Sharing a Credit Card

[Anonymous]

I've thought about opening a joint CC account. I'm kinda glad I didn't seeing as both account holders are "equally responsible for payments." I'm not sure I wanna be paying for my BFs **bleep** if he's spending too much money and can't pay his full share.

Does anyone have any advice for opening a shared credit card account with their S.O.?

[MugenCivicSi83]

I just opened a joint account with my wife and I trust her financially as you should trust your SO financially before even thinking of joint accounts with that individual. 

[Anonymous]

That's great advice. Thanks!

I guess we have some things to discuss before opening an account together. 

[MugenCivicSi83]

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@Anonymous wrote:

That's great advice. Thanks!

I guess we have some things to discuss before opening an account together. 

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Wise decision myFICO friend!

[Dalmus]

 I assume that if you are considering a joint account, you live with each other?  If not, then the correct response should be "Don't open a joint account!"

 What is the goal of having a joint account?  (IE, to share household expenses, or "because that's what people do in a realtionship?")

 Do you have reason to think he's not responsible in his bill paying?

 I can't tell if you're being facetious, or if your BF has a buying problem.   

[Broke_Triathlete]

Definitely have a serious talk with him before you do anything like that. Your concern is legitimate and can cause significant strain on your relationship if he doesn't uphold his end. If you have any doubts I wouldn't even consider it. One fault will be a seven year sentence on your credit report. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the great advice! 

[Anonymous]

As someone who has been there, done that when I was much younger (because "that's what people in relationships do") I would advise to keep your finances your own until you are married. Sometimes even if you are married it is less of a strain to keep your finances separate and decide who is responsible for what.

[fullstackdev]

I am unmarried and I share (AU) an AMEX PRG with my SO. We limit the use of this account to shared purchases only, mostly dining and streaming subscriptions (we live together and eat out almost every night).

We chose the AMEX PRG specifically because we would be using the card mostly for dining purchases and we wanted to never carry a balance and earn 2x membership rewards points. Using a single account and splitting the monthly balance is less of a hassle than splitting payment at each transaction. We plan to use the points towards vacations we take together.

Have you noticed any shared spending patterns in your relationship?

[iced]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I've thought about opening a joint CC account. I'm kinda glad I didn't seeing as both account holders are "equally responsible for payments." I'm not sure I wanna be paying for my BFs **bleep** if he's spending too much money and can't pay his full share.

Does anyone have any advice for opening a shared credit card account with their S.O.?

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My wife and I have no joint credit cards (or bank accounts for that matter). My advice is if you don't have a compelling reason to do it, don't. Having joint debts (and assets) doesn't really provide any value and can be dangerous in the event you separate/break up.