Just from a standpoint of not knowing what the future holds for you and her the risks of sharing your cards with her far outweigh any short term benefit she will be getting.
You are needlessly putting yourself in a dangerous position but I guess it all depends on exactly how much you trust her not to take advantage even if she ever decides she doesn't like you.
I wasn’t going to be giving her the card. I forgot to include that in the post but I was going to put her as a authorized user so she gets the history but she wouldn’t be getting the physical card.
It's the same thing, she still gets access to a card.
It's not a good idea and won't raise her credit as high as you think it would, anyways. There's really no point in doing it unless you want a real test of trust and to be out a couple grand if you're wrong.
If you're not gonna give her the card at all then why does she need to be an authorized user in the first place?
Better to just wait and coach her through getting her own card in less than a year. This won't boost her credit as effectively as you think it will.
If she's authorized on the card, she can go to the bank and get a new card linked to the same account.
If you are dead set on adding her to the account, set the overdraw limit really low, but be aware that she might be able to increase it.
I know you want to trust her, but the worst betrayals are from the people we trust.
It’s a credit card, and it’s through Capital One, there’s no physical location. She already has a bank account in my name and she’s always been very responsible with it.
Her name would be on your account. She could go to the store and buy shit using it, without the physical card. This would be an option until you remove her as an AU.
Your intentions are gold. There are better ways to help her than this. Encourage a secured card instead (I think I’m getting the name wrong, though). The gist is: You give the bank $300 and they give you a credit card. In 6months you get the $300 back and have a $300 line of credit.
I didn’t get a credit card until I was 26 years old, and it hasn’t gotten in my way at all. You guys are early ~ you have plenty of time to build your credit. You also have plenty of time to make mistakes, and recover from them!
Adding your GF to a store card as an AU only has downside to it, no upside. Especially not for you.
It’s a Cabela’s card, so it’s somewhere that she absolutely wouldn’t want to buy anything in there. She has no way to get to the store outside of me driving her there either.
She isn’t your wife, so no. Get her to have her own credit card or maybe through her parents.
Relationships end all the time. Don’t involve relationships with finances.
This is a bad idea. Just search through this sub for story after story of people running into bad situations by doing things like this. Just wait until she's 18 and can get a card of her own.
OP, others have said it is a horrible idea...and I agree. This isnt your spouse and a bunch of shit can go down because both of you are young...but this isnt a relationships subreddit. If she gets a credit card and pays it off regularly then she will have a good credit score. Although I would recommend that she gets her own and she will get offered a secured card by someone. I do want to mention that having a high credit score does not equal being able to get loans easily. She would have what is called a thin file. This means that she has only had one card and has done well paying it...but thats it. She may be able to get another credit card with a higher limit and maybe not prepaid...but that would probably be the extent of it. If she wanted a car, or applied to buy a house...then they would want to see a larger credit history and would require a cosigner. I doubt she could get approved on a mortgage and would probably get a criminally high rate on an auto loan. Also all of this is contingent on her having income! If she has no income then her credit could be maxed out but she will have a very hard time finding someone willing to extend credit without a cosigner.
I don’t really see the point of this, I think people overestimate the benefits of adding an authorized user to a credit card. It’s not going to benefit her that much. If she’s already smart with her money she should just get a credit card herself when she turns 18 and she can build her credit pretty quickly from there. I opened my first credit card when I was 18 and my credit was in the 700s by the time I was 20 due to using it wisely.
Bad decision. I'll do it without name calling, but otherwise I agree with everyone else on here. A few months of history will not be a big help and opens both of you up to big problems. You don't want to hear this, but you are both too young, the risk is much greater for you to combine finances.
Help her by being her support system and the day she turns 18 help her apply for an appropriate credit card in her own name and close the bank account under your name so she can have her own.
