@SimonP wrote:I know we are being a little greedy here, but we as well want to apply for a Chase Sapphire Preferred card for my wife. Her score is around the 800 level and she already has Chase Freedom and BOA with about 20K combined limit and AAoA 3 years. She is a student, so basically she doesn’t have an income but we file a joint tax return. What should she put on the gross annual income field of the application, my income or just zero?
I may not be familiar with that situation. However, it would make sense to me being you live in the same house, are married, so legally obligated while married for debt (I think for the most part) and file jointly, that your individual income would be the total HHI and that's what you'd put down. I'm rather sure "0" would guarantee a denial.
I'm somewhat hoping my response triggers people with more experience and knowledge with your type of situation to chime in with more.
@Anonymous wrote:
Im in the same boat as you except im not married yet just engaged. My fiancee is also a student but with no source of income so im in this thread as well to see what answers pop up
Seems to me I've read in that situation, people can apply as joint applicants (you would be the responsible party , however she would be responsible as well, only you'd be applying for credit for her under your file, so it means more than an AU). And when your fiancee or spouse at the time later wanted to apply after gaining income, the joint history would count as her own, with more positive (or negative, depending how it's handled) impact on her score and file.
@Anonymous wrote:A new law went into effect last October that you can read about click here that may answer your question.
After reading that I have a better understanding of it myself. With that law, both posters would have to look into applying as joint applicants in order to build their SO's credit and have it count while being able to show income in order to get it.
Or either poster could add their SO as a joint account holder for a card they already have (if the CCC allows it) and it would show on their SO's CR (for building a file, for new credit, it would have to be the new joint app to add an account).
Simon and Root would both have the choice of adding a joint account holder (current card) or apping and taking an INQ as the primary on a joint application for a new credit account.
With the law it becomes more of a legal question than a credit question, per se'
[EDIT]: I should add Simons wife can apply under her own name using HHI if they live in a community property state like CA or TX as stated in the article. The map for more such states is linked below:
@Anonymous wrote:A new law went into effect last October that you can read about click here that may answer your question.
If we knew this sooner, she would have applied before October 1st 
I guess she needs to be happy with what she already has until some angry wives make some senators/congressmen change this law. There is another message in this law: don't stay at home and go to work! The irony here is the employment rate!!
@SimonP wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:A new law went into effect last October that you can read about click here that may answer your question.
If we knew this sooner, she would have applied before October 1st
I guess she needs to be happy with what she already has until some angry wives make some senators/congressmen change this law. There is another message in this law: don't stay at home and go to work! The irony here is the employment rate!!
See above post and check the map if you still want her to have a card under her own application and name only.
@RyVision wrote:See above post and check the map if you still want her to have a card under her own application and name only.
Thanks for the link. Unfortunately we are not in the blue areas