We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

New Rules for Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

  • Million Mile Secrets

    • Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

    Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

    Effective immediately, Chase has updated its rules about transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

    It looks to be a littler easier to share your Chase Ultimate Rewards points.  But a bit more cumbersome to transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to someone else’s airline or hotel account.

    There are also differences when you’re transferring from a personal or small business credit card.

    There Are New Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Rules for Personal AND Business Accounts, but You Can Still Share Your Points

    I’ll let you know what these changes mean.  And show you how to add an authorized user to your account.

    What’s Going On?

    Link:   Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners

    Chase recently updated the rules on transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to another person’s Ultimate Rewards account or loyalty program account.  And the rules vary depending on whether you have a Chase personal or small business credit card.

    Personal Cards

    For Chase personal credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points, like Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom, you can transfer to another person’s Ultimate Rewards account or loyalty program (airlines & hotels) account.

    When You Transfer to Another Ultimate Rewards Account, Chase Only Says It Has to be Someone in Your Household

    There are separate rules for each.

    When you transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to another person’s Ultimate Rewards account, Chase only requires they are a household member.
    When You Transfer to Someone Else’s Loyalty Program, Chase Requires Them to Be a Household Member AND an Authorized User
    But if you want to transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to another person’s loyalty program account, they must be a household member AND an authorized user on your card.

    Previously, you could only transfer your points to a spouse or domestic partner.

    But now, you can transfer to anyone in your household.  

    You Can Still Share Your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points. But to Transfer to Someone’s Airline or Hotel Account, That Person Must Be an Authorized User on Your Account

    Small Business Cards

    Chase business cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points are the Chase Ink Plus, Chase Ink Bold, and Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card.  You can transfer your points to folks who are either household members or to another owner of the company.

    I asked a couple of Chase representatives what was meant by “company owner” and they told me company employees were eligible as long as the travel is for company purposes.

    Chase Has Similar Rules for Transferring From Small Business Ultimate Rewards Accounts, Except You Can Also Transfer to Another Company Owner

    Like the rules for personal accounts, Chase does NOT mention authorized users when you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to another Ultimate Rewards account.  And, they add you can transfer to a household member OR company owner.

    From Chase Small Business Accounts, You Can ONLY Transfer to a Company Owner’s Loyalty Account, and They Must Be an Authorized User

    But for Chase small business credit card accounts with Ultimate Rewards points, there are different rules to transfer to another person’s loyalty accounts.  They must be a company owner AND an authorized user.  Household members are excluded here.

    The Chase representatives I spoke with told me you can transfer your points to a company employee’s loyalty account as long as they are traveling for company business.

    What’s Not Changing

    You can still combine Ultimate Rewards points in your own accounts, and the way to transfer your own points to your travel partner accounts is not changing.

    What Does It Mean?

    If you want to share your points with someone else, there are a couple of things to watch out for.

    You can transfer to another person’s Ultimate Rewards account as long as they are in the same household.  But if you want to transfer to someone else’s frequent flyer or frequent hotel guest program, you’ll need to take the added step of adding them as an authorized user to your account.

    For Chase small business cards, make sure you only transfer to the loyalty accounts of your employees for business purposes, or to another company owner’s accounts.

    What Does It All Mean? Don’t Worry, There Are Ways to Follow the Rules and Still Get Big Travel With Your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

    A good change with these new rules is that you can transfer to folks who are NOT your spouse or domestic partner, including roommates, or a child, sibling, or parent who lives in the same household.

    It seems business owners will have to be more careful, because if Chase looks into your transfer history your account could be compromised.

    Remember, you can always transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your own loyalty program accounts, and then book hotels rooms or flights for anyone you choose.

    How to Add an Authorized User

    Chase makes it simple to add an authorized user.  You can call Chase, or set it up through the Chase website.

    Click “Customer Center” After You Log-In

    To get started, click the “Customer Center” tab after you log into your account.

    Select the Type of Account You Have With Chase

    To add a user on a personal card, scroll down to the “Credit Card” section of the page, and click “Add authorized user.“

    And for a business card, find the “Business Credit Card” section and click “Add employee card.”

    Fill-In the Information and Hit “Add Authorized User” to Submit

    Chase asks for the same information for both types of accounts.

    Fill-in the other person’s name and address, and click “Add Authorized User.”  That’s it!  They should receive their card in about 5 to 7 business days, and note that it will be mailed to the primary cardmember.

    Adding an authorized user is a great way to help meet minimum spending requirements.

    Be sure you only add someone that you completely trust.  They will be linked to your primary account, and ultimately YOU are responsible for any charges that they make.

    As always, do what you are comfortable with.  And be sure to only add someone you know will pay you back!

    Note:   If you add someone as an authorized user on your card, they can still sign-up for their own card later on to earn their own sign-up bonus.

    Bonus Points for Adding an Authorized User

    Right now, these Chase cards offer a bonus for adding an authorized user when you open a new account:

    This is a great way to earn extra points when you sign-up for a card!

    You can currently earn 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points when you sign-up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and spend $4,000 on purchases within the 1st 3 months of opening your account.  And the $95 annual fee is waived for the 1st year!

    And you can now earn 15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points ($150) when you sign-up for the Chase Freedom card and spend $500 on purchases within the 1st 3 months of opening your account.  There is NO annual fee for this card.

    Bottom Line

    Moving forward, you can only transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to the airline & hotel loyalty accounts of your authorized users.  This applies to personal and business cards.

    For business cards, you can transfer to the frequent flyer program or frequent hotel guest program of an employee as long as they are on company business AND an authorized user, according to Chase representatives.

    You can transfer your points to another person’s Ultimate Rewards account as long as they are in the same household.  And unlike before, Chase does not specify this person has to be a spouse or domestic partner.

    The changes do NOT affect how you combine Ultimate Rewards points in your own accounts or how you transfer your own points to your travel partner accounts. 

    Adding an authorized user is a great way to earn extra points or to meet your minimum spending requirements.  But be sure you completely trust this person, because you’re responsible for any charges they make!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)