How Discover Authorized users work??!

[Anonymous]

Hey Friends,

 I have a question about authorized users with Discover Card and how they report. So I have a great friend of mine that is(Did) add me as an authorized user to her card to help me build my payment history and score. However, they did not ask for my SSN# or address, just my name..... so my question is how will they know its me and how will it report??

Short and sweet lol

Thanks

[firesoul453]

The primary user is fully responsible. If you have an athorized user card, it won't affect your credit score.

Its just the same card number with a different name (and card Id).

The only difference is if they look at the charge info, they will see your name on transation

[Anonymous]

I'm interested in this as well and I think it goes hand-in-hand with your question because whenever I try to see which cards I qualify on the Discover site, I always get they could not locate me in their systems and that includes me inputting my last 4 of my SS#. So, without SS#, how do they locate you if you are or potentially
 "not in their systems".

[firesoul453]

I put my mom as an athorized user but she won't be in there system at all. If she later applied for a discover card, have an athoirzed card will have no affect since all that useage is mine.

If my mom decided to go to Las Vegas and max out my card, its my responsibility to pay it back.

[asteroidblues86]

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@firesoul453 wrote:

I put my mom as an athorized user but she won't be in there system at all. If she later applied for a discover card, have an athoirzed card will have no affect since all that useage is mine.

If my mom decided to go to Las Vegas and max out my card, its my responsibility to pay it back.

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I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. My mother was an authorized user on my father's account. His account has since been closed and now she gets preapproval letters in the mail saying that they want her back as a customer.

[firesoul453]

In your case she was probably cosigned or she was on the account. 

I'm pretty sure he is talking about when you go to your account and order an additional card.

When I added my mom all it asked was first and last name and a card design, not really enough to link to anything if she later applied herself 

Also I notice that it asked if they are a spouce. Maybe its different in that case. (since spouces techneckly have one combined ownership of everything)

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the speedy reply, but it doesn't fully answer my question..Thats my fault I wasn't to clear on what I was trying to ask lol, I pretty much know how it works as far as usage and responsibility goes...My question is with out me being at the same address as my friend and without discover asking for my ssn# will it still report to all 3 agencies? Has anyone done this and not been at the same address as the person? Because my thought process of it is how would they know who I am if they don't have my address or ssn. Maybe this will clear up my question a little bit

[firesoul453]

Likie I said in my first post "If you have an athorized user card, it won't affect your credit score."

If you an an athorized user, then you are just using the other persons account and earning them rewards. If your looking to get some credit history, you need to apply for your own card

[Anonymous]

Hmmm that's funny you say that when even the credit card companies themselves say they report. Thanks again for your speedy reply.

[Anonymous]

firesoul is wrong...

Being an AU DOES build history and help ones credit score. Not sure about the details, but why do you think people add their newborns and children as AU's...