Million Mile Secrets reader, Sean, commented:
If I add my wife (or anybody) as an authorized user, will it require her social security number? And will the bank do a hard pull on her credit?
Sean wants to add his wife as an authorized user on his Chase Sapphire Preferred card to earn the 5,000 bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points! But will his wife’s credit score slightly dip temporarily from a credit inquiry?
I’ll explain why!
Why Add an Authorized User to Your Chase Sapphire Preferred?
Link: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Link: My Full Review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred
Link: 5,003 Reasons to Add an Authorized User to Chase Sapphire Preferred
When Sean adds his wife to his Chase Sapphire Preferred card and she makes a purchase within the 1st 3 months of opening your account, he’ll earn 5,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points!
And the 5,000 extra points isn’t the only reason to add an authorized user. There are also 3 other great benefits!
That’s in addition to the 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points he’ll earn for signing-up for the card and spending $4,000 on purchases within the 1st 3 months of opening the account.
You can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for cash back at 1 cent per point, and for travel booked through the Chase portal with no blackout dates at 1.25 cents per point.
That would make the 5,000 extra points Sean earns for giving his wife a card on his account worth at least $50 to ~$63!
Or he could get Big Travel from his points by transferring them to airline and hotel partners:
| Chase Ultimate Rewards Airline Transfer Partners | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | British Airways | Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) |
| Iberia | JetBlue | Singapore Airlines |
| Southwest | United Airlines | Virgin Atlantic |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards Hotel Transfer Partners | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hyatt | IHG | Marriott |
| Ritz-Carlton |
Emily and I have used our Chase Ultimate Rewards points to help turn what would be $32,000 trip into a $2,000 getaway, a free stay at a ~$360 per night hotel, and more!
Will Chase Do a Credit Inquiry on the New User’s Credit Report?
No.When you apply for new cards, the bank pulls your credit report to determine whether or not you will handle the credit they issue you responsibly. This lowers your score by ~3 to ~5 points. Although the impact typically begins to drop off after ~3 to ~6 months.
But Sean’s wife isn’t completing a new card application. So she does NOT have to worry about this.
When you add an authorized user to your account, Chase doesn’t ask for their social security number.
Chase doesn’t need a lot of information about the person on the authorized account because only you, the primary cardholder, are ultimately responsible for the account. That’s why it’s important that you make sure you trust anyone you add to your account.
Bottom Line
When you add a friend or family member to your Chase Sapphire Preferred account, you’ll earn 5,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points if they makes a purchase (of any amount) within the 1st 3 months of opening your account.
Chase typically doesn’t ask for an authorized user’s social security number, so you do NOT have to worry about their credit score going down ~3 to ~5 points from a credit inquiry. That’s because the primary cardholder is ultimately responsible for charges on the account.
Just be sure the person you add to your account will use their card responsibly, and you’ll enjoy the 5,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points! And don’t forget, there are other great reasons to add an authorized user to your account!