Authorized user on maxed out card

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

When I was 17 my parents added me as a authorized user to one of their credit cards to help me build credit. This credit card has been reporting on my credit for 11 years now. They have never missed a payment so that is 11 years of perfect payment history on my credit. Problem is the card is always 100% (or more) maxed out at about $1,500. Should I remove myself as an authorized user, or let them keep reporting?

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Are your parents paying the card in full every month after the statement cuts, or are they chipping away at the balance?

It's possible they aren't aware that you can avoid interest with 0 balances and grace periods, and that the balance that reports is the one on their statement. It's such a small limit, I can't imagine it would be too hard to tackle and keep it low or at 0 and utilize the aging and payment history that they can pass on to you.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Jlh- I would completely disagree. Everyone needs help, in the famous words of the Beatles, "I get by with a little help from my friends".

There's no shame at all with being an AU.

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I didn't mean for it to be a bad thing to need and want help. There's just something about doing something challenging all on your own that is so satisfying!

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your input! Unfortunately my parents aren't that great with money and debt management, so this isn't their only maxed out card. I don't see the balance ever being reasonable so I will remove myself as a user. My credit isn't great, but not horrible. I've always bought cars with cash, and I've been a stay at home mom/student for a long time so most things have always gone in my fiancee's name as he is the one with a stable job. I'll be graduating with my bachelor's degree soon so I want to start getting my credit cleaned up in case potential employers want to check it. I have one low credit card in my name that I've used correctly, some student loans, and a couple collections but that's about it!