How Do Authorized Users Activate Their Priority Pass Membership With The Chase Sapphire Reserve?

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Million Mile Secrets reader, Ivo, commented:

I just added my wife as an authorized user on my Chase Sapphire Reserve card.  I’ve already received my Priority Pass Select membership, but my wife hasn’t.  Do I have to call Chase to get Priority Pass for my wife?

Adding an authorized user to your Chase Sapphire Reserve card can be an excellent deal!  For $75 per account anniversary year, authorized users get their own Priority Pass Select membership, which allows them (and guests) to access 1,000+ Priority Pass lounges worldwide.

Authorized users should NOT have to call Chase to receive their Priority Pass membership if they’re added to the account at the time the primary cardholder activates their own Priority Pass membership.

But in Ivo’s case, he’s already activated his membership.  So his wife’s membership will NOT be activated automatically!

I’ll share how to set up an authorized user’s Priority Pass membership if you’ve already activated your own.  And I’ll help you decide whether an extra Priority Pass membership is worth adding an authorized user to your Chase Sapphire Reserve!

A Quick Call Is All It Takes

Ivo will have to call Chase to activate his wife’s Priority Pass membership.  Just call the number on the back of your Chase Sapphire Reserve card and explain what you’d like to do.

It usually takes a few weeks for the membership card to arrive in the mail.  Remember, you can NOT access Priority Pass lounges with just your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.  You’ll need your Priority Pass card.

Authorized Users Get Priority Pass Membership at a Big Discount!

Link:   Chase Sapphire Reserve

Link:   Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge Policy

Link:   Priority Pass Select

When you open the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you’ll earn 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.  The card also comes with valuable travel benefits like:

• Up to $300 credit each account anniversary year for travel purchases such as airfare and hotels
• $100 statement credit for Global Entry
• Priority Pass Select membership

It’s easy to enroll your Chase Sapphire Reserve in Priority Pass online via the Chase Ultimate Rewards website.  After that, you and your current authorized users will all be enrolled in Priority Pass, and each sent their own Priority Pass card.

So if you or your authorized users haven’t received your card in the mail, it’s a good idea to call Chase at the number on the back of your card so they can get it fixed.

Should You Add an Authorized User?

Adding an authorized user costs $75 per person, per year.  And there is no limit to the number of authorized users you can add!  There are 3 main reasons to add an authorized user to your account:

1.   Priority Pass Membership

Authorized users will get a full Priority Pass Select membership, identical to the primary cardholder!  This means unlimited free airport lounge access for them and anyone they’re traveling with!

A $75 annual fee for a full Priority Pass Select membership is a terrific deal.  But at the same time, it might not be a good idea if your authorized user usually travels with you.  Because your Priority Pass membership allows everyone in your travel party to get in free.  Keep in mind, some locations could deny extra guests if the lounge is very full.

That said, if your authorized user were to visit a couple airport lounges without you, they’d probably pay more for day passes than they would on the $75 annual fee.

2.   Travel Insurance Benefits

As an authorized user on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll receive the card’s benefits, such as:

• Primary Rental Car Insurance
• Emergency Medical & Dental Coverage
• Emergency Evacuation Coverage
• Travel Accident Insurance

3.   Transfer Points Between Accounts

If your authorized user is a member of your household and also the primary cardholder of any Chase Ultimate Rewards points earning credit card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Chase Freedom, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points back and forth to each other!  So if you’re short points, this is a way to pool your earnings.

And because the points they earn as your authorized user will deposit into your account, you can even transfer the points they earn back to them!

Authorized Users Won’t Get the Card’s Full Benefits

Authorized users will NOT receive their own $300 annual travel credit.  They also will NOT receive their own $100 Global Entry statement credit.

However, as the primary cardholder, you do not need to use the card’s Global Entry credit on yourself.  So if you already have Global Entry, you can use it for an authorized user (or anyone else)!

Authorized users will also NOT have their own online account or access to the Chase Ultimate Rewards website.  All points they earn will deposit into the primary cardholder’s account.

And if an authorized user wants to pay their share directly to Chase, they can call Chase and request to make a payment over the phone.

Charges made by an authorized user are the responsibility of the primary cardholder.  So only add someone you trust!

Bottom Line

If you add an authorized user to your Chase Sapphire Reserve account, they should receive their Priority Pass Select membership card when you activate your own.

If you add them after you’ve already received yours, you’ll have to call Chase and ask them to activate the authorized user’s Priority Pass Select memberhip.

Authorized users will receive some of the card’s excellent benefits, like primary rental car insurance.  But not others, like their own $300 annual travel credit.  However, for $75 per authorized user, per year, the full Priority Pass Select membership alone can more than cover the cost.  

Keep in mind the primary cardholder is ultimately responsible for any charges made to the account.

Thanks for the question, Ivo!