance transfers).
This introductory offer can be incredibly useful if you and your partner need to make one or more big one-off expenses after setting up your account—for example, getting furniture for a new apartment together. It’s also a way to put interest payments on hold while paying down any existing debt that either of you are bringing to the relationship.
After that, you’re looking at 19.49%-29.49% variable APR. This card also charges a 3% foreign transaction fee for any charges made internationally.
You’ll also earn unlimited 2% cash rewards with this card on your eligible purchases—all with no annual fee.
Best couples credit card for everyday purchases: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express can be a smart option for couples wanting to maximize rewards on everyday purchases.
You can earn 6% cash back on everyday spending at U.S. supermarkets (cap of $6,000 per year), 6% cash back on streaming subscriptions (Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, and YouTube TV), and 3% on transportation.
There’s no annual fee for the first year—however, it’ll cost you $95 per year after that.
You and your partner will also benefit from a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, you’ll move on to a variable APR of between 18.49% and 29.49%. There’s also a 3% foreign transaction fee if you plan on using your card abroad.
You can add an authorized user to your American Express account for free.
Best couples credit cards for rotating rewards: Chase Freedom Flex℠
If you and your partner are looking for the best credit card for couples to build a wide range of rewards, you may want to consider the Chase Freedom Flex℠ credit card.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ gives you 5% cash back in quarterly bonus rotating categories through Chase Ultimate Rewards® (up to a maximum cap of $1,500).
You’ll also get 5% cash back on travel that you book through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1% cash back on everything else.
There’s no annual fee, and a useful intro APR of 0% for 15 months (after that, a variable APR of 19.49%–28.24%).
You also get a $200 bonus if you spend $500 in the first three months from account opening.
It’s free to add an authorized user to your Chase Freedom Flex℠ account.
Finding the best credit card for you and your partner
If you’re hunting for the best credit card for couples, you’ve got a few options. You can choose to set up a joint credit card account or keep your credit account separate from your partner—but the most common route is to set your partner up as an authorized user.
There is a range of options worth exploring if you want to go this route. The right card for you and your partner will depend on your spending habits as a couple, your credit score, and the rewards you’re after.
Want to check out other credit card options for couples? Use our card explorer tool, download the Kudos app, or add Kudos to Chrome now to find the perfect rewards card for you.
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