A joint credit card works like a traditional credit card, except that it is shared by two people. Each person gets their own card that is linked to one account. The key difference is that cardholders share the same benefits and responsibilities.
Whether you share or keep your money separate, there are plenty of reasons why you may consider sharing a credit card with your partner. Aside from maximizing rewards, the best joint credit cards for couples help you easily track your everyday spending.
With this type of credit card, any financial activity will affect both cardholders. Both partners are also responsible for paying the balance on the card, even if one didn’t use it at all.
Best Joint Credit Cards for Couples
Most popular cards don’t offer joint accounts anymore. Instead, couples can opt for a two-player strategy where they can make each other authorized users of the card. Here are the most popular picks among couples:
| Credit Card | Annual Fee | Best for | Pros | Cons |
| American Express Gold Card | $250 | Travel and dining | Generous rewards rate | Steep annual fee |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash Card | $0 | Shopping | No annual fee Straightforward rewards system | Has foreign transaction fees |
| Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | $0 | Dining and entertainment | 3% cashback rate for dining and entertainment | High standard rate APR Limited cashback categories |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | $95 | Travel | Generous rewards system $50 annual hotel credits Free travel insurance | Lacks premium travel rewards available in other cards |
| American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card | $95 | Grocery shopping | 6% cashback on supermarket purchases No annual fee for the first year | Spending caps on bonus rewards |
| Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card | $0 | Home improvement | Lets you choose rewards categories | There’s a quarterly spending cap |
Best Credit Cards for Couples
Below are the best credit cards for couples. Let’s take a look at their rewards system, prices, perks, and drawbacks.
1. American Express Gold Card
If you and your partner are certified foodies, this credit card is the best option. Aside from high ongoing rewards at restaurants and supermarkets, you can add up to five users for no additional annual fee. This means you can share it with your partner as well as with your children.
Rewards System
The American Express Gold Card is a great option for those after the Amex Membership Rewards points. Unlike most credit cards, the Amex Express Gold Card leads the industry by offering four rewards per dollar spent on practically anything you eat or drink.
Let’s take a closer look at the earning rewards:
- Four rewards points per dollar at restaurants in the U.S., including takeout and delivery
- Four rewards points at supermarkets
- Three rewards points per dollar on flights booked with the airlines or through the Amex Express Travel
- $120 in annual dining credit for eligible restaurants
- $10 monthly Uber Cash or a total of $120 annual credits for Uber Eats or rides in the U.S.
Benefits
Aside from the generous membership rewards system, the American Express Gold Card benefits include:
- Baggage Insurance
If you use your credit cards for travel, particularly booking flights, you get instant baggage insurance, which covers lost, damaged, or stolen baggage.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance
Aside from baggage loss, you also get insurance coverage for collision damage when you use your card to pay for a rental vehicle. In some cases, you may receive secondary auto coverage in an eligible territory.
- Hotel Collection
You can get a $100 hotel credit to spend on dining, spa, room upgrade, and resort activities when you book at least two nights of stay with your Amex Express card.
Fees & Interests
Perhaps the major downside of the Amex Gold Card is the annual fee, which is $250. The good thing is that there’s no annual fee for adding authorized users to your account. This means that you can add an account for your partner and pay only for your main account.
Moreover, there is no fee for balance transfers and foreign purchase transactions. However, for cash advances, you get either $10 or 5% of the amount of the cash advance, whichever is greater.
Reasons to Get an American Express Gold Card
The main reason the American Express Gold Card is among the best credit cards for married couples is that the annual credits are valuable. It comes with benefits worth up to $240, which can effectively cancel out the annual fee if you use it for most of your transactions.
What’s more, the points are transferable. This means you can transfer the membership rewards points to eligible loyalty programs, such as the Frequent Flyer discounts from British Airways, Emirates, and other major airlines.
On top of these, Amex provides a generous welcome offer. Currently, you could get 60,000 membership rewards points after you use your card for $4,000 eligible purchases within the first six months.
Drawbacks
Aside from the steep annual fee, the benefits are a bit complicated. Take note that their terms apply for earning rewards and redeeming points. For example, you can only get points for select purchases, and there’s an annual spending cap.
Who Is It For?
