If y'all're earning points and miles with a spouse or significant other then you may find you lot have different amounts of points between you.

When trying to book an honor flight or hotel stay, y'all may not have the right amount of points in just ane business relationship. Although well-nigh hotel programs now permit y'all to pool points, airlines often charge you a fee to transfer points between accounts. That'southward why it is important to know how to consolidate your points then you tin transfer them to the right accounts as needed.

It'due south piece of cake to combine Hunt Ultimate Rewards, but other programs don't arrive quite every bit elementary. Thankfully, there are workarounds that will let you to combine points without much endeavor.

Let's have a look at how yous can combine American Express Membership Rewards.

How Membership Rewards Work

Before you combine Amex Membership Rewards points, you need to understand how earned Membership Rewards work.

Unlike Hunt, your Membership Rewards aren't associated with a particular card. Instead, your Membership Rewards earned are tied to your American Limited account as a whole. You won't lose your Membership Rewards when you lot shut a card as long as you withal have 1 Membership Rewards earning card.

What does this mean for combining points across your ain cards?

Information technology's already done!

It's only when combining points between dissimilar people that at that place's a small hiccup.

What Exercise We Mean By "Combining" Membership Rewards?

Before getting into the weeds, let's talk about what we mean by combining Membership Rewards right now. Combining Membership Rewards is a lilliputian different from combining other types of points. Unfortunately, you can't combine Membership Rewards between 2 people's accounts.

Instead, let's focus on the goal of combining Membership Rewards. The goal is to exist able to transfer them to an airline or hotel account that doesn't belong to the chief cardmember.

How to "Combine" Membership Rewards

Although you tin can't transfer Membership Rewards from one person to some other, you tin can transfer them to the airline plan account of another person. To do and so, that person must be an authorized user one i of your cards that earns Membership Rewards points

In one case you lot add someone as an authorized user, you'll be able to transfer your points to their airline plan accounts.

Although this isn't as simple equally combining Hunt Ultimate Rewards points, it'due south a corking workaround to use 2 people's Membership Rewards accounts to consolidate points into 1 airline account.

Let'due south accept a expect at an example showing how this works.

Say y'all want to fly to Nippon in start class from the west declension by transferring Membership Rewards to Virgin Atlantic. You'll need 110,000 points, but you simply have 75,000 Membership Rewards and your partner has 40,000 Membership Rewards. Alone, you don't have enough miles to volume this trip. You'll need points from both accounts to book the ticket.

When you go to transfer points, yous'll see American Express requires the cardmember name to exist the one on the frequent flyer business relationship you're transferring to.

Even so, as soon as another person is added as an authorized user on any of your Membership Rewards earning cards, you lot'll be able to transfer to them equally well.

By merely adding the other person every bit an authorized user you'll get access to transfer to their frequent flyer business relationship.

How to Add an Authorized User

American Limited makes it easy to add together an authorized user to your business relationship.

One important matter to keep in listen is you lot tin can only transfer your points to another person's airline business relationship if they are an authorized user on a personal business relationship. You lot won't be able to transfer points to an employee card on a business concern account.

Afterwards logging into your account, be sure you've selected one of your personal cards. If y'all're on a business card, you lot'll see different options as you go along through the following steps.

First, you'll need to select "Account Services" from the main menu at the top.

Sometimes these options alter spots or won't appear. If that happens, select "Manage Other Users" from the bill of fare on the left and select "Add together Someone to Your Business relationship" from that carte.

Y'all'll exist taken to a screen to input the person's information then they can be added as an authorized user on your account.

Later adding them as an authorized user, you may non immediately see the ability to transfer points to their account. You may need to wait for the authorized user bill of fare to arrive and be activated before seeing the selection to transfer to them.

Authorized User Card Options

When adding an authorized user, not all cards are treated the same. Different cards allow you to add different authorized user levels.

The Platinum Card from American Limited

The Platinum Card® from American Express allows you to give authorized users either some other Platinum Menu or a Gold Carte (different than the American Express Golden Menu).

Choosing to add an authorized user with their own Platinum Menu will toll $175 per year for up to three cards. Each additional authorized user costs another $175 per year. (Rates and fees)

Instead, you can add authorized users with a Gold Card. Once again, this is different from the Amex Gold, which earns 4X on dining at restaurants. As an authorized user on a Platinum Carte du jour account, Gold Cards take the same Platinum Card bonus categories.

Although there is a cost to add together Platinum Card authorized users, there are some compelling benefits for authorized users that don't come up with the Gold Card.

Platinum Card authorized users will get access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Condition and Hilton Honors Gold Condition.

If you're only calculation an authorized user to be able to transfer points to their business relationship, stick with the free Gold Carte.

Other Amex Cards

If y'all have an American Limited® Gold Card y'all can add authorized users for no additional fee. Authorized users won't be able to utilise any of the benefits such equally airline or dining credits on the American Limited Golden Bill of fare, only they will earn bonus points at the same rates as the primary account holder.

American Express® Aureate Card

lx,000

Membership Rewards® Points

after you spend $iv,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the outset vi months. Terms apply.

Both cards are practiced options if you lot're only looking for the power to transfer points to another person's frequent flyer account.

Adding an authorized user works on whatever American Express card that earns Membership Rewards. If you have the Amex EverDay Credit Bill of fare or the Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Menu you lot tin can add an authorized user to these cards to transfer to their frequent flyer accounts too.

Authorized User Considerations

Before calculation an authorized user, 1 of the biggest things to think is that American Express does written report authorized users to credit bureaus.

If the account you're adding an authorized user to is less than 24 months old, information technology will announced to count towards the authorized user'south 5/24 status. Although there are ways around information technology if information technology pushes them over five/24, it's an inconvenience.

Additionally, if the primary cardholder carries a balance or misses a payment, that history will as well likely be reflected on the authorized user's credit report. That's why it is important to empathize how credit works and only agree to be an authorized user if y'all trust the person to be a responsible credit user.

The good news is, if you lot run into any of these bug, you can remove the authorized user at any fourth dimension and ask that the credit history be removed.

Proceed An Middle Out for Authorized User Bonuses

If you don't need to transfer the points immediately, keep an eye out for authorized user bonuses.

From time to fourth dimension, American Express will offer 5,000 points to add an authorized user to your business relationship. While it isn't worth waiting for if yous need to transfer correct abroad, it's worth the look if yous're not in a rush.

Don't Transfer Points Speculatively

As always, I simply must advise that y'all don't transfer points speculatively. But transfer points when you're ready to volume travel.

I've seen information technology time and time once again when someone transfers points expecting to book a trip in the next few weeks. In that time, award infinite may non exist available on the airline that you lot hoped it would be. Be sure to sympathize the basics of award bookings before doing any transfers, and be sure the accolade space is at that place.

Even more disheartening is if you transfer points and so the airline or hotel program devalues their accolade plan. When a devaluation occurs, you'll demand more points to volume the same flight or hotel. When this happens, the program you chose to transfer points to may non be the best option anymore.

Final Thoughts

Although you can't straight combine Membership Rewards between Amex accounts, you tin can easily reach the same stop goal by transferring the points into one airline or hotel account.

All you accept to do is add someone as an authorized user to i of your Membership Rewards-earning cards (a personal card, non a concern carte) and you'll be ready to go.

While at that place are a couple of factors to consider – the impact on the authorized user's 5/24 condition – these are mostly minor issues and you lot can work effectually them.