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Before allowing someone to add you as an authorized user to their card, consider the impact on your credit. Does being an authorized user affect your credit negatively? Do authorized users build credit? Sure, reasons abound to add authorized users to credit cards. For instance, some cards extend perks like lounge access to authorized users.
At the very least, cardholders earn extra points while tracking family members' spending and expenses. But let's investigate a couple ways it can affect your credit, for better or worse, when someone adds you as an authorized user to their credit card.
Related: Benefits for Authorized Users on Award Credit Cards
Page Contents
Does Being an Authorized User Affect Your Credit?
The answer is yes, being an authorized user may affect your credit — sometimes negatively. Here's an example.
One of my rewards-related routines is checking my credit weekly. By doing so, I track my credit score while ensuring the information on my credit report remains accurate.
Utilization matters
Recently, I noticed that my Equifax score went down a few points. When trying to understand the reason, I noticed two accounts I did not recognize had increased my total credit card balance by ~$5,000. That increased my utilization ratio by a couple of percentage points.
Your credit card utilization ratio is one of the most important factors for determining your credit score. It constitutes the ratio between your total amounts owed and total credit available. In other words, if your total credit card balance is $5,000 and your total credit limit is $100,000, your credit utilization ratio is 5%, which is considered excellent.
When looking into the account details, I noticed Chase had issued both cards I didn't recognize and that I was an authorized user on both accounts. When looking through card accounts from my family, I couldn't find any details that matched (balances and account opening dates).
If needed, call the bank
I called Chase to see if they could provide more information regarding the two accounts in question. Eventually, we figured out that one belonged to my sister; the other belonged to my mother. I had completely forgotten I was an authorized user on either account. Since they appeared to be negatively impacting my credit, I asked if Chase could do anything to help.
Chase's customer service helped quite a bit. They removed me as an authorized user and said they would contact the three credit bureaus to inform them. A few weeks later, neither account was showing on my credit report (and were no longer affecting it).
Related: How To Check Your Credit Score for Free
When Does Being an Authorized User Affect Your Credit?
When they use your Social Security Number
I knew that authorized user accounts could show up on my credit report. However, I had always assumed this only happened when someone provided your social security number when requesting an authorized user card. That is why I always avoid providing my spouse's Social Security Number (SSN) when requesting an authorized user card. For business credit cards, some issuers will request an SSN when you add an employee card; if you say you do not have the number, they will often still issue the authorized user card.
Your billing address could play a part
When I asked Chase how these accounts were tied to me without my social security number, they said it was likely because of the addresses associated with our credit histories. Currently, my mother, sister, and I have different addresses. At one point, however, we had the same address.
Related: Access to a Free Weekly Credit Report Is Now Permanent
Do Authorized Users Build Credit?
Being an authorized user on a credit card could potentially affect your credit in a negative way, but it also might be just what your credit needs. Adding an authorized user can build credit for someone who needs it.
For example, we add our teenagers as authorized users on our credit cards. That way, we can track our entire family's spending, provide our kids with access to emergency funds, and earn more points in the process. We added our oldest child to one of our credit cards when he was 16. By the time he was 18 years old, he had a 750 credit score.
Only add someone as an authorized user to your credit cards if you handle your credit cards responsibly. That means paying your bills on time every month and managing your utilization. Provided you pay close attention to your own personal credit, adding authorized users might be a huge gift to someone trustworthy in your life who needs to build credit. In sum, if you've wondered, “Do authorized users build credit?” the answer is typically yes.
Related: Add Authorized Users to Your Credit Cards, Earn Bonus Points and Miles
Bottom Line
Being an authorized user on someone else's credit card could affect your credit, for better or worse. I used to think that adding an authorized user to a credit card account had no impact on the authorized user's credit report as long as I didn't give the bank that person's social security number. Clearly, that's not the case.
You might improve your credit score when someone adds you as an authorized user on their credit card. Make sure to choose wisely when being added, though. In some cases, it might be better to avoid negatively impacting your credit score through a credit card account over which you have little to no control.
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