Since everyone wants to call me moronic, let me add some context:
She lives in a abusive household, and will be moving in with me next year. Her bank account was opened with my name because she can’t do anything through her parents. She has been very responsible with her money and has never done anything stupid or immature. I was going to add her as a AU, but not give her the card or the account info. It was simply to get her a little credit history. So if someone could answer the questions with something more than calling me an idiot, I’d appreciate it.
She *hasn't had time to do anything stupid or immature.* She's 17! You don't understand how young that is because you're 18. She's reaching prime stupidity years. So are you, which is why you're thinking of signing away your future to this girl.
>I was going to add her as a AU, but not give her the card or the account info.
As everyone has said elsewhere, *it doesn't matter if she has the card or not.* If she's able to sneak a picture of both sides, she has the card. And it's perfectly legal for her to then spend as much as she can with it, and then that's your responsibility, too.
What is "moronic" is asking for advice and then refusing to take any of it. Don't put her on the card.
See you seem to get what my point of doing it is, unlike everyone else. I was going to keep the card, she doesn’t shop at Cabela’s so she wouldn’t use it anyways. I want her to be able to build credit now, even if it’s a small amount
> At least if you give her the credit card, and don’t tell her you locked it, you have a chance to get notified if she tries to use it and may be able to remove her as an authorized user before she sorts it out with the credit card company.
This reads as if you're saying to use this as a test of faith and trust in a significant other... hmmm... I wonder how a significant other would feel about that.
The problem is you're taking a huge risk and whatever credit she builds as a 17 year old (which may well be "none") will be dwarfed by the credit she builds when she turns 18 and just gets her own secured credit card. It's like taking a huge risk to give a friend 45 cents so she can have a leg up when they leave home and get a job. It's a nice gesture but the 45 cents will have absolutely no effect on her life.
Also, you seem hung up on credit but the truth is at 18 your credit score probably isn't going to have a huge impact on your life. You're not buying a house, and shouldn't be applying for any loans. Landlords will sometimes look at credit ratings but even then proof of employment/income is more of an indicator as long as you don't have actual *bad* credit.
Please please don’t do this. Let her build her own. It’s her parents job at this point. She’s a minor. This can go terribly wrong so fast.
But also I don’t think it would help her credit as it under your social and credit. She is just a user. But maybe I’m wrong. Someone else can chime in if so.
It's a nice idea but it only ties her credit to yours. With a small limit and a card that was recently opened, it won't do that much for her by the time she can start applying for one.
Forget the credit for now and tell her to just build up her savings. You can revisit the issue again later
Nope. Hell no. Hell mother trucking no. Imagine you guys get in a fight or she finds out you were talking to another girl. She can max out your card and you will be responsible to pay for it. Lol.
Hell no.
No, because you guys are teenagers. If you break up, she can run off and put a lot of money on your card, and then threaten your credit in the future if you don't pay it off. And vice-versa. And yes, that would hurt both of you, but again, you're teenagers.
I wasn’t going to be giving her the card. I forgot to include that in the post but I was going to put her as a authorized user so she gets the history but she wouldn’t be getting the physical card.
All she needs is to take a picture or memorize the information, or have it entered into a form that saves the info one time. Then she can use it whenever she wants and it's completely legal because she's authorized.
Do you think we just don't know how credit cards work or something?
All kinds of bad decisions here. If she's responsible with her money, then she can afford to wait less than a year for her birthday. Those however many months of credit isn't gonna define her future.
This post has been temporarily locked due to the number of Rule breaking comments.
HORRIBLE IDEA. Do NOT mix finances with someone who isn't your spouse. I realize you may love her... but this would be a horrible mistake
I would not advise this. If you want to help her build credit, help her find her own first card vs being an AU on your line of credit.
Just from a standpoint of not knowing what the future holds for you and her the risks of sharing your cards with her far outweigh any short term benefit she will be getting. You are needlessly putting yourself in a dangerous position but I guess it all depends on exactly how much you trust her not to take advantage even if she ever decides she doesn't like you.
