NO credit card in my name? solution

[Ranger111]

Essentially, all (two) family credit cards are in wife's name. I am an authorized user NOT A JOINT USER.

Googled a bit, but got confusing answers.

Primarily, if wifey dies, I have no credit cards, technically. Odds are, being male, I will not have to worry about it. But, if "that time," happens, I will probably not WANT to worry about it.

She got her first CC in college as part of we will sign up all accounting/business majors we can. We art/history majors got no such offers. LOL!!!

So, does anyone have any real experience on death of spouse and authorized user.

Second, I am thinking of applying for a card of my own "just in case." Credit score is 776 or 747 depending on Transunion or Experian.

I went on a couple of card web sites (Citi and Chase) and both offered to pre-approve me for a few different cards. However, I read some online reviews that say the pre-approval is bogus.

Any experience there? I do not want a lot of "hard pulls" on my credit report with nothing to show.

 

[Gigi22]

My info. is seriously out-of-date. When my father died, my mother had no credit cards in her own name. They only way she was able to get her own card was our lawyer wrote a letter to my parent's bank manager, indicating that as my father's heir, my mother had significant assets. Yes. Really.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I doubt it would be a huge deal since you still have "credit." I assume you have a mortgage and probably have had car loans over the years in your name. Your bank debit card is also in your name.

 

[Albort]

2-3 hard pulls is healthy for your credit. Also, the increase in credit limit also helps. Its not like your applying for like 6-7 cards a month... Pick a card that you need(IE check out the benefits) and just apply. Sure, pre-approval is bogus but you wont know your answer until you apply. If you do get declined, call Recon, and see what they say. It could be something that could be fix. if not, you can apply again.

Good luck!

 

[GPC0321]

Probably not a bad idea to have a card in your name anyway. Chase Freedom or Freedom Unlimited would be my choice. I have the original Freedom and will get the Unlimited as soon as I've cooled my jets a bit (just got a Southwest Premier and a Disney Visa and am trying to meet the spend requirements on those to reap my sign-up bonuses first!).

And honestly, my credit score didn't suffer much for those inquiries. In fact, the one area I was really lacking was in how many lines of credit I had. Adding the new cards helped that.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Is there a reason you are really worried about it? That isn't something that would concern me much- it's a lot of what ifs.

But 2 ways. You have a credit score, and your bank really should be able to give you a credit card as over draft protection. In fact, I've done that twice, and it's fairly easy to get because the major banks really push it.

Second way. My first card was a Walmart credit card. Chain stores like Walmart have less strict guidelines than banks. Then after a year or two of that, the bank offered me one.

It's based on income. The only way I see you getting refused is if your wife is the only one who has an income. Credit cards are generally easy to get and hard to avoid. I can't even go into my bank to make a deposit without the teller attempting to sell me on one and I am not a big earner lol.

 

[tvguy]

Husband's and wives need to make sure they are joint users on what are joint accounts. I know some couples prefer to also have individual ones, but you both need to be getting "credited" with paying your bills on time. I'd check with the creditors and get that set up.
Like Gig22, my mom had issues when my dad died, but with only one company, the gas company. It was just easier to pay the bill that fight with them to take his name off the account and put her name on. She finally gave it one more try, on the 40th anniversary of his death, and finally managed to get it done.
When DW and I got married, we made sure every account was in both our names.

 

[Ranger111]

The thing that got me thinking along this line:

Just had fraud on MY card. But, it is HER account. So, of course, CitiBank would not talk to me or even acknowledge the fraud. Wifey had to call and do all that (and, of course, that is all BS, because I could have had my daughter call and pretend to be wifey, but I prefer to be honest).

Once wifey called, all was good. New card issued, but made me think.

I guess I will go ahead and take the plunge. Citi Double Rewards will be the target (but I will probably end up with a Target card LOL). Funny thing is, I have a very respectable income, but have never gotten an "offer" from the banks.

Of course, I think, and I may be wrong, that I locked down all my credit information back in the 1990s....I was a bit paranoid back then (not that that is a bad thing).

 

[kymom99]

Husband's and wives need to make sure they are joint users on what are joint accounts. I know some couples prefer to also have individual ones, but you both need to be getting "credited" with paying your bills on time. I'd check with the creditors and get that set up.
Like Gig22, my mom had issues when my dad died, but with only one company, the gas company. It was just easier to pay the bill that fight with them to take his name off the account and put her name on. She finally gave it one more try, on the 40th anniversary of his death, and finally managed to get it done.
When DW and I got married, we made sure every account was in both our names.

My mom left my dads name on the electric account after he passed. She got a postcard saying they wanted to change a meter and needed someone to call and set up a time. I called for her. When I gave her band then said its actually in my dads name but he is deceased the woman on the phone said, "umm that's illegal!" Nice.

