Guide To Pooling Credit Card Rewards With Family

It may seem like it’ll take forever to save up enough credit card rewards for just one redemption, let alone enough for the rest of your family. But that’s where pooling your rewards comes in.

By pooling your rewards, you can earn rewards with multiple cards and then combine all of those rewards onto one account, making it easier to redeem large amounts at once — especially for trips or large purchases.

But leveraging pooled rewards properly, like most things in the rewards world, is a game that comes with rules. Each credit card issuer has different regulations when it comes to sharing rewards with family members. If you want to end up using points or miles for that coveted family vacation of a lifetime (or maybe just to fly everyone out to see grandma over the holidays), you’ll have to learn how your issuer handles these types of redemptions. here’s how you can pool credit card rewards with major issuers.

How to pool credit card rewards based on your rewards program

From Chase’s more lenient transfer options to Amex’s authorized user rules, each credit card rewards program has its own regulations for pooling credit card rewards with family members. These are the rewards programs that are most popular for pooling reward points

American Express Membership Rewards

American Express states that Membership Rewards points “aren’t transferable to any other person or account.” This is the case regardless of which credit card you hold.

However, if you have cards that earn Membership Rewards, you can transfer your points to Amex airline or hotel transfer partners. You can then pool your newly transferred points together with any additional points you add to your frequent flyer or hotel loyalty accounts.

Even though Amex won’t let you transfer points from card to card, you can still transfer points between cardholders on the same account. This means that you can transfer points to any authorized user on your account, assuming they’ve been added as an authorized user to your card at least 90 days prior to transferring.

• In the case of authorized users, the process looks something like this:
  

  1. Link your eligible Amex card to your authorized user’s eligible airline or hotel loyalty account. You can do this by logging into your Amex account and going to the “transfer points” page.
  2. Choose the account you want to receive the points. By following the prompts, you’ll be able to input the amount you want to transfer and confirm the transfer.
  3. Check that your rewards have been processed. You should be able to see the points in your authorized user’s hotel or airline loyalty account, although it might take some time for the transfer to complete. If it doesn’t show up by the next day, reach out to Amex.

This option works for anyone who’s an authorized user on your account, so it isn’t limited to family or household members. Just be sure that you trust whomever you add to your account as an authorized user, as you’ll be responsible for the charges they accrue.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Eligible Chase cardholders can share Chase Ultimate Rewards points with one household member.

However, it’s unclear how Chase chooses to enforce this policy. The Ultimate Rewards program agreements for the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve state that if Chase suspects you’re misusing the program in any way, such as by “moving or transferring points to an ineligible third party or account,” you may be temporarily prohibited from earning or using points.

While Chase’s policy seems relatively straightforward and generous, it’s best not to push things. Make sure to only transfer points to one member of your household, like a spouse, so you won’t risk losing your points or, even worse, having your account closed.

If you plan to redeem Chase points in the Chase Travel℠ portal, points are worth 1.25 cents each with the Chase Sapphire Preferred and 1.5 cents each with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. This means if you hold the Preferred, transferring to a family member in your household that has the Reserve may make Chase travel portal redemptions more lucrative as your points will be worth more.

• To combine points with a household member, follow these steps:
  

  1. Log in to your account and go to your Ultimate Rewards dashboard.
  2. Click the menu in the top-left corner. Select “Combine Points.”
  3. Choose the accounts you’d like to move the points to and from.
  4. Follow the prompts and confirm that the points have been moved.

You can also convert credit card rewards like cash back into Ultimate Rewards points by transferring that cash back to your points-earning card. This is especially lucrative for those who like to take advantage of multiple cards from one issuer, such as those who use the Chase trifecta, a group of three cards that can maximize your earnings.

Capital One miles

You can share Capital One miles with family members, friends, or pretty much anyone with a credit card that earns Capital One miles, such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.

There are no fees or expiration dates to worry about when transferring your miles and you can transfer as many miles as you’d like. Capital One previously allowed pooling rewards through its website, however, the only way to do it currently is by calling the number on the back of your card. You’ll need the name and card number of the person you’re transferring rewards to.

Just like with Chase, you can convert any cash back you earned with a Capital One card into miles when you transfer those rewards to an eligible card. Also, note that you can’t transfer Capital One miles to anyone else’s airline or hotel loyalty accounts. But since you can easily share Capital One miles for free, this is the best way to pool rewards with family members and beyond.

