Best Credit Cards for Couples

Whether couples share finances or keep them separate, some credit cards are ideal for twosomes — those who like to travel together, just stay home or anything in between.

Most popular credit cards don’t offer joint accounts anymore. (More on that later.) But couples can strategically use a two-player strategy with their cards by making each other authorized users. Examples:

• Optimize everyday spending. Apply for different and complementary cards to optimize rewards on everyday spending.

• Double-dip sign-up bonuses. If you both have great credit, you can each apply for the same card to rack up double the sign-up bonus.

• Perk sharing. Strategically apply for cards that give both partners a benefit, like free checked bags with an airline.

• Debt repayment. If your goal is to eliminate credit card debt, you can shift balances to multiple new cards with lengthy 0% intro APRs to avoid interest as you try to get out of debt together.

Here are the best credit cards for couples.

Rewards: Unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Welcome offer: New! Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

Annual fee: $0.

APR: 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 14.99% – 24.99% Variable APR.

Every couple needs a no-hassle card that gives good rewards regardless of spending category. An excellent example is the Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card, which not only gives a great flat rewards rate in cash back but adds a nice sign-up bonus and 0% intro APR period. This works as an “everything else” card, when you can’t get better rewards from a different credit card.

• 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).

• 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions like Netflix, Disney+, Spotify and YouTube TV, among others.

• 3% cash back on transit including taxis, rideshare services, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more.

• 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations.

• 1% cash back on everything else.

Welcome offer: Earn a $300 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.

Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95.

APR: A 0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, and then the ongoing APR of 13.99% – 23.99% Variable APR.

If you’re more the stay-at-home type of couple than you are jet-setters, this card packs plenty of value. Rewards at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. streaming subscriptions are top-notch, so you benefit from those nights featuring homemade nachos and a Netflix movie. The couples strategy is to make sure both partners are using this card at the grocery store and gas station. And set this card as the default in the account for your audio and video streaming subscriptions.

Honorable mention: Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is great for couples who share an Amazon Prime account. It offers 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership, 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores, and 1% back on all other purchases. It carries an annual fee of $0, but requires a paid Amazon Prime membership. Set it and forget it as your payment method on Amazon.

• 3% cash back on dining, eligible streaming services, grocery stores and entertainment.

• 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Welcome offer: Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.

Annual fee: $0.

APR: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 14.99% – 24.99% Variable APR.

If going out is what gets you and your partner fired up, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card is the perfect third wheel. Earn unlimited bonus cash back on restaurants and a long list of entertainment, including movies, plays, concerts, sporting events, tourist attractions, theme parks, aquariums, zoos, dance clubs and more. If you socialize by having friends over to watch a movie, earn your extra cash back when you buy supermarket appetizers and pay the streaming bill.

Honorable mention: If your idea of socializing often involves double-dating at a dinner out, also consider the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card. It offers 4X points on restaurant purchases. It also earns 2X points at grocery stores, gas stations and on purchases with streaming services. It has a $0* annual fee.

• 5% cash back in quarterly bonus categories on up to $1,500 in combined spending each quarter. Activation of bonus categories is required. (See current categories here.)

• 3% cash back on dining, including takeout and delivery services.

• 3% cash back on drugstore purchases.

• 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Welcome offer: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. And earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target® or Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.

Annual fee: $0.

APR: 0% intro APR on Purchases for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 14.99% – 23.74% Variable APR.

The card’s bonus categories might not be simple to remember, but it offers a slew of useful ones that can help parents rack up points quickly when they’re spending enough to keep a household running. Tag team with your partner to use this card for its bonus categories. Especially note the 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (excluding Target® or Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.

Honorable mention: If you really want to optimize, one partner can also get the Discover it® Cash Back. It also earns 5% back on up to $1,500 in spending on rotating quarterly categories (activation required; 1% back on all other purchases). Bonus categories historically have included restaurants, grocery stores, home improvement stores and Amazon.com. With the two cards together, you’ll have more 5% categories each quarter.

• 3 points per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout).

• 3 points per $1 spent on select streaming services.

• 3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).

• 2 points per $1 spent on travel not purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

• 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.

Welcome offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Annual fee: $95.

APR: The ongoing APR is 15.99% – 22.99% Variable APR.

If you’re a couple defined by your wanderlust or are newlyweds who have a honeymoon to plan, travel credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will be your jam. The card has useful rewards categories for earning points. And when you redeem them for travel through Chase, they’re worth 25% more. You also have the option of transferring them to travel partners, including United, Southwest, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Hyatt and Marriott, among others. If you’re willing to pay a $550 annual fee, then upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. It offers even more perks that could easily offset the annual cost.

• 3 miles per $1 spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.

• 1 mile per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.

Welcome offer: Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles and 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer expires 11/10/2021. Terms Apply.

Annual fee: $550.

APR: The ongoing APR is 15.74% – 24.74% Variable APR.

Being a couple means you often have a travel companion. That’s an ideal scenario to take advantage of card travel perks that apply to more than just the primary cardholder. Three of the most coveted airline-related perks are free checked bags, a companion pass and airport lounge access. The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card has all three. You’ll get a free first bag for up to nine people on a reservation, an annual companion certificate, and authorized users have the same level of access to the Delta Sky Club as the primary cardholder. Don’t fly Delta? A different airline credit card might be a better fit.

• 3% cash back on a category of your choice and 2% back on grocery stores and wholesale clubs on the first $2,500 spent per quarter in these categories combined (1% after).

• 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Welcome offer: $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Annual fee: $0.

APR: 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 13.99% – 23.99% Variable APR.

If you’re homeowners making repairs or upgrades — or if you’re renters trying to refurnish an apartment — you might as well get rewarded for pricey home improvements. This card allows you to choose a 3% cash-back category from a list of six. The relevant one here is “home improvement and furnishings.” That card category also includes contractors like plumbers, electricians, landscapers and carpenters. You can change your 3% bonus selection up to once a month. You’ll also earn 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs each quarter on up to $2,500 in combined spending across 3% and 2% categories. If you’re already a Bank of America® customer, you may qualify for even higher rewards rates through Bank of America® Preferred Rewards. Enjoy a lengthy 0% intro APR period for those home projects you can’t quite pay off right away.

Honorable mention: The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card can earn 5% cash back on up to $500 spent in your highest spending category for the billing cycle — and “home-improvement stores” is an eligible category. The $500 monthly cap makes this card better for lower-cost, and perhaps more frequent, home-improvement projects.

Rewards: None.

Welcome offer: None.

Annual fee: $0.

APR: 0% intro APR for 18 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then an ongoing APR of 12.99% – 24.99% Variable APR. Intro APR extension of up to 3 months with on-time minimum payments during the intro and extension periods.

Getting out of debt might not be the most romantic project you’ll tackle as a couple, but it could be among the most important. To get a break from punishing interest charges, you could transfer balances to this card and enjoy a super-long 0% intro APR period, as long as you pay on time. Because it has no rewards, this is a niche card to help with the singular job of getting you out of credit card debt. The real reward is not paying all that interest while you both work to become debt-free.

Joint accounts aren’t offered widely anymore. Issuers prefer to approve credit cards for individuals, largely based on their personal credit history (although, sometimes partially based on joint income.)

So now, the common strategy to optimize credit cards is for each partner to get complementary cards as primary users, then add the other as an authorized user. That way, each person can use the best card for earning points or taking advantage of perks. It works best when both partners have excellent credit. And to optimize, it works best when both partners agree to use the right card for certain purchases.

A notable exception is the Apple Card, which allows “co-owners” who equally share the responsibility of paying bills.

To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, see this page.