Minimum age for credit card???

[supersnoop]

There are cases where the creditor went after an AU for the entire debt. From what I have read, it is mostly when the AU makes a purchase on the credit card after the primary cardholder's death, even if that purchase was for funeral expenses for the primary card holder. The AU needs to be very aware that if the primary card holder passes, that the account needs to be closed immediately. So if a parent passes away and the child uses that card as an AU to purchase airline tickets to come home from college due to the parents death, the creditor can then go after them for the entire debt. Just so many scenarios that I would not want to even put my kids through. My son passed away less than 3 months ago at age 24 so these things are things that I think about now when making financial decisions that may impact my other children.

This sounds more like estate law than simply an authorized user issue. Upon death, the debt would belong to the estate. If someone racks up more debt and then the estate claims to be insolvent, then the credit card company would likely be able to come after the executor or the authorized user for fraud. It wouldn’t simply be because they’re an AU in this case.

 

[4kids4karen]

This sounds more like estate law than simply an authorized user issue. Upon death, the debt would belong to the estate. If someone racks up more debt and then the estate claims to be insolvent, then the credit card company would likely be able to come after the executor or the authorized user for fraud. It wouldn’t simply be because they’re an AU in this case.

There are several articles that discuss when the AU can be held responsible. I read a few. Not debating with you, stating what I have read with an easy google search.

 

[Jaime4004]

My 14 yo is an AU on my disney card. She loves that it's Disney themed and has her name on it. She's well aware that if she charged anything that I didn't okay, she'd have to pay it and lose the card. There's a been a few times that she was out and texted me to see if she could charge something. Works for us.

 

[aprilgail]

I just got my daughter her own credit card when she went to college so she was 17- prior to that from 14/15 she had her own visa debit card and checking account so she could use her visa card for whatever amount she had at the time in her checking account.

 

[barkley]

Authorized user doesn’t mean she’s getting her own credit card.

it doesn't mean she is prohibited from getting one without the primary cardholder's knowledge-it depends on the practices/customer contract with the lender.

the one i put dd on when she started college only permits ME as the primary account holder to approve/request a card or replacement being issued to her whereas other credit card companies like the one my late mother did business with took the position that an authorized user had the authority at any time to request a card or replacement card (mom found out when the family member she had listed for emergencies and had purposely not gotten a card for simply made a call from mom's home number, requested a card which arrived in a plain white envelope arousing no suspicion and ran up debt).

i would check with a lender to see if they even report for credit on an authorized user-some don't.