topic Re: AU without access in Credit Cards

AU without access

bcdudley — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 04:58:43 GMT

Can I add my wife as an AU to my credit cards and be 100% sure that she has no way of using them. I want to help her increase her score, but she is horrible with money and is very deserving of her 490 credit score. She is one of the people that believes if she has checks, she has money. She actually got a $300 secured card to try to help, then maxed it out and never paid a penny of it.

I have tried to teach her how to manage her money better, but it just hasn't worked. What I would like to do is help her for future purchases we make together, but I don't want it to come back and hurt me.

Re: AU without access

anybodii — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:06:34 GMT

It normally depends on each bank, they all have their own rules, but the main purpose of an AU is that there's another person using the card, but yet you're liable for it. Just another way for them to make money, they want your wife to be added because although they wouldn't give her a card because they know she wouldn't pay them back, they know you will. Usually you can set a limit, I'd just set a very low limit, and never give her the card.

Re: AU without access

bcdudley — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:13:22 GMT

If I don't give her the card, would she be able to request one from them, or be able to get the cc number to use online? The bank I am most concerned with is USAA because she also has an account with them and online access.

I also have US Bank and Cap One.

Re: AU without access

anybodii — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:16:07 GMT

I'm not sure, I would ask them first, I would think not. I know with CITI you can choose to allow online access or not. I haven't really looked into it anywhere else. If anything, give her a small limit and charge a bill to it yourself so she can't use it. I'm sure you can limit her though.

Re: AU without access

bcdudley — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:30:06 GMT

I will call them in the morning and find out.

Thank you.

Re: AU without access

anybodii — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:30:55 GMT

No problem, if you would post the information you find out, it would be helpful to know

Re: AU without access

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:05:35 GMT

You can request a Cap1 AU card online. You have to know her basic personal information, but she is not required to authorize it, only you. Read the agreement, the AU has no authority to the account. They can only use the card. So if you don't give her the card or number, she can't use it. But the account will be on her Credit Report.

Note the card will have the same number as yours, only her name on it.

Re: AU without access

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:47:27 GMT

@bcdudley wrote:
If I don't give her the card, would she be able to request one from them, or be able to get the cc number to use online? The bank I am most concerned with is USAA because she also has an account with them and online access.
I also have US Bank and Cap One.

She cannot..only the primary account holder can request the card.

Re: AU without access

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:05:24 GMT

Yea and if you don't allow her access to customer service at all you're safe... maybe put a few charges on it occasionally that you'd normally make and pay them off if you want to help her out. Or just destroy the card upon arrival but it won't build her history with the creditor. If it's adding age and her credit is dismal I wouldn't expect a huge immediate increase but ymmv... jmho

Re: AU without access

addicted_to_credit — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:19:16 GMT

If you want to help her by adding her then do so when the card arrives feed it to the shredder......... twice

Re: AU without access

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:31:10 GMT

+1000 ^^

Re: AU without access

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:24:26 GMT

Wow, kinda sad that there's so little trust there. (And perhaps deservedly so; I'm not trying to bash you or her; I'm just sad to read this.) Anyway, if you're going to try to help her this way, good for you.

Tell her that she doesn't get to use the account, and have her acknowledge this.

Check your CC account daily.

If you find that she uses it without your knowledge and permission, even once, cancel it then and there.

And then I'd say you'll have to cut her loose, at least in the credit-building area. (I'm not saying divorce her! --just let her rebuild her credit herself.) Spouses/ partners need to be able to trust one another. We've all screwed up on something in the past and are deserving of forgiveness by the other, but if we abuse the other's trust, it's a relationship-killer IMO.

Hope it works out for both of you!

Re: AU without access

bcdudley — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:52:58 GMT

I checked with USAA and they said I would be the only one with access to the account. Even so, I am not sure I would be doing her any favors. I mentioned that I was going to add her and that she should get a slight increase in her score from it and withing 2 minutes she was already talking about apping for a credit card of her own so she could charge to it. I think I will just let her rebuild on her own and keep our finances 100% seperate.

Re: AU without access

DI — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:02:08 GMT

I have multiple people listed on my AMEX cards as an AU. None of them have a card, or have access to my account. It was done to simply help their scores.

Re: AU without access

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:56:18 GMT

@bcdudley wrote:
I checked with USAA and they said I would be the only one with access to the account. Even so, I am not sure I would be doing her any favors. I mentioned that I was going to add her and that she should get a slight increase in her score from it and withing 2 minutes she was already talking about apping for a credit card of her own so she could charge to it. I think I will just let her rebuild on her own and keep our finances 100% seperate.

Yikes. It does sound like she needs to do it the tough way, doesn't it?

I think you've got the right idea.

Re: AU without access

Anonymous — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:39:07 GMT

I think you made the right decision because it was hard.

Givining someone unwilling to manage credit the chance to do more harm is foolish. Maybe a time will come when she's serious about fixing it. I had the ex as an AU when married.... she tried raising the limit to bail her BF out of jail, LOL! "Live and learn", I guess.

Re: AU without access

Walt_K — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:44:25 GMT

Maybe a hybrid approach. Once she demonstrates that she's on the road to responsibly rebuilding for a given amount of time, you can revisit the idea of adding her as an AU then. She'll still instantly pick up all the good history from your account at that time and get some score boost. And you'll already know that she's turned a corner financially.

Re: AU without access

Anonymous — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:03:02 GMT

@bcdudley wrote:
Can I add my wife as an AU to my credit cards and be 100% sure that she has no way of using them. I want to help her increase her score, but she is horrible with money and is very deserving of her 490 credit score. She is one of the people that believes if she has checks, she has money. She actually got a $300 secured card to try to help, then maxed it out and never paid a penny of it.

I have tried to teach her how to manage her money better, but it just hasn't worked. What I would like to do is help her for future purchases we make together, but I don't want it to come back and hurt me.

Amex allows you to make someone an AU, and you can go online and "Freeze activity on this Additional Card" or set a spending limit -- the minimum limit is $200.

Re: AU without access

haulingthescoreup — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:34:22 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I think you made the right decision because it was hard.

Givining someone unwilling to manage credit the chance to do more harm is foolish. Maybe a time will come when she's serious about fixing it. I had the ex as an AU when married.... she tried raising the limit to bail her BF out of jail, LOL! "Live and learn", I guess.

lol, indeed. I'm sorry, I'm sure it wasn't funny then, but it sounds like you've gotten past it!

Re: AU without access

ILBrian — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:52:41 GMT

could always add her and not tell her