Originally Posted by sfernando

Note the restriction about longevity of account activation above. For further clarity, buying and sharing are two separate transactions with separate costs.

Right now, it will cost you $1750 plus taxes and fees to purchase 50K miles; then another $567.50 to share those 50K miles to your wife's account, and another $567.50 for her to share 50K miles back to you. You would each end up with 50K miles at a total cost of just over $3,000--not a good deal at all.

I'd suggest you go ahead and open USDM accounts in your respective names now, then wait for a 100% bonus buy miles promo that will likely come around soon enough, the US-AA merger notwithstanding. Buying 50K miles each then will yield $100K miles in each account with the bonuses at a cost of slightly more than $3,600.