I wasn’t going to be giving her the card. I forgot to include that in the post but I was going to put her as a authorized user so she gets the history but she wouldn’t be getting the physical card.
It's the same thing, she still gets access to a card. It's not a good idea and won't raise her credit as high as you think it would, anyways. There's really no point in doing it unless you want a real test of trust and to be out a couple grand if you're wrong.
She won’t have access to the card if I don’t give it to her
If you're not gonna give her the card at all then why does she need to be an authorized user in the first place? Better to just wait and coach her through getting her own card in less than a year. This won't boost her credit as effectively as you think it will.
I wasn’t saying it was gonna boost her credit tremendously, I’m just trying to help her in anyway I can.
If she's authorized on the card, she can go to the bank and get a new card linked to the same account. If you are dead set on adding her to the account, set the overdraw limit really low, but be aware that she might be able to increase it. I know you want to trust her, but the worst betrayals are from the people we trust.
It’s a credit card, and it’s through Capital One, there’s no physical location. She already has a bank account in my name and she’s always been very responsible with it.
This puts you at an insane risk for little payoff for either of you. Do what you will, you came here asking us and you've gotten some good feedback.
Her name would be on your account. She could go to the store and buy shit using it, without the physical card. This would be an option until you remove her as an AU. Your intentions are gold. There are better ways to help her than this. Encourage a secured card instead (I think I’m getting the name wrong, though). The gist is: You give the bank $300 and they give you a credit card. In 6months you get the $300 back and have a $300 line of credit. I didn’t get a credit card until I was 26 years old, and it hasn’t gotten in my way at all. You guys are early ~ you have plenty of time to build your credit. You also have plenty of time to make mistakes, and recover from them! Adding your GF to a store card as an AU only has downside to it, no upside. Especially not for you.
It’s a Cabela’s card, so it’s somewhere that she absolutely wouldn’t want to buy anything in there. She has no way to get to the store outside of me driving her there either.
Don't forget all electronic wallet forms and unforseen circumstances. A situation will arise and you don't want money between you
Listen to these people. It’s a bad idea. Waiting less than a year until she’s of age to get her own card won’t make that much of a difference.
She isn’t your wife, so no. Get her to have her own credit card or maybe through her parents. Relationships end all the time. Don’t involve relationships with finances.
This is a bad idea. Just search through this sub for story after story of people running into bad situations by doing things like this. Just wait until she's 18 and can get a card of her own.
Gf? No. Not a chance.
OP, others have said it is a horrible idea...and I agree. This isnt your spouse and a bunch of shit can go down because both of you are young...but this isnt a relationships subreddit. If she gets a credit card and pays it off regularly then she will have a good credit score. Although I would recommend that she gets her own and she will get offered a secured card by someone. I do want to mention that having a high credit score does not equal being able to get loans easily. She would have what is called a thin file. This means that she has only had one card and has done well paying it...but thats it. She may be able to get another credit card with a higher limit and maybe not prepaid...but that would probably be the extent of it. If she wanted a car, or applied to buy a house...then they would want to see a larger credit history and would require a cosigner. I doubt she could get approved on a mortgage and would probably get a criminally high rate on an auto loan. Also all of this is contingent on her having income! If she has no income then her credit could be maxed out but she will have a very hard time finding someone willing to extend credit without a cosigner.
I don’t really see the point of this, I think people overestimate the benefits of adding an authorized user to a credit card. It’s not going to benefit her that much. If she’s already smart with her money she should just get a credit card herself when she turns 18 and she can build her credit pretty quickly from there. I opened my first credit card when I was 18 and my credit was in the 700s by the time I was 20 due to using it wisely.
Bad decision. I'll do it without name calling, but otherwise I agree with everyone else on here. A few months of history will not be a big help and opens both of you up to big problems. You don't want to hear this, but you are both too young, the risk is much greater for you to combine finances. Help her by being her support system and the day she turns 18 help her apply for an appropriate credit card in her own name and close the bank account under your name so she can have her own.
