Sharing is caring, or so they say. But most banks, airlines, and hotel chains sure don't make it easy (or cheap) to share your miles with your closest travel pals, spouses, and even blood relatives.

Capital One is a glorious exception … and that's worth calling out. 

Most airlines charge exorbitant fees to transfer some miles to another member. And even the best banks have strange restrictions and hurdles on transferring points between different accounts. 

With Capital One miles, you can always transfer miles from one cardholder to another for free, whether that person lives in your house, in another state, or is a complete stranger! While there's no option to transfer those miles between accounts online, a five-minute (or less) phone call is all it takes to send miles to a family member or friend – and they're available instantly. 

That makes it possible to pool miles with a spouse or partner to book award tickets together; consolidate mileage for a family trip; or even collect miles from pals to cover the cost of an Airbnb for a group trip. That's just not possible with other points programs.

Here's how it's done. 

 

The Basics of Sharing Capital One Miles with Other Cardholders

The flexibility of Capital One miles from cards like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card goes far beyond sending them to 20-plus airline and hotel transfer partners – or even combining them between those two cards. 

While the other big banks restrict who you can send points to – or block it altogether – you can easily (and freely) share Capital One miles with any and all other cardholders.

 

Capital One Venture X card in a wallet with passport and airpods.

 

There's no limit on the number of miles you can transfer or receive from other cardholders. There's not even a requirement that the person you are sharing miles with is related to or lives at your address, as is the case when combining Chase points with other cardholders.

Here are the basics of sharing Capital One miles with another cardholder:

  • You can transfer Capital One miles to other members as long as they have a credit card that earns Capital One miles
    • That includes transferring miles from business to personal cards, and vice versa
  • There is no requirement that the person you are transferring miles to lives at the same address or is related to you in any way
  • There is no cap on the number of miles that can be shared with other Capital One cardholders
  • There are no expiration dates or other major restrictions on miles that are transferred to other cardholders

That's more generous than any other major bank makes it to share points.

 

How Does This Policy Stack Up Against Other Banks?

It doesn't get any better than this.

When it comes to transferable points currencies like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Capital One miles, Capital One has the most generous policy when it comes to combining miles with other cardmembers, and it isn't particularly close.

  • American Express doesn't allow you to combine Membership Rewards points with other members in any fashion, though you can transfer Amex points to an authorized user's frequent flyer or hotel loyalty account. Just know, you'll need to wait at least 90 days after adding an authorized user to make these transfers. 
  • Chase allows you to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to other members of your household, so long as they share the same billing address. In the past, we've been able to transfer to other family members with a different address, but it's no sure thing. 
  • Citi allows you to transfer ThankYou points to any other person who also holds a card that earns ThankYou points. But there's a major catch: Once the points are transferred from one ThankYou account to another, they will expire in 90 days – and there is nothing you can do to extend the expiration date. That means it's only a good idea to transfer when you're about to use those points for a redemption.

Read more: Can You Transfer Credit Card Points to Another Person's Account?

 

How to Transfer Capital One Miles to Another Cardholder

This is a huge advantage for Capital One miles and one of the many reasons it's become one of my favorite rewards programs, period.

That said, there's one small downside: There isn't a way to do this online.

But fear not: Calling up Capital One to transfer miles to another person is a quick and painless process. All you need is the name and card number of the person's account you're transferring miles to. In all, it should take five minutes or less by phone. 

Here's a quick rundown:

  1. Call up the number on the back of your Capital One card and tell the agent you'd like to transfer Capital One miles to another cardholder
  2. The agent will send you a two-factor authentication code to your cell phone to confirm your identity
  3. Provide the agent with the name and card number of the person to which you're transferring miles
  4. Specify and confirm exactly how many miles you want to transfer
  5. You're done!

Seriously, that's it. Those transfers should be processed instantly – any miles you transferred will show up immediately in the person's account and are ready to redeem. 

Related Reading: How to Quickly Earn 175K+ Capital One Miles … & Why You Should!

 

Bottom Line

Don't take this for granted, folks. 

The ability to transfer Capital One miles from one cardholder to another – without fees, limits, or really any restrictions whatsoever – is both unparalleled and under-appreciated. If you ask me, it's a defining feature that makes Capital One miles even more valuable.