Maximize Your Valentine’s Day Romance with Joint Credit Cards – Here’s How!
What’s the perfect romantic date? A dinner that ends with a bill you can get some amazing rewards by paying? A weekend trip where you don’t have to worry about travel insurance? Shopping together for products with extended warranties?
Joint credit cards can help you to get all of these things. While this may not sound like a ‘romantic’ solution, a joint credit card plan is actually the perfect gift to share with your significant other. Even your separate purchases will show up on the same bank statement. This way, no matter who uses the credit card, both can avail of the benefits earned and manage their finances better.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Having a joint bank account is not the same as having a joint credit card. In the case of the former, both account holders have equal ownership; this means equal responsibility in terms of withdrawals or deposits, fees, or debts. It also means both have equal privileges.
However, normally, only one person is issued the credit card linked to a particular bank account, even if the account itself is a joint one. The credit card holder is the one responsible for it- be it making purchases or paying the annual fee on it. They are also the sole beneficiary of the rewards earned on this card.
So, in the case of a ‘joint’ credit card, a secondary card is issued to an authorized user added to the credit card’s account by the primary cardholder. This secondary credit card will have a number and expiry date unique to itself, separate from the primary card. But as it is connected to the same account as the primary credit card, they will both have the same credit limit.
Both cards will also earn the same rewards, therefore allowing them to be used freely by both you and your partner.
However, it is important to remember that the secondary card holder is not responsible- as far as the bank is concerned- for making payments on the credit card account.
HOW DO WE GET THE MOST OUT OF OUR JOINT CREDIT CARDS?
The more, the merrier; in the case of joint credit cards, two people using it means more rewards and points to be earned- be it travel cashbacks, rewards on restaurant purchases, or others.
Since different credit card plans often have rewards for different categories, it is possible that you might be underutilizing the joint credit card plan by only having one. We recommend getting different cards for both yourself and your partner. The best way to do this is to decide together which rewards you’re both interested in, as well as what your spending habits are like.
Credit cards that offer travel points can be used to avail of emergency medical aid or travel insurance during your next holiday. Credit cards with cashback rewards will make it easier to save money on your monthly shopping. Or if you both share a love for eating out, there are credit cards that specifically offer points on restaurant bills.
This is especially useful when making separate purchases. If you hold a credit account with product purchase cashbacks while your partner holds one with restaurant points, and both of you are secondary users of each other’s cards- then at any given instance, both you and your partner have the best card for the moment right in your hands.
Another thing to take into consideration is the annual fee. If points or cashbacks aren’t what you need, there are cards available without these features that do not charge any annual fee for the secondary user- some that don’t even charge the primary cardholder. On the other hand, while some cards might charge a slightly higher-than-normal annual fee for both users, they usually come with great rewards as well.
WHAT ARE THE DRAWBACKS?
A common misconception is that sharing a credit card will help the secondary cardholder build their own credit. This is false because the card is not in their own name.
Some credit cards might offer bonuses to new account holders- however, this does not extend to or get doubled for a secondary user.
An annual fee may be applied to the secondary user, though it is usually less than the fee charged to the primary holder.
IS IT WORTH IT?
Sharing credit cards with your romantic partner ultimately has more benefits than drawbacks. Not only is it a sign of commitment, which makes it the perfect Valentine’s Day or anniversary gift, but it also ensures a lot of rewards for both cardholders. However, it is important to first study the various cards available and then decide together which card is best for you and your significant other.
Once that’s done, you can enjoy reaping the rewards together!
