Authorized User Questions

[Anonymous]

EDIT: Converting this into a general AU questions thread. I did try searching first, but couldn't find a consolidated topic.

If I add my spouse as an authorized user to my credit cards:

- Will they pull her report, or is it an auto-approve?

- Will the account age for her start at today, or the original account opening date?

- Will us being joint account holders have my name/number show up for any of her prior, non-related collectors?

- If I apply for a mortgage in my name only, will they care about AUs on my accounts? (i.e. will they consider her credit as well?)

Thanks all!

[Anonymous]

Side note, the card is in the proverbial freezer, and she's totally cool with that (pun regrettably intended). No risk of her plowing through it.

[Anonymous]

Humbly requesting move to the "General Credit Topics" forum

(plus a shameless bump)

[MarineVietVet]

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@Anonymous wrote:

EDIT: Converting this into a general AU questions thread. I did try searching first, but couldn't find a consolidated topic.

If I add my spouse as an authorized user to my credit cards:

- Will they pull her report, or is it an auto-approve? Her report will not be pulled. Adding her as an AU can help her IF the account is older than any of hers (older than her current AAoA is even better), IF the payment history is long and clean, IF the utilization is very low, and IF it will report to the CRA's. Not all cards will do this. You need to ask the company first. She will inherit the entire history of this account. One caveat however; if this account starts to go south your credit will be affected as well. Keep that in mind.

- Will the account age for her start at today, or the original account opening date? As stated she will have all the history of the account she is added to.

- Will us being joint account holders have my name/number show up for any of her prior, non-related collectors? This confuses me. If she is an AU she won't be a joint owner. It's 2 different things.

- If I apply for a mortgage in my name only, will they care about AUs on my accounts? (i.e. will they consider her credit as well?) Only your credit will be looked at.

Thanks all!

Edited to correct a major spelling mistake - MVV

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[Anonymous]

Perfect, thanks again. All of the criteria is met, and she's fine with not even having a card (no plans to use it).

[pizzadude]

One more thing to point out is that the cardholder is usually responsible for any and all charges made by the AU.   Some companies operate differently, like AMEX ~ any additional cardmembers are also liable for their own charges.

[Anonymous]

Roger that. This card is just a Cap1 card with a $750 CL, $0 balance, and 2.5 years old (which will be her oldest of two cards), perfect payment history. Coupled with us moving only Netflix to it, there is no other activity planned.

Sounds like an easy win for her, and she's 100% on board with the purpose of it, and doesn't even get her own card out of it.

I just want to make sure there aren't any potential negatives on my CRA side, and it sounds like we're covered there.

[pizzadude]

Cool ! Sounds like you should be good to go then ~ hope that they can get her added and reporting soon !

[Anonymous]

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@pizzadude wrote:
Cool ! Sounds like you should be good to go then ~ hope that they can get her added and reporting soon !

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+1

Hopefully Cap1 will get the TL on her reports within a month or two.

Best of Luck!