The best travel credit cards might cost you a pretty penny in annual fees, but that typically comes with some amazing benefits like airport lounge access, instant hotel elite status, annual travel credits, and much more. What makes those high annual fees even easier to swallow is being able to share the love with friends and family by adding them as an authorized user to your credit card account.
It's not an option with every travel card, and there are some potential pitfalls to be aware of, but adding a friend or family member is a great way to pass on some of your card's best benefits … regardless of whether or not they're traveling with you.
Here are some of the best credit cards for sharing travel perks with a loved one.
Authorized users occupy a quirky and sometimes confusing space in the world of credit cards. An authorized user is essentially somebody that you allow to make purchases on your credit card account … with their own physical credit card.
It can be a great way to work toward the minimum spending requirement on a big welcome offer points bonus. It's also a good option for spouses, families, or employees – especially if you want to share some sweet travel benefits.
Being an authorized user on somebody else's card will also help you to build your own credit history. Assuming all payments are made on time and in full, it will have a positive impact on the authorized user's credit score. That's why adding a child with little to no credit history or somebody with bad credit who can't get approved for their own card might be a good option to help them build or rebuild their score.
Read more: What’s the Minimum Age Requirement for Adding a Credit Card Authorized User?
But be warned. Any charges made by the authorized user will ultimately be the responsibility of the primary cardholder. That means if there are charges made by the authorized user that you can't pay, both the primary cardholder and the authorized user will take a hit to their credit score. Make sure to pick your authorized users wisely as they ultimately become an extension of your card's spending power.
Beyond that, it’s a good news, bad news situation:
- Being an authorized user does not make you ineligible to open that card outright to earn a bonus later. That means you could add a friend or spouse as an authorized user to your card, and they could still open that same card on their own later on and earn a welcome bonus.
- This could make it harder for your buddy to open a Chase card down the road. That’s because being an authorized user does count toward your Chase 5/24 rule status, which means you won’t get approved for any Chase card if you’ve opened five or more credit cards (from any bank, not just Chase) in the last 24 months. You may be able to get Chase to overlook that if being an authorized user is what’s pushing you over the edge, but that’s not a sure thing.
Read more: Everything You Need to Know About Credit Card Authorized Users
Just because you're an authorized user able to charge purchases to somebody else's credit card account doesn't mean you'll get all the card's benefits to go with it. Take a co-branded airline card like the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, for example.
This card is a mainstay in many travelers' wallets because you get a first checked bag free on every Delta flight, plus priority boarding. So long as you book the ticket, up to eight other passengers flying with you will get those same benefits – including an authorized user.
But what if the authorized user is flying without the primary cardholder? Unfortunately, the card's benefits do not extend to the authorized user. They won't get a free checked bag or priority boarding. That's because, in the case of the Delta Gold SkyMiles card, the benefits are tied to the primary cardholder's Delta SkyMiles account number.
So let's focus on the travel credit cards that do pass along travel perks.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
We consider the *venture x* the best credit card for traveling families. And that's thanks in part to how it handles authorized users.
Beyond the lounge access, a $300 annual travel credit, and other amazing benefits, the bank also allows you to add up to four authorized users to your card account … at no additional cost! Free authorized users are typically only an option on travel cards with few benefits and lower annual fees. And the Venture X itself is relatively cheap for the primary cardholder to begin with, with an annual fee of just $395.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
*amex platinum* is another great credit card option with benefits for authorized users – but it doesn't come cheap. The Platinum card has an annual fee of annual_fees (see rates & fees).
Want to add an authorized user to share some of the card's benefits? After a recent hike, it will now cost you another $195 (see rates & fees) out of pocket per additional card, each year…ouch.
From unrivaled lounge access to a statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, the American Express Platinum card has the richest set of travel perks on the market. And by adding an Amex Platinum authorized user, your travel companion gets access to many (but not all) of them.
For example, your new authorized user won't get access to some of the big-dollar credits that come with the card, like the CLEAR Plus credit or credits that cover select entertainment platforms.
