American Express Membership Rewards - MR conversion to airline miles - same name required?

I would like to transfer Membership Rewards points from my MR account to a Continental OnePass account in a relative's name. We have the same last name but different first names. Does anybody know if this is possible? Has anybody done this before? Or do the names on the "to" and "from" accounts have to be the same?

Thanks!

[This message has been edited by rgoel (edited 03-05-2002).]

I am able to do this but the MR account is for an AMEX card that is in both my and my wife's names.

The official word from AmEx is that to do so you'd need to get an additional card put on your account.

If you can't get it to work otherwise, just sign the person up as an additional cardmember on your account, do the transfer and cancel the additional card.

I don't see why AmEx is so stringent about the issue.

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