- Becoming an authorized user on a credit card can boost credit scores.
- LendingTree warns it may harm credit if the primary user has bad habits.
- Many users saw credit scores drop three months after becoming authorized users.
SALT LAKE CITY — It's a common credit building strategy — becoming an authorized user on someone else's credit card. Whether it's a parent, a spouse or that one ultra-financially responsible friend in your group, piggybacking on their credit can add years of history to your credit file nearly overnight.
No credit checks. No applications. No hard inquiries pulled from your credit report. Just a big ol' bump in your borrowing power.
"It absolutely can be rocket fuel for somebody's credit score," said Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree, which recently studied the authorized-user gambit.
And while there are indeed potential rewards, Lending Tree found it runs some risks, too.
"It can wind up biting you," warned Schulz.
Before you hitch your credit wagon to someone else's card, remember: Their spending habits become part of your financial story.
So, if the primary user is someone with bad credit, that would, naturally, work against you as an authorized user and drag your credit profile down.
It also works against you even if the primary user has had good credit but has a high "utilization rate." That's the percentage of your total credit limit that you're currently using, and it's a major factor in your credit score.
If the primary user is someone who regularly uses more than 30% of their credit, even if they're great about paying off their balances, that can damage your credit as an authorized user.
In fact, LendingTree found many authorized users were worse off three months after they were added to someone else's credit card.
"We were actually kind of surprised to find that an awful lot of people who were in that situation actually had their credit score fall," said Schulz. "It's no magic cure for a poor credit score."
It's also worth knowing that if you add an authorized user on your card, as the primary user — you've automatically become responsible for their actions. If they go out on a wild spending spree using that card without paying, you're on the hook. The credit card company will be coming after you, too.
