@Anonymous wrote:YES! Absolutely add your son as an AU for your cards. Add him to as many cards as you can. When he's eligible to be added to more cards, add him to those cards as well.
By the time he turns 18, his AAoA will be better than most 25 year olds. If he gets into credit cards as a hobby, he'll already have an established credit profile and will be able to add multiple cards without damaging his AAoA.
My father added me as an AU when I was 6, again at 22. Those two cards are the sole reasons I'm able to have such a great line of cards at my disposal. You'll be helping him along TREMENDOUSLY, and if he's responsible with his credit he'll thank you for it.
Eh for chase their AAOA would be zero years anyways
@Anonymous wrote:I say do it. Why not. It will only help. It can't hurt. My mom added me on early (though not that early) and my 18th bday I got my Amex which is still my first solo card I still have. Scores are in 800s.
It could hurt if for say the OP doesn't play off the CC or keeps it showing as maxed.
As long as you're responsible I dont see the problem. AAoA is a factor. The earlier the better.
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@Anonymous wrote:
@Closingracer99 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:I say do it. Why not. It will only help. It can't hurt. My mom added me on early (though not that early) and my 18th bday I got my Amex which is still my first solo card I still have. Scores are in 800s.
It could hurt if for say the OP doesn't play off the CC or keeps it showing as maxed.
But they're going to SD it so I doubt that would happen. But you're right, if not managed correctly it would have the adverse effect.
Yes but I'm just stating it could possibly hurt being an Authorized user that's all 
@Closingracer99 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Closingracer99 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:I say do it. Why not. It will only help. It can't hurt. My mom added me on early (though not that early) and my 18th bday I got my Amex which is still my first solo card I still have. Scores are in 800s.
It could hurt if for say the OP doesn't play off the CC or keeps it showing as maxed.
But they're going to SD it so I doubt that would happen. But you're right, if not managed correctly it would have the adverse effect.
Yes but I'm just stating it could possibly hurt being an Authorized user that's all
No doubt. You're right about that. On the flip side though, I know its relatively easy to weasel out of it on the CR's. My DW was AU on a few of the accounts I burned. One dispute for each and poof they were gone. Actually disco was one of them and she just got approved for the IT last night.
@Closingracer99 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Closingracer99 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:I say do it. Why not. It will only help. It can't hurt. My mom added me on early (though not that early) and my 18th bday I got my Amex which is still my first solo card I still have. Scores are in 800s.
It could hurt if for say the OP doesn't play off the CC or keeps it showing as maxed.
But they're going to SD it so I doubt that would happen. But you're right, if not managed correctly it would have the adverse effect.
Yes but I'm just stating it could possibly hurt being an Authorized user that's all
We've all heard the expression, "bad things happen to good ppl".
I hav a somewhat different perspective on the reasoning against....
Here's where I believe the idea most falls short:
Essentially U (as the primary) are not only counting on your (I assume) good credit to boost your child's but U are also assuming longevity (your credit staying that way or improving). Hmmmmm. So in other words as your credit goes so does your child's.
You are banking on a calculated hunch that U will be able to maintain positive credit until the time your child is ready to achieve credit on their own. This is not only a lofty goal but a burden of sorts as well. And here's the thing....
None of us has any way of predicting the future. We do what we can to plan our future based upon current events but.... things can and do change. Unexpected and sometimes detrimental changes set us back not only financially but often in intangible ways that are difficult to envision ahead of time bcuz like most things we tend to ignore them until there is such a time when we 'need' to deal with them. And whats to prevent a parents goals for their children to change as well?
Obviously U will try to minimize the damage as much as possible but in the interim there will be damage. So my ? is... as parents do we really hav the right to attach our childrens (credit) future to our own when none of us has the ability to determine with 100% certainty what our own futures will bring about? As I said I get the intent but there are other ways to accomplish the same goal.
Do I even need to mention the countless stories on this very board of ppl who suddenly found themselves in untenable circumstances after years of good/excellent credit? I could break down a few problematic scenarios but I wont. I get that ppl will ultimately do whatever they choose to do. Can it work? That goes without saying - but lets also not pretend there arent risks. And from my viewpoint the risks are the same as if someone took a child's social to establish credit for themselves. Yes the intent is different but its the only difference. Teaching responsibility and making yourself responsible for someones else's credit are entirely different things. Besides, there's a reason the expression "the road to h*ll is paved with good intentions" exists.
This is my 'best case' scenario. After some consideration I decided against including my worst....
@Anonymous wrote:I see both positives and negatives to doing this. My biggest concern would be having an 18 year old with access to credit lines that only a mature adult should have. I remember being in college at 18 and having credit cards handed out like candy. Luckily they only gave me a $1,000 line of credit which was easily paid off and my lesson was learned. Now think of a teen with a 15k - 25k credit line......might be a much harder pill to swallow. I get giving the kids a boost, but I would say be very cautious once they start using those thick credit files to obtain higher limits.
Ahh, the good ol' days of being on the college campus with all those booths...(I never went to any...my parents told me not to, lol).
I agree that it might not be the best idea for an 18 year old to have a $25k line. Most 18 year olds are not mature enough for that. Although given how some banks already don't really consider AUs and in 15 years, who knows if being an AU will even make the slightest difference anymore given the way the FICO models are changing.
I guess I was raised in a very do-it-yourself-and-no-hand-outs sort of environment so I'm sort of puzzled by people who want to build their children's credit for them. On one side, I think it's great parents are thinking of their kid's financial future and want them to have the best but the part of me (from my raised roots) thinks that kids should really earn it themselves (it means SO much more to earn it) and make/learn their own mistakes. I had to build my credit on my own (and at a much later age than everyone else; still feel lightyears behind) but I'm proud of what I have accomplished and I did it all on my own. Maybe one advantage to doing it later is that I know to research and learn before making a mistake. I see a lot of posts here that include "when I was young and dumb" and thank you to everyone because I have managed to avoid those mistakes!! Of course I never got to be young and dumb. 
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