Can my daughter use my credit card?

[ADisneyQueen]

I want to give my daughter (18) my credit card to use at the mall. She doesn't "look" 18 so I'm worried the cashiers won't allow her to use it. Has anyone done this?

 

[Sabeking]

I send my 15 year old in the grocery store all the time with mine while I am in the car. I told her to come get me if they needed my ID. No one has ever asked. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing!

 

[zurgswife]

While I have let my kids use my card. If they are stopped they can take your card for fraudulent use. I found it was less stressful to get a card on my account in my kids names.

 

[low-key]

most places dont have a problem with it but a few cashiers wont let it happen

 

[njmom47]

I want to give my daughter (18) my credit card to use at the mall. She doesn't "look" 18 so I'm worried the cashiers won't allow her to use it. Has anyone done this?

It probably depends on the store, even the employee within that store and the type of card.
Some stores don't handle the card (the customer swipes it) and some ask for ID (which is fine, it's for my protection). I'm sure one employee might ask for Id and the next one might not. I don't know if I would send her with my Amex card for a $500 shopping spree (well, I couldn't because I don't have an Amex card ) but you get what I'm saying.
I let my kids use my debit card in Wawa or Walmart when they were older teens, and they never had any issues.

 

[Tozzie]

It probably depends on the store, even the employee within that store and the type of card.
Some stores don't handle the card (the customer swipes it) and some ask for ID (which is fine, it's for my protection). I'm sure one employee might ask for Id and the next one might not. I don't know if I would send her with my Amex card for a $500 shopping spree (well, I couldn't because I don't have an Amex card ) but you get what I'm saying.
I let my kids use my debit card in Wawa or Walmart when they were older teens, and they never had any issues.

If it is mastercard or visa, the merchant can ask but you can refuse the ID and they can't refuse to let you use the card if it is properly signed. It is against the merchant agreements that the merchant signs with visa and mastercard.

 

[bcla]

I bought a relatively big ticket item once with my mom's credit card before I had my own. The merchant said they'd normally want a letter authorizing me to use the card, but they said they would go through with the transaction since I was a regular customer (usually paid cash). I repaid my mom in cash. I've heard of a few merchants who said that they would want to contact the credit card holder. These days it might not be so easy since they often ask to see ID, which implies that one can't use another person's credit card.

My mom gave me a gas station credit card once while I was in college. I only used it for buying my own gas and once to pay for an oil change. It was my parents' car. I never had a problem using it, even before pay at the pump.

 

[wenrob]

As mentioned, some ask for ID, some don't. My stepmother sends my husband to buy tires and household appliances with hers. (way, way back when my grandmother used to send my sister and I to the store with a blank check and her ID ) I've sent my teen in with my card and never had a problem. However, this time of year they start asking for ID much more frequently, especially in the malls.

 

[Pamlur]

This just triggered an old memory. My daughter was shopping with my husband's credit card, it has to have been 25 or so years ago; we worked together and I usually answered the phone. A young woman called and asked to speak to my husband, and I did the normal "may I ask who is calling", she replied "his daughter". She was obviously, to me, NOT my daughter and I called her on it. Turns out, she worked at the store my daughter was shopping in, and was calling to make sure she had permission to use the credit card.

 

[disneychrista]

Why not just add her as a authorized user and get her, her own card in her name?

 

[Forum Jumper]

....My mom gave me a gas station credit card once while I was in college. I only used it for buying my own gas and once to pay for an oil change. It was my parents' car. I never had a problem using it, even before pay at the pump.

I used to give my sons my credit card to get gas when they were in high school. They never had a trouble with it but that was almost 10 years ago.

 

[mommasita]

My 15 year old daughter uses mine all the time.. Do you have a pin number? We do, and she never one has had an issue?

 

[lauradis]

Heck I have handed my dd 11 the card in the mall to make purchases while i was in the same store looking at stuff, while she made the purchase with no problem.

 

[barkley]

so this isn't an issue for our dd (who looks at least 4 years younger than she is-20) I had my credit union issue her a card on our visa account as an authorized user. the nice thing is I can designate the max purchasing on every card individually so while mine may be in the thousands I can cap hers in the hundreds.

 

[aprilgail2]

I want to give my daughter (18) my credit card to use at the mall. She doesn't "look" 18 so I'm worried the cashiers won't allow her to use it. Has anyone done this?

What does being 18 have to do with it? My 14 year old has her own account with her own visa debit card in her name, you don't need to be 18 for that. She looks like she is 12 but no one has ever given her a hard time using it.

 

[CookieGVB]

Way back in the stone ages, I remember the age of 18 being the age to use a credit card, sign a contract, etc.

 

[pixiewings71]

If it is a debit card with a Visa or MC logo then yes, if it is an actual credit card she may or may not be able to use it.

 

[Albort]

Why not just add her as a authorized user and get her, her own card in her name?

this! My chase card keeps pushing me to add authorized user...

 

[cepmom]

I give my DD's my VISA card to use all the time, never had any problems with it

 

[Starwind]

I want to give my daughter (18) my credit card to use at the mall. She doesn't "look" 18 so I'm worried the cashiers won't allow her to use it. Has anyone done this?

She might be able to "get away" with it.

However:

Allowing someone else to use your credit card is often a violation of the cardholder agreement you agreed to with the issuing bank.

Telling someone else the PIN and/or security codes of the card is always a violation of the cardholder agreement, AND will remove some or all of the the fraudulent use protections you normally have. Further, if you use the same PIN/security codes for multiple cards (which is not recommended but which many people do), the same applies to them too.

There are alternatives:

Many credit cards will allow you to add an authorized user to your card. They will be issued a card in their name, on your account. YOU will be responsible for any charges they make. Note that it is typical in a cardholder agreement that you are responsible for any and all charges they make, even if they are beyond what you had intended them to be able to make.

VISA and Mastercard and American Express all have prepaid "gift card"-type cards. There is an up-front fee of usually <$5 to get the card and then you can load it with cash. The card is then used where credit cards are used (with some limitations, but shopping at a mall should be fine). There may be a small monthly fee to maintain a balance of "cash" on the card. You can find these in stores (like WalMart), gas stations. Your bank often issues them and sometimes with better fees and terms.

The mall may have a mall gift card.

If she would be shopping at a single store, the store may have a gift card.

Also many checking accounts, even for young people, come with a visa debit card.

-SW