For couples who love swiping, you can get the most from the annual credits offered by the American Express Gold Card. If you and your partner spend plenty on restaurants, grocery stores, and travel, it is one of the best options available.
2. Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
For couples who need a no-hassle credit card that offers great credit card rewards irrespective of spending category, the Active Cash card is the way to go. It boasts 2% cashback on your purchases, a welcome bonus of $200, and a 0% intro APR.
Rewards System
Wells Fargo’s Active Cash comes in the form of cashback. The bank offers a 2% cashback on purchases, making it one of the leading flat-rate cash-back cards on the market. Compared to most cards, Active Cash has a straightforward reward-earning process. Just swipe your card, and get a cashback. No other point categories to consider.
The Wells Fargo Rewards can be redeemed for cash back, purchases, gift cards, donations, and more. They can also be transferred to other users of your card. Lastly, Wells Fargo’s Active Cash offers a generous welcome bonus of $200 if you spend at least $1,000 in the first three months.
Benefits
When you choose Wells Fargo Active Cash, you have the following perks:
- Cellphone Protection
A major selling point of the Active Cash card is cellphone protection, which is something everyone these days will appreciate.
This feature provides coverage against theft or damage amounting to $600 to those who pay their monthly phone bill with their credit card. This benefit is ideal whether you are a home buddy or always on the go because you won’t have to pay for cellphone insurance.
- Visa Signature Concierge Service
If you and your partner love exploring the world, Active Cash is a great credit card choice. How so? For one, as an account holder, you get 24-hour concierge service to help you plan the perfect vacation.
Whether you’re making restaurant reservations, booking hotels and flights, or checking out attractions, you will get 24/7 phone support for your travel and entertainment needs.
This concierge service also includes emergency and travel assistance, a longer warranty, and product registration to ensure easy claim filing. The best part is that you get perks at properties that belong to the Luxury Hotel Collection.
Fees & Interests
The major selling point of the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card is its zero annual fees. You only pay for balance transfer fees of up to 5%, with a minimum fee of $5. Moreover, the card has a 0% intro APR covering the first 15 months. After this, the regular APR applies.
Reasons To Get Wells Fargo Active Cash Card
In many cases, high rewards rate means high annual fees. That isn’t the case with Wells Fargo’s Active Cash Card. You don’t have to pay just to keep your account open. Having no annual fees is great for couples who want to maximize the rewards they can get and those who don’t use their cards regularly.
Drawbacks
While the Active Cash has a lot of perks, it does have a handful of disadvantages, too. The first is that it lacks bonus rewards categories. Another downside is that it has foreign transaction fees.
The card charges 3% for any purchases made in a foreign currency. This means that if you are using it on your trip abroad, you will have to end up spending more.
Who Is It For?
Get the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card if you want a flat-rate rewards card you can use for your daily purchases. While it doesn’t have a lot of benefits for the secondary cardholder, it doesn’t charge an annual fee either.
3. Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
For lovers who fancy dining and entertainment, the SavorOne Rewards fits like a glove. It offers 3% cash back on entertainment, streaming services, dining, and grocery purchases, and 1% for other purchases.
Plus, you earn 8% cashback on Vivid Seat tickets through January 2023.
Dining includes purchases at restaurants, lounges, bakeries, nightclubs, coffee shops, and more. Meanwhile, entertainment includes ticket purchases for concerts, tourist attractions, theme parks, zoos, movies, and more.
Rewards System
The Capital One SavorOne Credit Card has a one-time introductory offer of $200. To qualify, you must spend at least $500 on purchases made during the first three months of opening your account. It’s really a good offer because it isn’t difficult to reach. If you break it down, you only have to spend at least $167 monthly to get the welcome bonus.
Another interesting feature of the SavorOne Credit Card is the cashback rate, which ranges from 1% to 3%. The highest rate is reserved for entertainment and dining. Thus, if you love going to the movies and discovering great food while traveling, you are going to love this card.
You also get 3% cash back at supermarkets and 1% on everything else. However, superstores like Target, Walmart, and Costco are not included.
To maximize the reward rate, your purchases need to be assigned to the proper merchant category. For example, Capital One notes that some vendors like food trucks and hotel restaurants may not qualify for the dining cashback if the vendor doesn’t code them accordingly.
