To remove yourself as an authorized user on a credit card, call the issuer’s customer service line and ask to be taken off the account. You don’t need the primary cardholder’s permission, and most issuers will process the request on the spot. Authorized users aren’t legally responsible for the balance, so the issuer has no reason to hold you to the account.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I Was an Authorized User on My Deceased Relative’s Credit Card Account — Am I Liable to Repay the Debt?
Your right to leave applies even if the account is behind on payments or in collections. Removing yourself from a troubled account is often the fastest way to stop its payment history from pulling down your own credit.
First, Make Sure You’re an Authorized User
Authorized users and joint account holders both get to use the card, but only one can walk away with a phone call. A joint account holder shares full legal responsibility for the balance, and getting off a joint account typically requires the issuer’s approval, a credit review, and sometimes refinancing the debt. An authorized user carries no repayment obligation at all.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I Was an Authorized User on My Deceased Relative’s Credit Card Account — Am I Liable to Repay the Debt?
If you’re not sure which you are, pull your credit report. Authorized user accounts are labeled differently from accounts where you’re the primary borrower or a joint holder.
What to Have Ready Before You Call
Pull these together so identity verification doesn’t slow things down:
- Your full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number (some issuers only ask for the last four digits).
- The credit card account number, or at least the last four digits, plus the primary cardholder’s name as it appears on the account.
- The customer service number on the back of your card or on the issuer’s website.
Making the Request
By Phone
Call the number on the back of the card and tell the representative you want to be removed as an authorized user. After verifying your identity, they’ll process the request. The whole call usually takes a few minutes. Before you hang up, ask for a confirmation or reference number. You’ll want it if the account doesn’t come off your credit report when it should.
Online
Some issuers let you manage authorized user status through their website or app. If you have online access to the account, look under account settings or card management for a removal option. This feature is more often available to primary cardholders than to authorized users, so you may still end up on the phone.
By Mail
Some issuers accept written removal requests. Include the same identifying details you’d give over the phone, state clearly that you’re requesting removal as an authorized user, and keep a copy of the letter.
How Removal Can Affect Your Credit Score
Taking your name off the account doesn’t just erase a line from your report. It can shift several things that feed your score, and the direction depends on the account.
- Length of credit history. If the authorized user account is one of your oldest tradelines, removing it shortens the average age of your accounts. Credit history length accounts for roughly 15 percent of a FICO score.
- Credit utilization. The card’s credit limit counts toward your total available credit. Lose that limit and your utilization ratio can jump even though your balances haven’t moved. Utilization makes up about 30 percent of a FICO score, so this is often the biggest immediate hit.
- Negative history. If the account has late payments or sits at a high balance, removing yourself should help your score once the tradeline drops off.
If the account is in good standing, has a high limit, and goes back years, think twice before pulling the plug. If it’s dragging you down, removal is almost always the right call.
When the Change Shows Up on Your Credit Report
The removal won’t appear on your credit report right away. Issuers send updates to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion in batches, usually once a billing cycle, so the account may linger on your report for 30 to 45 days after your request.
You can pull free reports from each bureau through AnnualCreditReport.com. Check all three about six weeks after you call to confirm the account has been updated or removed. Not every issuer reports to every bureau, so the account may not have been on all three to begin with.
If the Account Still Shows Up
If the tradeline is still there after two full billing cycles, file a dispute with each bureau that still lists it. You can also ask the bureau directly to remove an authorized user tradeline without waiting on the issuer’s update.
Include your confirmation number from the issuer, your identifying information, and a short explanation that you’ve been removed as an authorized user. The bureau generally has 30 days to investigate and must notify you of the results within five business days of finishing. If you send additional information mid-investigation, the bureau can take up to 15 more days.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Long Does It Take to Repair an Error on a Credit Report
Disputes can be filed online, by phone, or by mail. Online is typically the fastest.
If the Primary Cardholder Has Died
Stop using the card immediately. Purchases made after the cardholder’s death can be treated as fraud even if you were a legitimate authorized user before. Don’t make payments on the account either, because that can be read as accepting responsibility for the balance.
Call the issuer to report the death and ask that your authorized user status be removed. The issuer will usually close or freeze the account as part of the estate settlement. The estate, not you, is responsible for any remaining balance.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I Was an Authorized User on My Deceased Relative’s Credit Card Account — Am I Liable to Repay the Debt? If a collector contacts you about the balance, you can show them your credit report to prove you were only an authorized user, not a co-signer or joint holder.
Once the account is closed, check your credit reports to make sure it’s reflected accurately, and dispute any lingering inaccuracies with the bureaus.