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Another AU Question Involving A Minor

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jake619
Frequent Contributor

Another AU Question Involving A Minor

Is there a minimum age an AU can be?  I saw on a thread here someone claimed to be an AU at 15.  There probably is(are) some law(s) regulating this but who knows?  The goal is to add our daughter when she's old enough, just to get her off to a better start than we had.

Message 1 of 11
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Wolf3
Senior Contributor

Re: Another AU Question Involving A Minor


@jake619 wrote:

Is there a minimum age an AU can be?  I saw on a thread here someone claimed to be an AU at 15.  There probably is(are) some law(s) regulating this but who knows?  The goal is to add our daughter when she's old enough, just to get her off to a better start than we had.


I doubt there is any legal issue since the AU is not responsible to pay the bill, you are.    I think it depends on the lender.   How old do you need to be to spend money?

Message 2 of 11
daybreakgonesXe
Valued Contributor

Re: Another AU Question Involving A Minor


@jake619 wrote:

Is there a minimum age an AU can be?  I saw on a thread here someone claimed to be an AU at 15.  There probably is(are) some law(s) regulating this but who knows?  The goal is to add our daughter when she's old enough, just to get her off to a better start than we had.


I doubt it, though it is possible that a credit report or score won't be generated unless they have a lot of AU accounts, or have an AU account as well as their own account on there. I wasn't able to generate at score at 18 even though I was added to a Nordstrom card opened in 2004. It even wouldn't let me look at two of my credit reports because it claimed I had nothing on them! However, as soon as I got my Orchard card, both the Orchard and Nordstrom showed up, Nordstrom with the history from 2004. So YMMV for underaged AUs. Will it report? Likely not until that user has a credit report they can generate and match the account to.

Message 3 of 11
jake619
Frequent Contributor

Re: Another AU Question Involving A Minor

OK you mean if added prior to having any credit (CC or anything) in her name the info is there but just not visible.  The addition of credit in her name explicitly is the catalyst to getting the AU data to poulate?

Message 4 of 11
daybreakgonesXe
Valued Contributor

Re: Another AU Question Involving A Minor


@jake619 wrote:

OK you mean if added prior to having any credit (CC or anything) in her name the info is there but just not visible.  The addition of credit in her name explicitly is the catalyst to getting the AU data to poulate?


Pretty much Smiley Happy i think what happened to me is even though the Nordstrom card was reporting in my dad's name (account owner) and my mother (was an authorized user, but obviously had her own credit history), when it got to me as an authorized user Nordstrom couldn't pair the account to my credit file because I didn't have one. Then as soon as I had a credit file due to Orchard reporting, they were finally able to match the account up to my report, and reflected all the positive payment history dating back to 2004. It's possible though that if an AU account allows you to add a SSN for that person, then a report WILL generate. If it's simply by name, then they're trying to find a current report that's already in the system with the same address. If there's not one, then it can't be posted just yet.

Message 5 of 11
pizzadude
Credit Mentor

Re: Another AU Question Involving A Minor

 

AMEX will let you add an additional cardmember if they are at least 15 yrs old.

March2010 FICO® ~ 695 TU, 653 EQ, 697 EX
Message 6 of 11
jake619
Frequent Contributor

Re: Another AU Question Involving A Minor


@pizzadude wrote:

 

AMEX will let you add an additional cardmember if they are at least 15 yrs old.


Haha.  I should have read this first.  

Message 7 of 11
ccnewcc
Established Contributor

Re: Another AU Question Involving A Minor

Yeah I think it depends on the lender for how old a AU must be.

 

 

Cuz I think that I read somewhere (may have been annualcreditreport.com or one of the CRAs or something like that) that the CRAs do not knowingly create CRs for ppl under 13 years old.  So i guess, anyone over 13 could have a activity show up, but it would depend on the lender to report or not.

Message 8 of 11
jake619
Frequent Contributor

Re: Another AU Question Involving A Minor

So in the case for AMEX and their backdating policy, if the AU turned 15 in 2013 and was added then, and then down the road in 2016 when she was 18 opened her own account, could her account backdate to 2013?  In other words, does AMEX honor AU time for backdating?  I know this is off-topic but saves another threadSmiley Happy

Message 9 of 11
pizzadude
Credit Mentor

Re: Another AU Question Involving A Minor

Yes ~ I believe that the additional cardmember account would establish a member since date of 2013, so any new account would be backdated to 2013.
March2010 FICO® ~ 695 TU, 653 EQ, 697 EX
Message 10 of 11
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