So we tried to change it over and they wanted $250 because she didn't have her name on it. I think brother may gave finally got them to waive the fee.

 

[Ranger111]

My mom left my dads name on the electric account after he passed. She got a postcard saying they wanted to change a meter and needed someone to call and set up a time. I called for her. When I gave her band then said its actually in my dads name but he is deceased the woman on the phone said, "umm that's illegal!" Nice.

So we tried to change it over and they wanted $250 because she didn't have her name on it. I think brother may gave finally got them to waive the fee.

Your brother may have said he was your dad?

Back when my mom was in very early stages of dementia, Social Security screwed up her monthly checks. She was still "with it" enough to know and it made her refuse to eat, etc. she was so upset that she would be broke (of course, not true).

But, she was unable to talk to the Social Security people on the phone. I tried, but no luck. They refused to talk to me, even with power of attorney.

I was not married at the time. I had my administrative assistant, a very nice older lady call and say she was my mom (all she had to do was to give them the bank account number that Social Security apparently misplaced for direct deposit).

No problem. This was some 25 years ago, but if I remember correctly, I gave my assistant a $50 gift card to a local fancy restaurant for her and her husband. She was more than happy.

the thing is, all this "security" is bogus. A female voice equals instant acceptance, as long as you have the "required information." A male voice with the same information is no go.

Which reminds me of the Seinfeld episode with the guy with the female voice....

Ah well.

BTW, I refuse to have a debit card. Research that on Google and see if you see my point.

 

[tvguy]

My mom left my dads name on the electric account after he passed. She got a postcard saying they wanted to change a meter and needed someone to call and set up a time. I called for her. When I gave her band then said its actually in my dads name but he is deceased the woman on the phone said, "umm that's illegal!" Nice.

So we tried to change it over and they wanted $250 because she didn't have her name on it. I think brother may gave finally got them to waive the fee.

I think my mom told them if they didn't change it she was going to request a refund of 40 years of bills she had paid for a dead man! AMazingly, they then found a way to fix it.

 

[KarenAylwood]

I'm not quite sure the hesitation here. I would have a card in my name if I were you. It will do nothing but boost your credit as long as you're responsible with it... I have 3 credit cards plus 2 store cards I use on a regular basis and pay off every month. My score is over 800...

 

[Marionnette]

I doubt it would be a huge deal since you still have "credit." I assume you have a mortgage and probably have had car loans over the years in your name. Your bank debit card is also in your name.

You can have a credit score and still not have a credit history. My older son researched his credit score prior to applying for his first auto loan. He had been an authorized user on my CC from the time he was 16. He thought he was in good shape (good job, money in the bank, an excellent credit score) but the loan company came back with a NO because he had no credit history (no student loans, no CC in his name, etc). Apparently, cable, rent and utility account histories did not come into consideration.

We ended up paying cash for the car rather than co-sign a loan for him. He is paying us back monthly. But, I made him get his own credit card in order to build a credit history.

 

[SharonZ]

I'm confused as to why you wouldn't want a credit card in your own name, or at least a joint credit card with both of your names. If you have never applied for a credit card, a few hard pulls shouldn't make that big of a difference.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm not quite sure the hesitation here. I would have a card in my name if I were you. It will do nothing but boost your credit as long as you're responsible with it... I have 3 credit cards plus 2 store cards I use on a regular basis and pay off every month. My score is over 800...

exactly...why hesitate? You should have a card in your name, pick a no annual fee card that rewards you,and pay the balance in full monthly. Chase freedom unlimited is probably best for you anyway...and easy to get one.(and you can make your wife an authorized user easily)

 

[seashoreCM]

My mom left my dads name on the electric account after he passed. She got a postcard saying they wanted to change a meter and needed someone to call and set up a time. ... So we tried to change it over and they wanted $250 because she didn't have her name on it.

I would have cancelled the appointment and then "forgotten about the subject."

A few months later they might send another postcard. Repeat, not going along with the appointment if they charge for that.

Or in the meantime Mom might ju<span id=google_temp_span></span><iframe id="google_ads_frame2" name="google_ads_frame2" width="320" height="100" frameborder="0" src="https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net...,&vis=0&ppjl=f&pfx=0&fu=16&bc=0&ifi=2&dtd=125" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>st try to change the electric service into her own name while not mentioning any other topics. They should accomplish this quickly with no unusual things happening.

