should I make my 16yo an AU on my amex?

[slap_happy]

Hi, trying to give my kid a head start that I never had, I was thinking of making him an AU on my amex so that by the time hes 18 he will already have 2 years of history. 

my worry is that I have read somewhere where a dad did the same for his son and his son had problems getting credit cause it was confusing that he had credit history before he was 18. what are your thoughs? 

[Creditaddict]

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@slap_happy wrote:

Hi, trying to give my kid a head start that I never had, I was thinking of making him an AU on my amex so that by the time hes 18 he will already have 2 years of history. 

my worry is that I have read somewhere where a dad did the same for his son and his son had problems getting credit cause it was confusing that he had credit history before he was 18. what are your thoughs? 

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YES ADD, especially to Amex!

I don't know who was confused with an 18 yo having credit history... I would not worry about that, I only know it to be a good thing if they are on good accounts being managed well..

I would go ahead and add him to Amex Zync for sure, and blue if your util. is good and then also Discover for sure if util. is also good.

then I would choose depending possibly if he banks with either to add him to either your chase or Bank of America...

[youngandcreditwrthy]

Just make sure your child knows the ins and outs of credit. I'd even give him a test over credit.

[TheConductor]

The issue that person had before was that the Amex backdating made it seem like they had their own card in their own name (not as an AU) before the age of 18, and that caused an automated rejection on one of their applications.  That sort of thing is easily explained on recon, though, so I would not worry too much about it.

It is not too soon to start teaching your kid about credit.  You definitely want him to know the ropes before he goes off to college and has credit card touts offering cards in the student union. If I had known at 18 what I know now, I would not have blown it on my own first-ever credit card (a Discover, which luckily did not charge off, but it got late enough that they closed the account as soon as I paid the balance due).

[leoment]

It's not a bad idea at all.  My mom added me as an AU when I was either 15 or 16 to one of her Amex cards.. When I was 18 it (along with having a job) allowed me to be approved for a $500 Target card and later a $4k Citi card.

She never gave me a physical card though - just added me so that I could piggybank off of her history lol

[09Lexie]

Add him to the Amex ( idk about adding him to all your others) make sure he sets up an online account to seal in his MSD. It's up to you if you decide to give him the physical card.

[slap_happy]

thanks for the advice guys, I was thinking of just making him an AU and just keep the card, either way, hes a responsible teen that I would not have a problem giving him a card anyway, maybe I should and help him start learning that its acually real money lol, when I started out at 18 by 20 yo I had over $30000 in credit, the good old days of 80s and 90s, I did not know what I know now and blow it all and killed my credit for 10 years, finally back now

[vanillabean]

Generally it doesn't make a difference whether you add him now or when his turns 18. His credit reports will look the same when he applies for his own cards at that time.

The exception is Amex charge cards, where you can become AU at the age of fifteen. But Amex can also track AU spending accurately, so they can see whether his AU card is used.

As always, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

How early can I add my kids as AUs?

Adding under 18 as authorized user on amex

When/How to help teen establish good credit?

[bigbang91]

you should open a secured card for your kid, its way better than au . My parents help me did that 2 years ago when i'm 18, now my credit score of 3 bureaus is 720+

[slap_happy]

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@bigbang91 wrote:

you should open a secured card for your kid, its way better than au . My parents help me did that 2 years ago when i'm 18, now my credit score of 3 bureaus is 720+

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that is a good idea but remember, hes 16 and cant have his own CC until 18 from what I understand, thats why im thinking of making him an AU, at least to help