19 yo son intro to points game
Mar 14, 2026 | 9:43 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Western Kentucky
Programs: AA, UA, Chase, Amex
Posts: 26
19 yo son intro to points game
My 19yo son is finishing freshman year of college. Best way to get started accruing credit, points, miles of his own? Is there a particular process??
Mar 14, 2026 | 9:52 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 35,046
Does he have any credit cards in his own name yet? Has he been an authorized user on any of your credit cards for any length of time? What is his FICO score? Does he have a job -- even part-time?
The best way to qualify for the cards with the most lucrative sign-up bonuses is to have a good credit history, and decent income. To help build his credit history, being an authorized user on someone else's credit card will help. In addition, department-store credit cards might be relatively easy to get, as well as certain "student" credit cards. Does your son's college have tie-ins with any credit-card issuers looking to sign-up students?
The best way to qualify for the cards with the most lucrative sign-up bonuses is to have a good credit history, and decent income. To help build his credit history, being an authorized user on someone else's credit card will help. In addition, department-store credit cards might be relatively easy to get, as well as certain "student" credit cards. Does your son's college have tie-ins with any credit-card issuers looking to sign-up students?
Mar 14, 2026 | 11:38 am
#3
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,071
From the point of view of someone to whom credit cards (and their churning) is zero option, the most relevant question for me is what would be his travelling patterns, what will drive them, who will pay for them ... once you establish this, it will be relatively easy to build upon it. My suggestion would be to initially focus on one airline alliance and on one hotel alliance. With a high enough status achieved in either of these, he would be able to avail of possible status matches / challenges that come along.
Mar 14, 2026 | 8:45 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Western Kentucky
Programs: AA, UA, Chase, Amex
Posts: 26
TY. Student at Purdue. I'll add him as auth user on a couple of mine. Build credit score, then start small with his own card maybe in a year. No current job at this point other than summers.
Mar 14, 2026 | 8:59 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 35,046
And you don't actually have to give your son the physical authorized-user card; you can keep it in your sock drawer, if you wish. He does not have to charge anything to get the credit-score benefit of being an authorized user.
FYI: The Purdue Federal Credit Union does offer a no-annual-fee student credit card. Not sure if income from a summer job would suffice, though. Details here:
https://www.purduefed.com/Student/Pu...d?gad_source=1
Mar 14, 2026 | 9:57 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 22,933
Has he any ff miles/avios/points in a frequent flyer program?
What air travel now or in the future?
FT thread --> Which Frequent Flyer Program to Join? Help Is Here!
What air travel now or in the future?
FT thread --> Which Frequent Flyer Program to Join? Help Is Here!
Mar 15, 2026 | 3:00 am
#7
Join Date: May 2003
Location: 1 hour from Khao Yai, Thailand. No longer Bangkok, China, Taiwan , Palm Coast, FL, LA, or Chicago though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,578
You can never start too soon acquiring miles and/or status. My younger son was 2 months old when I signed him up for TWA. He was flying FC with us to Europe, infant fare was only 10%, about $500 for FC, but earned full FC mileage and by the time he turned 2 was top elite on TW. The CC plan seems to be the quick way to got started, though until he starts working he probably won't qualify for many/any good mileage bonuses on most CC's. As an authorized user on your CC he may not receive the signing bonus. Not sure but you should check which ones he would get the most benefit from.
Last edited by rbAA; Mar 15, 2026 at 3:07 am