Yes, American Express does report authorized users to the credit bureaus. Amex sends account data to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion for every authorized user who is at least 18 years old, and it reports on a monthly cycle. What makes Amex different from most issuers is that it reports only positive account history to an authorized user’s file. If the primary cardholder starts missing payments, Amex stops reporting the account for the authorized user rather than passing the damage along.1American Express. Additional Card Member FAQs and Support
How the Positive-Only Reporting Policy Works
The account appears on the authorized user’s credit report as a tradeline showing the credit limit, current balance, and payment status of the primary cardholder’s account. As long as payments are on time, that history feeds into the authorized user’s file each month and can help build a score.
When the primary cardholder falls behind, Amex pulls the tradeline from the authorized user’s reports entirely. Whatever positive history was already built stays; the delinquency doesn’t get added on top. Many other issuers make no such distinction, and a missed payment by the primary cardholder lands on the authorized user’s file just the same. The Amex approach makes being an authorized user a relatively low-risk way to build credit, especially for younger adults or someone rebuilding after a rough patch.
One practical signal to watch for: if the account suddenly disappears from your credit report, that can mean the primary cardholder missed payments and Amex stopped reporting. You’re shielded from the negative marks, but you’ve also lost the ongoing benefit.
The Age 18 Threshold
American Express lets you add an authorized user starting at age 13, but credit bureau reporting doesn’t start until that person turns 18.1American Express. Additional Card Member FAQs and Support Parents adding a teenager should know this. The card will work for spending and rewards from age 13, but nothing shows up on the teen’s credit report until their 18th birthday.
The authorized user also must not have previously defaulted on an American Express account.2American Express. Additional Card Membership Terms
What Actually Shows Up on the Credit Report
Once reporting begins, the tradeline carries several data points that credit scoring models use:
- Account open date, which reflects when the authorized user was added, not when the primary cardholder originally opened the card. Amex stopped backdating authorized user accounts years ago, so you don’t inherit decades of history just by being added to an old account.
- The primary account’s full credit limit, which can help the authorized user’s utilization ratio.
- The current balance at each monthly reporting cycle.
- The primary cardholder’s payment status, with the positive-only rule applied.
Primary cardholders can set an individual spending limit for each authorized user by calling the number on the back of their card, but that internal cap doesn’t reach the credit bureaus. What the bureaus receive is the total account credit limit.1American Express. Additional Card Member FAQs and Support
Information Amex Needs to Report the Account
For an authorized user to actually show up at the bureaus, Amex needs enough identifying information to match the tradeline to the right person’s file. The primary cardholder supplies the authorized user’s full legal name, mailing address, date of birth, and either a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.1American Express. Additional Card Member FAQs and Support The ITIN option matters for non-citizens who file taxes but don’t have an SSN.
If the SSN or ITIN isn’t provided when the user is added, Amex has historically allowed a 60-day window to supply it. Miss that window and the authorized user’s card gets deactivated. If the person doesn’t have either identifier, the primary cardholder should call the number on the back of the card to discuss what’s possible.
Authorized User vs. Joint Account Holder
These get confused, and the difference is significant. An authorized user can spend on the card but has no legal obligation to pay the bill; the primary cardholder carries all the liability. A joint account holder shares full legal responsibility, and both people’s reports reflect the account’s complete history, positive and negative.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I Was an Authorized User on My Deceased Relatives Credit Card Account Am I Liable to Repay the Debt American Express does not offer true joint credit card accounts to new applicants, so the authorized user route is the way to share an Amex card.
Removing the Tradeline
Only the primary cardholder, whom Amex calls the Basic Card Member, can remove an authorized user from the account. It can be done through the online account portal or the chat feature in the account dashboard.4American Express. How to Add or Remove Amex Authorized User The authorized user can’t remove themselves through Amex.
Once removal goes through, new activity stops appearing on the authorized user’s credit report. The existing tradeline may sit on the report as a closed account for a while, or the bureaus may delete it. An authorized user who wants the tradeline off faster can contact each bureau directly and request removal. Because authorized users carry no liability, bureaus generally process these requests without much resistance.5Experian. Remove Authorized User Accounts from Credit Report
Weigh the decision before pulling a tradeline. A long positive history contributes to the average age of your accounts and can be holding your overall utilization ratio down. Removing it can lower your scores in the short term, even when doing so is the right long-term move.