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Eligible Citi ThankYou Rewards members can transfer up to 100,000 Citi ThankYou points to other members and receive up to 100,000 points in a calendar year (terms and conditions may apply). The person you transfer to doesn’t have to be a family or household member or an authorized user — they just have to possess a Citi ThankYou account.

There’s just one small, yet essential, detail to note: Shared points may only be valid for 90 days after the transfer and then they’ll expire. Ensure that you have a selected redemption in mind before transferring. This way, the person receiving your points can use or transfer them to one of their loyalty programs well within the 90-day period.

While several Citi cards allow points transfers to other members, you may want to consider transferring points to a card like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, which offers added options and value when transferring to partner loyalty programs.

• Follow these steps to transfer points:
  

  1. Log in to your Citi account.
  2. Place your cursor over the “More Ways to Redeem” tab and click “Points Sharing.”
  3. Choose your account, the recipient and the number of points to begin sharing.
  4. Confirm that the points transfer has gone through.

Bank of America Rewards

According to Bank of America, you can consolidate rewards, but you can’t mix points and cash back. That means you can’t convert your cash rewards into points, unlike Chase and Capital One. The primary method to pool points is to add authorized users to your account, which will pool all rewards earned with the primary account.

One of the best reasons for consolidating points is booking travel with a Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card, which gives you a 20 percent discount (or a 1.25 cent-per-point value) when redeeming for airfare through the Bank of America Travel Center.

• To consolidate points from any of Bank of America’s travel earning cards, take the following steps:
  

  1. Log into your Bank of America account and select your travel card.
  2. Choose the “Rewards” tab.
  3. Click the “Transfer Points” tab.
  4. Enter the credit card number you wish to transfer points to and click “Check account eligibility” and then click the “Continue” tab.
  5. Enter the amount and complete the transfer.

U.S. Bank Altitude Rewards

You can pool points earned with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Card and the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Card, but not points earned with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Card. You can transfer your points from those cards to anyone else with a similar Altitude card.

• Here’s the steps to consolidate your U.S. Bank rewards:
  

  1. Log into your U.S. Bank account and select your card.
  2. Click the box showing the amount of Rewards Points you have.
  3. Click the “Rewards Center” tab.
  4. Click the “More ways to redeem” tab and select “Transfer your rewards.”
  5. Enter the amount of points to transfer and the credit card number you wish to transfer to.
  6. Click the “Continue” tab and complete the transfer.

Wells Fargo Rewards

Wells Fargo Rewards points automatically pool into one account if you have multiple rewards-earning cards.

• You can transfer your points to another person with a Wells Fargo Rewards-earning card by doing the following:
  

  1. Log into your Wells Fargo account and select your card.
  2. Click the “Redeem Rewards” or “Use Rewards” tab.
  3. Click the “Gift to Others” tab.
  4. Enter the amount of points to transfer and the credit card number you wish to transfer to.
  5. Click the “Continue” tab and complete the transfer.

Risks of pooling credit card rewards

Pooling credit card rewards is generally a good idea and makes booking for multiple people a more viable option. However, there can be some drawbacks, such as:

• Permanency. Transferring points to another member may be irreversible with some issuers, as are any transfers to any airline or hotel partners. Once you transfer the points, they may be permanently out of your possession, even if you make a mistake.
• Risk of point expiration. Expiration dates change based on the program you move points to. Airline and hotel partners all have different expiration policies. You could end up with points stuck in programs you can’t use that end up being wasted.
• Less agency. You might not have control over what the person does with your points once they receive them, which could lead to them being wasted or redeemed for poor value. If you don’t have direct access to the person receiving the points, make sure they have clear instructions of what to do upon receiving points.

Best cards for pooling rewards

From family perks and benefits to getting additional value for your rewards, here are some reward credit cards to consider if you want to pool your rewards and finally get that big redemption.

The bottom line

Pooling rewards is a relatively easy way for couples, families or household members to garner enough points for a redemption. While it takes some organization, planning and reading the fine print, it can all be worth it when you and your family are on the way to the Bahamas or Paris.

But it’s essential to understand the best way to pool your chosen rewards currency. Create a strategy based on your preferred redemptions or rewards currency, then get the right credit cards and follow the rules to make sure you end up pooling in ways that don’t violate any terms or let your hard-earned rewards expire.