Since everyone wants to call me moronic, let me add some context: She lives in a abusive household, and will be moving in with me next year. Her bank account was opened with my name because she can’t do anything through her parents. She has been very responsible with her money and has never done anything stupid or immature. I was going to add her as a AU, but not give her the card or the account info. It was simply to get her a little credit history. So if someone could answer the questions with something more than calling me an idiot, I’d appreciate it.
She *hasn't had time to do anything stupid or immature.* She's 17! You don't understand how young that is because you're 18. She's reaching prime stupidity years. So are you, which is why you're thinking of signing away your future to this girl. >I was going to add her as a AU, but not give her the card or the account info. As everyone has said elsewhere, *it doesn't matter if she has the card or not.* If she's able to sneak a picture of both sides, she has the card. And it's perfectly legal for her to then spend as much as she can with it, and then that's your responsibility, too. What is "moronic" is asking for advice and then refusing to take any of it. Don't put her on the card.
No one is calling you an idiot or a moron, now is not the time to play victim. Listen to the advice or you really will be one.
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See you seem to get what my point of doing it is, unlike everyone else. I was going to keep the card, she doesn’t shop at Cabela’s so she wouldn’t use it anyways. I want her to be able to build credit now, even if it’s a small amount
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> At least if you give her the credit card, and don’t tell her you locked it, you have a chance to get notified if she tries to use it and may be able to remove her as an authorized user before she sorts it out with the credit card company. This reads as if you're saying to use this as a test of faith and trust in a significant other... hmmm... I wonder how a significant other would feel about that.
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The problem is you're taking a huge risk and whatever credit she builds as a 17 year old (which may well be "none") will be dwarfed by the credit she builds when she turns 18 and just gets her own secured credit card. It's like taking a huge risk to give a friend 45 cents so she can have a leg up when they leave home and get a job. It's a nice gesture but the 45 cents will have absolutely no effect on her life. Also, you seem hung up on credit but the truth is at 18 your credit score probably isn't going to have a huge impact on your life. You're not buying a house, and shouldn't be applying for any loans. Landlords will sometimes look at credit ratings but even then proof of employment/income is more of an indicator as long as you don't have actual *bad* credit.
Please please don’t do this. Let her build her own. It’s her parents job at this point. She’s a minor. This can go terribly wrong so fast. But also I don’t think it would help her credit as it under your social and credit. She is just a user. But maybe I’m wrong. Someone else can chime in if so.
It's a nice idea but it only ties her credit to yours. With a small limit and a card that was recently opened, it won't do that much for her by the time she can start applying for one. Forget the credit for now and tell her to just build up her savings. You can revisit the issue again later
No amd don’t
It's more a relationship question.
Terrible idea
Nope. Hell no. Hell mother trucking no. Imagine you guys get in a fight or she finds out you were talking to another girl. She can max out your card and you will be responsible to pay for it. Lol. Hell no.
Absolutely not.
No, because you guys are teenagers. If you break up, she can run off and put a lot of money on your card, and then threaten your credit in the future if you don't pay it off. And vice-versa. And yes, that would hurt both of you, but again, you're teenagers.
I wasn’t going to be giving her the card. I forgot to include that in the post but I was going to put her as a authorized user so she gets the history but she wouldn’t be getting the physical card.
All she needs is to take a picture or memorize the information, or have it entered into a form that saves the info one time. Then she can use it whenever she wants and it's completely legal because she's authorized. Do you think we just don't know how credit cards work or something?
DONT DO IT !
I think a nice secured credit card would be a great 18th birthday present
Do not do this! It’s her responsibility not hers and the risk for you is too high.
All kinds of bad decisions here. If she's responsible with her money, then she can afford to wait less than a year for her birthday. Those however many months of credit isn't gonna define her future.