The rewards are unlimited and don’t expire as long as your account is active. You can redeem rewards for cash values in the form of a check or statement credit. Capital One sets a threshold at which the amount is released or credited to your statement.
You can also redeem rewards for gift cards, purchases, and promotions. You can also shop online using your rewards earned.
Benefits
Aside from the rewards, cardholders get the following benefits:
- Zero foreign transaction fees, which means you can freely use your card when traveling abroad.
- Get extra warranty protection for eligible items.
- 24/7 access to cash advance and emergency card replacement services.
- Ticket discounts for concerts, sports, and dining experiences.
- You won’t be held responsible for shady transactions.
- You can arrange automatic bill payments.
Fees & Interests
Another thing to love about the SavorOne card is that it doesn’t have an annual fee. Also, in your first 15 months, there is a 0% introductory APR. After this, the regular 15.24% to 25.24% APR applies. Capital One has a transfer fee of 3% and 3% on cash advances.
Reasons To Get Capital One SavorOne
Aside from the simple and straightforward rewards system, the SavorOne card has other outstanding benefits. These include getting help on your online purchases and complimentary 24/7 concierge services.
Moreover, CapitalOne offers great features that make managing your account easier, including 24/7 customer service, and online and banking access. The bank also offers a credit monitoring service, which gives you free credit updates.
Drawbacks
The SavorOne Cash card has a relatively high APR. It also has limited cashback categories.
Who Is It For?
The SavorOne Cash Rewards is the perfect credit card for couples who love to eat out and be entertained. What’s more, it doesn’t have an annual fee, so you get to save even more.
4. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
If you and your partner love traveling or if you’re newlyweds who have a honeymoon to plan, the Sapphire card is a gem. It’s among the best well-known travel rewards cards that feature a five points per dollar incentive on travel booked through the Chase Travel portal and three points per dollar on dining.
Rewards System
To start off, you get 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months after opening an account. That’s worth $1,000 when you redeem through the Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Travel bookings made outside the Chase Ultimate Rewards earn you 2x and 3x points on travel and dining. However, if you book through the Ultimate Rewards portal, you get 5x points.
You will also collect 3x points on select streaming services and online grocery shopping. Unfortunately, Chase’s rewards system excludes superstores like Walmart and Target, as well as wholesale clubs.
Swiping your card isn’t the only way to earn points. By simply referring your friends to Chase, you can get 15,000 points for each person who gets approved. Moreover, Chase offers a 25% boost on points redeemed towards statement credits for select merchants through the Pay Yourself Back feature.
Benefits
In addition to the generous rewards rate and sign-up bonus, the Sapphire card has the following perks and benefits for cardholders:
- $50 Annual Hotel Credit
This is one of the latest features that Chase revealed to Sapphire cardholders. Each year, you get a $50 statement credit on hotel stays purchased through the Chase Ultimate travel portal. This credit automatically applies to your account when you make an eligible charge.
- 10% Annual Points Bonus
You will get a 10% bonus based on your total spending for the year at a rate of one point per dollar spent. That means that if you spent $50,000 using your Sapphire card for a year, you get 50,000 bonus points as your anniversary gift.
- Door Dash
As a cardholder, you also get a complimentary membership with the food delivery service, DoorDash, wherein you get free delivery and reduced service fees on eligible purchases.
- Travel Insurance
If you use your card to pay for travel bookings, including cruises, plane tickets, car rentals, and hotels, you get a comprehensive policy that provides coverage for trip delays, baggage delays, luggage loss, and more.
Fees & Interests
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a $95 annual fee, which is pretty affordable as compared to other cards in its category. The fee can be easily offset as you take full advantage of the rewards program.
Moreover, the card has an APR of 16.24% to 23.24%. We recommend paying your credit card dues on time and in full to avoid interest charges.
Reasons to Get Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is among the best choices for budget travelers. With the points you earn, you can book airfare, hotel rooms, and rental cars. You always have the option to book travel using your points at a rate of 1.25 cents per point value.
What’s more, you can transfer your rewards to Chase Airline and hotel partners.
The Sapphire Preferred card has been in the market for over a decade and remains one of the best rewards credit cards today. It is flexible enough to meet your travel rewards needs, and its low price tag makes it even more valuable.
