Anyone have experience adding a child as an authorized user?
 

Hello,
The wife and I just received the Chase Freedom and we would like to add our children as authorized users, I know I can add them as users, but I was hoping the community could provide some experiences.

Our children are 8 and 10, I know this is much younger than when a parent normally adds a child as an authorized user, but we can get the authorized user bonus and they can start their credit history.

Thanks

I don't see a problem adding them and as long as the card is in good standing should help their credit ( although I believe a few years ago they changed it so that authorized users has less of an impact than it did for me). I have a Chase account that shows up on my credit report ( credit karma) that my parents added me on when I was around their age. Probably helped me get my first regular credit card as my first card instead of having to get a student/secured one

My German Shepherd got a CSP at about eight. My Australian Shepherd got the United card at about nine. Of course that is 56 and 63 for them.

Chase doesn't ask for SSN so I don't know how to pull their credit reports, but they do have credit profiles since I can pull up pre approved offers for them with the card match tool. They get mailed offers on occasion too. Your might be able to call to add the SSN. I know I had an AU card of my parents at 16.

I've gotten Chase AU cards for stuffed animals in my house.

Added an 18 year old sis in law when she was 15 to the Chase Freedom. Now she is in College. That Chase CC hit 2 of the 3 Credit Reporting Agencies automatically 3 years ago (found out her Chase CC history once she applied for student financial aid and was hard pulled and the Freedom history was there). My SO tried contacting Chase last year when she turned 18 (I told her not to do it) to try to add her SSN to her supplementary card because she wanted to prove me wrong. Of course, CS denied her this option, and told her Chase does not do that (anymore, if they ever did).

I told her to just wait and let the Credit Agencies work its magic of matching and adding through address and name, and when my Sis in Law applied for a Student Discover Credit Card with her own salary from work at college, she was instantly approved thanks to the Freedom history. Of course, I pulled her 3 credit reports and now they show her SSN, which was added automatically by the credit agencies once she was hard pulled and the unsecured new credit card started reporting to the three agencies (agencies know how to do this).

So do not try to add the SSN through Chase, better let the system work its magic.

If this is true, then why/how does being listed as an AU count against 5/24?

Same experience with my kid - it ended up on her report at least by the time she was 18. She's since had a fairly easy time (19 1/2 now) getting cards - not that she's being very responsible with finances or anything else in life right now...but I digress.

My cat has been a proud Chase CC customer for a long time, though he's always disappointed that the card isn't anything he can eat or chase.

That's ironic, given the brand.

:D

How does that work?

Same here, my daughter has been an AU on my cards since she was 12, not at 20 she has at least 5 credit cards and a 765 credit score as a student. Oh, and she does not chew on her cards.

So which chase cards will give me a bonus to add an AU? I know Freedom will for at least 1 AU when you first apply, but what if I've had the card open 5 years?

Conversely, my reserve card charges me $75 to add an AU, so that's not happening.

Wondering this too.

Adding my kids as AUs to my Freedom Unlimited so they have the credit history from this account. Wondering how they get this on their report if Chase doesn't ask for SSN. Is name/DOB/Address enough for them to match it to them so history is there when they end up applying for their own cards?

Yes, Chase explicitly says that the AU cards will be reported: Chase provides account information to the credit reporting agencies for all account users. This information could impact an authorized user’s credit score. When you tell us to add a user to your account, you’re confirming that you have a relationship with the person or people whose name(s), address(es), and date(s) of birth you’ve told us, that all their information is correct, and that you have their consent to add them. If Chase determines you’ve given us fraudulent name, address, or date of birth information or did not have such consent, Chase can close this account.

https://www.chase.com/personal/credi...uthorized-user

Capital One also does not collect SSN for Authorized Users, and the credit bureaus match to the correct person.

In any event, if the cards are not reported correctly you can contact Chase later and ask to have the SSN added.

Thanks. Do I assume this is still no issue, even if the AUs (my kids) have zero history so far, so essentially, this is a new credit profile with the agencies.