Larrude

My wife and I have one of the old mutual fund HH accounts where we share one account and we are both listed as account holders.
I have had the AMEX Surpass card since it came out a couple of years ago, with my wife listed as an additional card holder.

Should we expect any problems receiving signup bonus points if she applies for her own card?

smmrfld

Mutual fund member here also. Personally, I wouldn’t do anything at all that could jeopardize mutual fund status on the HH end. I know it’s likely to not be an issue (at least with HH, unsure about AMEX], but this status has proven exceptionally beneficial for many years when we are both traveling and a one-time bonus isn’t worth potentially screwing things up.

BillMorrow

I have to agree with smmrfld. I would not rock the boat.

jcneve

I had no idea that the Mutual Fund was still a thing; my wife and I had it and at some point lost it, at the time we were told it wasn't a thing anymore. It might have even been because we each got our own AMEX card.

jcneve

I just called the HHonors desk and it turns out that my wife and I are still in a mutual fund...it's just that at the website when I log in only my name pops up...but her name is also on the account per the HHonors operator. We have previously both gotten our own AMEX accounts so doing so didn't kick us out of the program. Not saying that it won't trigger something if you do, just saying that it didn't for us.

fwfdan

I saw this thread and thought "Hilton is selling Mutual Funds?" Sorta like AAdvantage banking?

kevino

So when your wife signed up for her Amex card, she was able to get the sign up bonus credited to your joint Hilton account, or did it go to a new Hilton account, different from your mutual fund account?

jtav559

With the advent of points pooling and free transfers of points to other HH members, isn't the basic concept of the mutual fund kaput?

My wife has her own HH account + HH Amex. Twice a year I go in and transfer her accumulated points into my account for future use. So the worry of earning points into mutually exclusive accounts that can't be commingled (like most airlines or the older days of Hilton) is one that has gone by the wayside.

Now, as mentioned - the potential benefit of being able to have SUB for 2 different AMEX customers dump into the same HH account.... that holds some merit! I would roll this dice and have the Mrs. sign up for a card using the MF acct#. Worst case, she gets auto issued a new HH number and you'll have to do the aforementioned manual transfer.

Is there some other hidden benefit of the Mutual Fund type account that I am missing?

Larrude

If one of the couple has status and the other does not, if traveling separately they are both able to access the "perks."

smmrfld

Yes. Diamond benefits for both.

jtav559

Ahh, that does make sense.

I guess in my case, my spouse is not one to travel alone, ie. without me, so the need for that "shared" Diamond status is diminished.

Though, there are some simple work-arounds to that issue if the need ever arose.

fwfdan

Can you elaborate on the work arounds?

jtav559

Well I have done this a half dozen times in the last few years.

If the Mrs. is arriving somewhere before me and needs to check in, I just add her as the second guest on the Res'y made under my account. She checks in (usually mobile check in via app, sometimes at the desk) and is in the room without any issues. I have never had any issues with this method, and have never been asked to come by the front desk myself for any check in purposes. I know for a fact on at least 3 of the reservations I never spoke to the front desk, never even really walked by it, and was in and out of the hotel without a single interaction with front of the house staff. Diamond benefits were bestowed, breakfasts were free, lounges were accessed, etc. and had no issues.

So, the logic would follow that you could book a room for your spouse with you as the main guest and follow this routine w/o said main guest showing up.
Now, is this within the letter of the law and T & C's?
Not really.
Can you get away with it a few times?
Sure, but I wouldn't make a habit of it if your spouse is traveling alone without you present ALOT..... If you have a spouse that stays at a Hilton property enough on their own, wouldn't a Amex CC with status (be it Gold or Diamond depending on card type) be a good addition to their wallet?

Just my two cents as it pertains to my own travel patterns and experiences.

jcneve

It was credited to our same account. Both of us had AMEX cards in our own names (different AMEX accounts) crediting to the same HHonors account.

I Love to Travel

It’s the same for us. We both have Amex in our own names and the points get credited to the same Hilton account. It’s never been an issue.