Drawbacks
The card lacks some premium travel perks, such as free checked bags and lounge access. For more luxurious travel rewards, you may upgrade to Sapphire Reserve, which has an annual fee of $550.
Who Is It For?
The Sapphire card offers versatility for both frequent and casual travelers. With a $95 annual fee, it isn’t an expensive card, which makes it a great choice for beginners.
5. Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card
If you’re making plans to improve your home or refurbish your new apartment, this card will get you well rewarded. It offers a 3% cash back on different categories, including home improvements and furnishings. You also get 3% cashback if you use your card for paying contractors like electricians, landscapers, carpenters, and plumbers.
Bank of America doesn’t accept co-applicants if you are applying for a new credit card. That said, once approved, you can contact the bank’s customer service to add a co-applicant. It’s the same thing as getting a joint account.
Rewards System
As mentioned earlier, you get a generous 3% cash back on select purchases, including gas, travel, home improvement, dining, and online shopping. You also get 2% cash back on wholesale clubs and grocery stores and 1% on everything else.
On top of these, you get a $200 bonus if you spend $1,000 during the first three months after opening an account. Considering that it has a minimum spending requirement, this card has some of the best sign-up bonuses among cashback cards.
Another perk of the Customized Cash Rewards credit card is its loyalty bonuses. For example, if you meet the combined minimum balance requirement with Bank of America and investment accounts with Merrill, you may receive even large bonuses, such as:
- 25% bonus for a combined balance of $20,000
- 50% bonus for a combined balance of $50,000
- 75% bonus for a combined balance of $100,000
Benefits
What makes this card unique is you can customize the categories wherein you can get the highest cashback rate. When selecting a bonus category, you can choose from among the following options:
- Dining
- Drugstores
- Gas
- Home improvement and furnishings
- Online shopping
- Travel
Your selected category will remain from month to month unless you change it. If you don’t make a selection, the default will be set to gas. However, take note that you will only earn a bonus reward on the first combined purchases amounting to $2,500. After that, you will only earn 1% cashback on succeeding purchases.
Fees & Interests
As one of the best credit cards for married couples, the Cash Rewards credit card has zero annual fees. Also, it offers a 0% introductory APR covering the initial 15 billing cycles. This introductory APR covers both purchases and balance transfers, although the latter must be made during the first 60 days from account opening to qualify.
Reasons to Get Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
There are several reasons couples love this card aside from the perks and benefits we discussed. With this card, there’s no minimum redemption requirement if you are doing a one-time redemption into your statement credit. For other redemptions, there’s a $25 requirement.
Unlike other cash-back cards, the Customized Cash Rewards card doesn’t come with gimmicks. It rewards cardholders in a very straightforward process. The fact that you can choose a category that suits your lifestyle is a great advantage.
If you and your significant other are always on road trips, you can choose Travel or Gas as your main category. If you just moved into a new house or apartment and feel like you need a lot of repairs and furnishings to do, choose Home Improvement to get the most cash back rate. They partnered with some of the major retailers like Ace Hardware and Williams-Sonoma.
Drawbacks
A major downside to this card is the quarterly spending cap for the 2% and 3% cashback categories. This means you can only get a maximum of $300 worth of rewards each year. Also, the card charges 3% on foreign transaction fees, which makes it a less ideal card for frequent international travelers.
Who Is It For?
The Customized Cash Rewards card is ideal for couples looking to get the most rewards for their lifestyle.
6. American Express Blue Cash Preferred Card
If grocery shopping is your thing, The Blue Cash Preferred is the card for you. It offers exceptional 6% cashback for supermarket purchases as well as 3% cashback for gas and transit purchases. It’s among the highest cash-back earning credit cards that are well suitable for home buddies.
Rewards System
The biggest selling point of the Blue Cash Preferred card is its 6% cashback at supermarkets. Aside from this, you get a 3% cashback on gas and transportation utilities, such as taxis, buses, trains, parking spaces, and more.
Rewards are earned as Reward Dollars, which you can redeem for statement credits. There is a minimum redemption of $25, and it cannot be applied toward minimum payments.
Benefits
Aside from earning rewards, you can get up to $120 Equinox + credits and receive $10 credits in your monthly statements. However, to avail of this benefit, you must enroll your account in Equinox. You will also be provided with insurance covering car rental loss and damage if you use your card to pay for a policy and it gets declined.
