Racking up credit card reward points can be extremely satisfying. From earning points on grocery purchases to banking points for airfare travel, using credit cards to earn additional benefits is a popular choice. But how should Louisiana couples handle these points during a divorce?
Although many couples maintain joint credit cards that have both of their names, it is not necessarily uncommon for married people to have individual accounts. Whether a credit card was maintained jointly or separately, any points it accrues during a marriage are considered community property. This means that those points will have to be divided somehow.
Unlike other assets, figuring out what to do with reward points can be fairly tricky. There is generally not an easy conversion for points to cash value, so couples will need to take the time to establish the worth of their various points. After that, couples should explore their options for dividing those points. Some programs do not allow points to be transferred to different accounts, while others allow it but only other specific circumstances while also charging a fee. Rather than divvy up the actual points between accounts, some couples may prefer to let their soon-to-be ex hang onto the points in exchange for community property of comparable value.
When the average person in Louisiana thinks about property division, he or she might envision splitting up the home, vehicles and furniture. The process of dividing marital property during divorce is actually much more complicated than that. Even seemingly small assets like reward points from credit cards can be fairly valuable and should be split up as equally as possible.