But there's more than enough value here to offset the additional fee for many travelers. Here's a brief rundown of what Amex Platinum Card authorized users will get:
- American Express Centurion Lounge Access: Yes
- Priority Pass Select Lounge Membership: Yes
- Delta SkyClub Access (When Flying Delta): Yes
- Up to $120 Credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry: Yes
- Earn 5x Points on Airfare Booked Directly with Airlines and Hotels Booked Through Amextravel.com: Yes
- Instant Hotel Status with Marriott and Hilton: Yes
- Get access to Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts: Yes
- Instant Rental Car Agency Status with Hertz, Avis, and National: Yes
As you can see, your authorized users won't get their own credits for airlines, Uber, or Saks Fifth Ave, among others. In pure dollar value, those are some of the biggest perks the card offers. They immediately take the sting out of the card's annual_fees annual fee for primary cardholders. Go figure that you can't double (or triple or quadruple) down on those.
But each of your Amex Platinum authorized users will get their own up to $120 credit to cover a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. These are some of the best services to improve your time at the airport, so don't be afraid to spread the love. Just have your authorized users use their new American Express Platinum card to pay for the application, and voila – it's free.
Don't want to pay $195 to add authorized users? You can add a Companion Platinum Card authorized user to your Platinum Card account at no additional cost. But aside from up to a $120 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, these users don't get any other travel benefits.
Read more: Why You Should Add an Authorized User to Your Amex Platinum Card
Learn more about *amex platinum*.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve®
The *chase sapphire reserve* is Chase's top-tier travel credit card with an annual fee that clocks in at annual_fees a year. Cardholders get benefits like a $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass lounge access, and some of the best travel insurance you'll find from any credit card, period.
Adding an authorized user to the Sapphire Reserve will cost $195 each year for each additional user you add – but if your buddy often travels without you, that fee can easily be worth it.
While Sapphire Reserve authorized users won't get as many perks as authorized users on the Venture X and Amex Platinum cards, they will get a few worthwhile perks including:
- Their own Priority Pass lounge membership with the ability to bring two of their own guests at no additional cost
- Access to Chase Sapphire Lounges for themselves and two of their own guests, free of charge
- Access to all of the travel insurance protections provided by the card, regardless of whether they are traveling with the primary cardholder
Learn more about the *chase sapphire reserve*.
The Ritz-Carlton Card
The Ritz-Carlton Card isn't talked about much these days, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth the discussion. The card comes with a $450 annual fee and is packed with many of the same benefits as the top ultra-premium travel rewards cards at a fraction of the price. And when it comes to adding authorized users … it won't cost you another dime.
Cardholders and their authorized users will also get access to Priority Pass lounges.
But perhaps what makes the Ritz-Carlton Priority Pass better than any other is that you can bring in unlimited guests. And this benefit even applies to the card's authorized users, who…did I mention, are free to add?
Finally, the Ritz-Carlton Card is also your ticket to get into the growing list of Chase Sapphire Lounges. Capital One raised the standard for bank-branded airport lounges with the debut of its Dallas lounge back in 2021 … and now it's Chase's turn. So far the bank has announced a list of 10 lounges, plus a space in Austin (AUS) that it's dubbed the Chase Sapphire Terrace, with locations in Boston (BOS), Hong Kong (HKG), New York-LaGuardia (LGA), and New York City (JFK) open so far. While the footprint is still quite small, these lounges are easily some of the nicest in the country and a great perk for Ritz Cardholders and their authorized users.
Read more: How to Get the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card (& Why You Should!)
All information about the Ritz-Carlton Card was collected independently by Thrifty Traveler and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The Ritz-Carlton Card is no longer open to new applicants but can still be attained through a product change.
Bottom Line
Credit card authorized user benefits are not created equally.
While all the cards on this list have annual fees on the higher end of the spectrum, passing on benefits to your authorized users can certainly help justify that cost. It's just one of the many reasons we encourage readers to do the math before ruling out credit cards with a high annual fee.
