Should I Add My Partner to My USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Card? Pros and Cons Explained

For most couples, the endless back-and-forth of splitting expenses through Splitwise, spreadsheets, and Venmo can be tiresome. Graduating to sharing a credit card often feels like a breath of fresh air and reduces the monthly workload.

In this blog post, we'll explore:

• The pros and cons of adding your partner to your credit card

• How USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa’s authorized user card works

• Why you might not see shared spending

• How credit scores work

• A reminder of USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa benefits

• What happens if both partners have an USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa card

• Referral benefits for your partner

• Deciding between USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa or USAA Eagle Navigator Visa

Options for Adding Your Partner to Your USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Card

For USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa cardholders, you can add your partner (or a family member) as an authorized user for free!

Pros and Cons of Adding Your Partner to Your Credit Card

Pros:

• Focus on One Type of Rewards Points: This makes it easier and faster to reach point bonuses or the required points to redeem for flights or hotel rewards.

  
  

• Share Credit Card Benefits: Regardless of whether you’re using the primary card or the authorized user card, you receive the same benefits.

Cons:

• Limited Spending Visibility for Additional Cardholders: USAA makes it difficult for additional cardholders to see shared spending. Plenty solves this by enabling easy connection and shared visibility.

  
  

• Indirect Credit History Building: Your partner’s credit history may not build as directly, as the account will be reported to their credit as an authorized user account. While this won’t necessarily effect your credit score, lenders can see this information if they pull your credit report.

  
  

• Primary Cardholder Responsibility: You are responsible for paying off the card, impacting your credit score even if the additional cardholder doesn't pay you back.

How USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa’s Authorized User Works

When you add your partner as an authorized user, you can log into your account online and add them for free. The new card is under your account, and your partner receives a USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa card with their name on it.

Benefits:

• Faster Cash Back Accumulation: USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa offers unlimited 2x points per dollar on dining and gas stations, and 1x points per dollar on all other purchases. Adding your partner as an authorized user can be a great way to accumulate points even faster.

  
  

• Credit History Improvement: The primary cardholder's credit history could benefit the additional cardholder, since the authorized user will “inherit” the account history of the primary cardholder. This means that authorized users will see the account appear on their credit report with the same opening date and reported balance information as the primary cardholder.

Why Can I Not See Our Spending?

USAA has a limited experience for shared visibility. The authorized user setup was designed in a dated era where the primary income earner managed the credit card.

When you add your partner as an authorized user, they aren’t able to create an online account to track their spending or the spending of the primary cardholder. Traditionally, the only way to remedy this was to share login details with your partner, or wait until you receive a statement, and read through it line by line.

Solution: Plenty offers a solution by connecting your USAA account and labeling it as “shared,” providing both partners with equal visibility over shared spending.

How Do Credit Scores Work?

When you add your partner as an authorized user on your USAA account, this is how both of your credit scores will be effected:

• Primary Cardholder Responsibility: As the primary cardholder, your responsibility doesn’t change much. You are responsible for paying off the card (for purchases made through the primary card and any authorized user cards).  Any missed payments will impact your credit history more than your partner’s.

  
  

• Credit History Building: Adding your partner can help build their credit history if the primary cardholder maintains good credit habits, since USAA reports card activity to the credit reports of authorized users. However, if the primary cardholder stops paying, that will be reflected on the authorized user’s credit report.

  
  

Tip: Your partner should maintain some cards independently to ensure their credit score stays healthy, especially if they have cards with long, good credit histories.

What If We Both Have an USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Card?

If both partners have an USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa card, you’re probably best off keeping both cards, and adding your partner as an authorized user if you want to consolidate your spending onto one account. This is because the Preferred Cash Rewards card has no annual fee, so there are no costs associated with keeping the card open.

Advice: Instead of canceling the USAA card, just hold onto it and use it every few months to maintain the credit age on that card.

Remind Me, What Are the USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Benefits Again?

• $0% Intro APR: 0% APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers

  
  

• Unlimited Rewards: Earn unlimited 2x points per dollar on dining and gas stations, and 1x points per dollar on all other purchases. 

  
  

• Travel Protections: This card comes with auto rental coverage, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, and baggage loss/delay coverage.  

What If I Refer My Partner?

Referring your partner means they’ll receive a separate hard inquiry on their credit report when they apply. Hard inquiries negatively effect your credit report. However, the effect is typically minimal, especially for those with more robust credit history. Unfortunately, at this time, there are no active referral bonuses for USAA credit card products.

How to Decide Between USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa or USAA Eagle Navigator Visa?

For every couple, the decision depends on different factors. Key questions to consider:

• Sign Up Bonus: If you can justify the annual fee, the $95 USAA Eagle Navigator Visa comes with a 30k point sign up bonus compared to the USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa’s 2.5k sign up bonus.

  
  

• Travel Statement Credit: Although the Eagle Navigator Visa card comes with a $95 annual fee, it also comes with a $100 statement credit every four years that’s good for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fees.  

  
  

• Annual Bonus Points: To help offset the annual fee of the Eagle Navigator Card, USAA gives cardholders 10,000 bonus points each year after booking a hotel or car through the USAA Rewards Center, making it a great pick for those who book travel through USAA.

  
  

• SImplicity: If you’re looking for a more simplistic card with less hoops to jump through, the Rewards Signature card is probably the card for you, as you don’t have to worry about making the most of credits, or using the USAA Rewards Center.

Interested in trying Plenty out? Start your 1 month free trial today or book an onboarding call to learn more.

Sources

USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card Image. USAA, www.usaa.com/inet/wc/bank-credit-card-preferred-cash-rewards-visa-signature?akredirect=true.

"USAA Reward Visa SignatureSee Credit Card." USAA, www.usaa.com/inet/wc/bank-credit-card-usaa-rewards-visa?amp;wa_ref=cc_main_rewardsvisa_viewdetails. 

"USAA Eagle Navigator Visa SignatureSee Credit Card." USAA, www.usaa.com/inet/wc/bank-credit-card-usaa-eagle-navigator-visa?wa_ref=cc_main_navigator_viewdetails. 

Tsosie, Claire. “Which Credit Cards Help Authorized Users Build Credit.” Nerdwallet, 25 Aug. 2023, www.nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/credit-card-authorized-users-build-credit. 

Kelton, Katie. “Authorized users: Everything you need to know.” Bankrate, 16 May 2024, www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/guide-to-authorized-users.  

“Does USAA Report Authorized Users to Credit Bureaus?” Wallethub, 10 June 2021, www.wallethub.com/answers/cc/does-usaa-report-authorized-users-to-credit-bureaus-1000532-2140754195. 

About Plenty

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