Other benefits of the Blue Cash Preferred are:
- Global Assist Hotline – This benefit is ideal for couples who travel the world, as it will ensure you get help during travel emergencies.
- Amex Offers – Saves you money via providing discounts and promotions
- Fraud Prevention – Ensures you are protected from fraudulent transactions
- Pay It Plan It – A payment plan option covering purchases that belong in categories under or over a hundred bucks.
Fees & Interests
The Blue Cash Preferred has an annual fee of $95, but it is free for your first year. Amex charges a cash advance fee ($10 or 5%, whichever is higher) and a foreign purchase transaction fee amounting to 2.7% after converting it to US dollars. There is no charge if you use this card for balance transfers.
Reasons to Get Amex Blue Cash Preferred
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred is perhaps the ultimate family card that can give you generous rewards on groceries and gas. On top of these, you can earn a $300 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first six months from account opening.
They also have the Buy Now, Pay Later program that lets you enjoy $0 introductory fees when you split big transactions into smaller monthly repayments. You can get this perk if you use your card within the first year. After that, it will incur a monthly fee of 1.33%.
Drawbacks
While this card offers an exceptional cashback rate for your daily purchases, it requires a good or excellent credit score to get your application approved. There are also spending caps on bonus rewards. Moreover, the rewards exclude superstores like Walmart and Target, as well as wholesale clubs like Sam’s Club.
Who Is It For?
The Amex Blue Cash Preferred is ideal for home buddies and families who want a high cashback rate for their daily purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does a joint credit card work?
A joint credit card accommodates two account holders who are both authorized to manage the card and make purchases. Both parties are also responsible for paying the card balance, regardless of who is spending.
That said, each account holder is liable for the debt, fees, and charges associated with the account. As such, both you and your partner will have to apply for the joint credit card. Also, your individual credit scores will both be reviewed before the approval.
2. What are the cons of a joint credit card?
Even the best joint credit cards for married couples have some major disadvantages. One has to do with your credit scores. In joint accounts, both of the account holders’ credit histories will be affected. This means that if one card user misses payments, both of the account owners’ credit scores would take a hit.
Additionally, changes in your relationship can make things complicated. If you divorce or break up, you will have to figure out how to move forward with the account. Furthermore, disputes over the card can cause issues in your relationship. For example, a shared account can cause disagreements about how much to spend or who should make payments.
3. How do I add my spouse to my credit card?
Adding your spouse as one of the authorized users of your credit card is simple. Contact your credit card provider and ask them to issue a card to your spouse.
4. Authorized user vs. joint cardholder—which is better?
It depends on your financial situation and preference. That said, you have to keep in mind more than a few distinct differences between the two.
For instance, joint credit card accounts can have a bigger impact on an individual’s credit score than an authorized user account. Also, in joint accounts, both users get access to the account’s line of credit, whereas if you only add a user to your account, you can set spending limits on it.
However, there are some aspects where they are the same. For example, any rewards that you and your partner earn will all pool into one account.
5. Which banks offer joint accounts?
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find banks that offer joint credit cards. Currently, the three most trusted banks that offer the best joint credit cards for married couples are the U.S. Bank, PNC Bank, and the Bank of America.
6. Can one person close a joint bank account?
The process of closing a joint credit card account depends on your bank. While some providers ask both account holders to give their consent to remove an account, it takes only one person to close a joint credit card account. That individual can be either of the co-owners.
7. How many authorized users can I add to a single card account?
Different credit card providers have different policies on adding authorized users. Some let you add just a few, while others let you add more than five.
It is important to read the terms of conditions of your credit card before adding an authorized user. Also, take note that some providers charge a fee per authorized user, so watch out for that.
8. How do I remove someone from my credit card account?
All you need to do is call your credit card issuer and ask to remove the user from your card. If you are using a joint credit card account, it will be harder for you to remove an account holder. In most cases, closing the account is the best option. However, closing a joint card can affect your credit score since it reduces the amount of available credit you have.
Final Thoughts
The best joint credit cards for couples are those that offer generous rewards for different types of purchases. While most banks no longer offer joint credit cards, you can opt to get a regular credit card and simply add your partner as an authorized user.