I think that it is a good idea to take up a credit card company on its preapproved letter offer, provided you have your own income and provided you like the credit card like no annual fee and no finance charge if you pay the entire balance off by a given deadline. If your only income is alimony or other non=job income, you will have to tell it to them in order to apply for the credit card. You might get just a small credit limit (like two thousand dollars) at first butyou will likely get a letter from the bank a year later offering to raise the crdit limit if your income went up. You can make mid-month payments long before the bill arrives so you can keep using the card and earning more points or rewards and not go over your limit.

 

[kymom99]

I would have cancelled the appointment and then "forgotten about the subject."

A few months later they might send another postcard. Repeat, not going along with the appointment if they charge for that.

Or in the meantime Mom might ju<span id=google_temp_span></span><iframe id="google_ads_frame2" name="google_ads_frame2" width="320" height="100" frameborder="0" src="https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-1609866835938859&output=html&h=100&slotname=1885972923&adk=3386982075&adf=2245999280&w=320&lmt=1474590309&ea=0&flash=11.5.502.146&url=http://disboards.com/posts/56508667/edit&wgl=0&dt=1474593956906&idt=78&shv=r20160921&cbv=r20160727&saldr=sb&prev_slotnames=5290424526&correlator=1466262815104&frm=20&ga_vid=1529982024.1460295796&ga_sid=1474591535&ga_hid=256873820&ga_fc=1&pv=1&icsg=42204834&dssz=21&mdo=0&mso=0&u_tz=-300&u_his=12&u_java=1&u_h=1080&u_w=1920&u_ah=1080&u_aw=1920&u_cd=32&u_nplug=0&u_nmime=0&biw=1110&bih=688&eid=575144605,828064226&oid=3&ref=http://disboards.com/threads/no-credit-card-in-my-name-solution.3549286/#post-56508667&rx=0&eae=4&fc=16&pc=0&docm=7&brdim=311,172,,,1920,,,,,&vis=0&ppjl=f&pfx=0&fu=16&bc=0&ifi=2&dtd=125" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>st try to change the electric service into her own name while not mentioning any other topics. They should accomplish this quickly with no unusual things happening.

I think that it is a good idea to take up a credit card company on its preapproved letter offer, provided you have your own income and provided you like the credit card like no annual fee and no finance charge if you pay the entire balance off by a given deadline. If your only income is alimony or other non=job income, you will have to tell it to them in order to apply for the credit card. You might get just a small credit limit (like two thousand dollars) at first butyou will likely get a letter from the bank a year later offering to raise the crdit limit if your income went up. You can make mid-month payments long before the bill arrives so you can keep using the card and earning more points or rewards and not go over your limit.

This happened 8 years ago. Mom has passed away too now they wanted to charge her to put the account into her name. She and my dad were married 55 years but they couldn't just remove his name. Eventually they backed down. Imagine how silly they would have looked if the news reported that an 80 year old widow was being charged 250 to have her electric service changed into her name.

 

[Vijoge]

You can have a credit score and still not have a credit history. My older son researched his credit score prior to applying for his first auto loan. He had been an authorized user on my CC from the time he was 16. He thought he was in good shape (good job, money in the bank, an excellent credit score) but the loan company came back with a NO because he had no credit history (no student loans, no CC in his name, etc). Apparently, cable, rent and utility account histories did not come into consideration.

We ended up paying cash for the car rather than co-sign a loan for him. He is paying us back monthly. But, I made him get his own credit card in order to build a credit history.

Wow! That's a tough bank. My son just bought a brand new car on Tuesday. He's never had a credit card, earns only a moderate salary, his only bills are his medical/dental insurance, and his down payment was not very high. He got his car loan with no problem and no co-signer. I guess he was pretty lucky.

 

[PlutoPony]

You can have a credit score and still not have a credit history. My older son researched his credit score prior to applying for his first auto loan. He had been an authorized user on my CC from the time he was 16. He thought he was in good shape (good job, money in the bank, an excellent credit score) but the loan company came back with a NO because he had no credit history (no student loans, no CC in his name, etc). Apparently, cable, rent and utility account histories did not come into consideration.

Has he signed an apartment lease or anything like that and had problems with having no credit history? I'm interested in that aspect of credit history as my son will be graduating and looking for an apartment on his own. In his college town, we have to sign the lease as guarantors but he has electric in his name. He does have a CC in his name only so am hoping that's sufficient to allow him to get a lease when the time comes...

 

[Marionnette]

Has he signed an apartment lease or anything like that and had problems with having no credit history? I'm interested in that aspect of credit history as my son will be graduating and looking for an apartment on his own. In his college town, we have to sign the lease as guarantors but he has electric in his name. He does have a CC in his name only so am hoping that's sufficient to allow him to get a lease when the time comes...

He works for a rather large employer in the area that he relocated to. A copy of the job offer was all he needed to be able to gets his apartment. Apparently it's not uncommon there due to the influx of recent college grads every summer.