Can a Spouse Earn a Sign-Up Bonus If They’re Already an Authorized User?

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Million Mile Secrets reader, Chris, commented:

My wife is an authorized user on my Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card.  Can she apply for her own card and still earn the sign-up bonus?

Yes, she can!

Authorized users CAN earn a sign-up bonus on the same card if and when they decide to apply in the future.

This is good news, especially for Chase Marriott cardholders.  Because you earn 7,500 bonus Marriott points when you add an authorized user and make a purchase in the first 3 months of account opening.

Then, they can apply for the card to earn the card’s 80,000 point sign-up bonus after meeting minimum spending requirements!  But keep in mind, Chase counts authorized users account toward the bank’s strict card limits.

I’ll share details of the current Chase Marriott offer.  And explain how authorized user accounts can affect Chase applications.

Chase Marriott 80,000-Point Sign-Up Bonus

Link:   Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Link:   My Review of the Chase Marriott Card

With the Chase Marriott card, you’ll earn 80,000 Marriott points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

Other perks include:

• 1 free night in a Category 1 to 5 Marriott hotel on your card anniversary
• 5X Marriott points per $1 spent at Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Starwood hotels
• 2X Marriott points per $1 at restaurants, on car rentals, and airline tickets purchased directly from the airline
• 1X Marriott point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• NO foreign transaction fees
• 15 nights credit towards elite status (so you get Marriott Silver elite status)

You can also earn 7,500 bonus Marriott points when you add an authorized user and make a purchase within the first 3 months of opening your account.  And the authorized user is NOT restricted from earning the sign-up bonus on the card in the future.

Between the points you earn the sign-up bonus, minimum spending, and authorized user bonus, you’ll have at least 90,500 Marriott points (80,000-point sign-up bonus + 7,500 authorized user bonus + 3,000 minimum spending points).

That’s enough for 2 free nights at the Union Station Hotel Nashville, Autograph Collection.

The card’s $85 annual fee is NOT waived for the first year.

This Card Counts for Tougher Chase Rules

This card is impacted by Chase’s tougher application rules.  This means if you’ve opened ~5 or more credit cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months (excluding certain business cards), it’s unlikely you’ll be approved.

If you’re looking to earn Marriott points and are not eligible to earn the sign-up bonus on the Chase Marriott card, you might consider the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.

Because you can instantly transfer Starwood points back and forth to your Marriott account at a 1:3 ratio.  So you’ll get 3 Marriott points for every 1 Starwood point you transfer.  Check out my post with 5 reasons you might consider the AMEX Starwood over the Chase Marriott.

Benefits of Authorized Users and Impact on Chase Application Rules

Link:   Authorized Users Can Be Good & Bad   

Link:   Rules for Chase Credit Card Approvals

Lots of folks add a partner as an authorized user because purchases made by an authorized user will earn points in the primary cardholder’s account.  There’s even more of a reason to add an authorized user when you can earn bonus points.

But keep in mind an authorized user account usually appears on the person’s credit report and could count towards Chase’s tougher application rules.

This means if the authorized user has opened ~5 or more credit cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months (excluding certain business cards), they’re unlikely to get approved for most Chase cards.

Keep in mind, some folks report success when asking Chase to reconsider applications if their recent new accounts are only authorized user cards.

Bottom Line

If you add authorized users to your account, they can still apply for the same card and earn a new card sign-up bonus in the future.

This is great for cards like the Chase Marriott.  Because you earn 7,500 bonus Marriott points after adding an authorized user and meeting requirements.  Then, she or he can still get the 80,000-point sign-up bonus themselves.

Keep in mind an authorized user account may appear on his or her credit report, which means it can count toward Chase’s tougher application rules.