AAoA Question

[Anonymous]

I thought until recently that when you get added as a authorized user on someone else's old card, the account age on your credit score only starts when you get added for that card, not when the account was created. Here is an example to help explain.

I have 2 cards that are both my cards and are 5 years old, so my AAoA is 5 years. I get added onto my moms credit card that is 20 years old.

Dose my AAoA go to 10 years or 3.3 years?

[gdale6]

10

[RonM21]

I think it may be 10 also. This is one of those cases where being added actually helps you.

[Anonymous]

10 years.  It would only go to 3.3 years if she opened up a BRAND NEW account and added you as an authorized user.  Adding you as an AU to a 20 year account using the numbers you gave is significant as it doubles your AAoA.

[takeshi74]

Keep in mind that accounts where one is an AU are not always considered by scoring models and/or creditors.  Don't rely too heavily on being an AU and focus on your own tradelines.

Additionally, accounts don't all report the same way.  AmEx, for example, reports the tradeline as opened when the AU was added.

[grillandwinemaster]

While your AAofA may indeed go to ten years, it may not survive a manual review, depending on the lender, for a mortgage. It will benefit you applying online for credit cards. However, if your approved, it will drop your AAofA back down. :-)

Kinda like a catch-22 situation.