To add an authorized user to your credit card, log into your issuer’s website or call the number on the back of your card, provide the person’s full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number or ITIN, and residential address, and confirm the request. A card in the new user’s name typically arrives at your billing address within seven to ten business days. The process takes about five minutes, but the financial commitment is larger than it looks: every charge the authorized user makes becomes your legal responsibility, and any agreement you have with them about splitting the bill is invisible to the bank.
Information to Gather First
Before you start, collect these details about the person you’re adding:
- Full legal name, matching their government-issued ID exactly
- Date of birth
- Social Security number or ITIN
- Residential address
The Social Security number matters most. Without it, your issuer may not report the account to the credit bureaus, which defeats the purpose if the goal is helping the person build credit. An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number works as a substitute for people who don’t have an SSN.1Capital One. How To Get a Credit Card as a Recent Immigrant
Double-check every character. A misspelled name or a transposed digit in the SSN can cause the account to attach to the wrong credit file or fail to appear on any file at all. This step feels tedious and prevents real headaches.
Adding the User Online or by Phone
Online, log into your account and open the account services or settings menu. Look for a link labeled “add authorized user” or “add cardholder.” Enter the person’s information and submit. The form validates the format before letting you proceed.
By phone, call the number on the back of your card and tell the representative you want to add an authorized user. They collect the same information and read a brief disclosure before confirming the addition.
The new card arrives at your billing address within roughly seven to ten business days. You’ll need to activate it through the issuer’s app or phone line before it can be used. Some issuers offer expedited delivery for a fee. The card carries the authorized user’s name but, in most cases, your same account number.2Chase. What Is an Authorized User on a Credit Card Worth remembering later: if you remove the person, they’ll still know your card number unless you also request a replacement with a new number.
What It Costs
Most credit cards charge nothing to add an authorized user. No-annual-fee and mid-tier rewards cards almost never do.
Premium travel and rewards cards are the exception. Adding an authorized user to a high-end card can run $75 to $195 per year, depending on the card. Those fees buy the authorized user access to card perks such as airport lounge entry, travel credits, and elevated rewards rates. A handful of premium cards waive the fee entirely, so check your card’s terms before assuming you’ll owe anything.
Whether that fee is worth paying depends on whether the authorized user will actually use those benefits. A frequent traveler can get the money back through lounge visits and statement credits. A teenager added to build credit will never touch them.
Who Qualifies
Minimum age requirements vary by issuer and range from 13 to 18, with some banks setting no floor at all.3Experian. What’s the Minimum Age for an Authorized User American Express sets the minimum at 13 but won’t report the account to credit bureaus until the user turns 18. Chase, Bank of America, and Citibank have no stated age requirement. Capital One requires 18. Discover sets the bar at 15.4Discover. What Age Can You Get a Credit Card If your purpose is building a teenager’s credit, confirm your issuer reports authorized user activity for minors before you bother.
The person doesn’t have to be a relative. Most issuers let you add anyone: a friend, roommate, partner, or extended relative all qualify. The user generally needs to reside in the United States, though specific residency rules depend on the issuer.
Your Liability for Their Charges
The primary cardholder is legally responsible for every charge the authorized user makes, plus interest, late fees, and anything else that accumulates. The authorized user owes the bank nothing directly.5Equifax. What Is an Authorized User on a Credit Card This flows from your cardholder agreement, the contract you signed when the account opened. The authorized user never signed anything with the bank.
Any private arrangement about who pays for what stays between the two of you. The bank won’t enforce it, mediate it, or even acknowledge it exists. If the authorized user won’t pay their share, your only recourse is a civil claim against them.
Late payments also land on both credit reports, regardless of who made the charges.5Equifax. What Is an Authorized User on a Credit Card If an authorized user overspends and you can’t cover the minimum, both scores drop.
Spending Controls Are Limited on Personal Cards
Here’s where expectations meet reality. Most personal credit cards do not let you set a hard dollar spending limit for an authorized user. They can charge up to whatever is available on your entire credit line.6Chase. Setting a Spending Limit for Authorized Users
Business credit cards give you more control. Chase Ink cards, for instance, let the primary cardholder set individual spending limits for each authorized user through the online portal or mobile app.6Chase. Setting a Spending Limit for Authorized Users If per-user dollar caps matter to you, that’s the category to look at.
For personal cards, the practical workarounds are locking and unlocking the authorized user’s card through your app and setting purchase alerts above a chosen dollar amount. Neither caps spending, but both give you visibility and a way to shut things down quickly. If you’re not comfortable extending your full credit line to this person, have the spending conversation before the card arrives.
How It Affects Their Credit
When you add someone as an authorized user, the entire account history typically appears on their credit report, including payment history from before they were added.7Experian. What Is Credit Card Piggybacking Payment history is 35% of a FICO score and credit utilization another 30%,8Experian. Removing Yourself as an Authorized User Could Help Your Credit so a high-limit card with a long clean payment record and a low balance gives the authorized user a real boost.
The reverse is true too. Missed payments or high utilization on your account can show up on their report. Experian will automatically remove delinquent authorized user accounts since the authorized user isn’t responsible for the debt,9Experian. Effects of Missed Payments on Authorized User’s Credit but not every bureau handles this the same way. Don’t assume negative marks will vanish everywhere automatically.
Gift Tax If You’re Paying Their Charges
One consequence people rarely anticipate: if you pay off large balances the authorized user charged for their personal benefit, the IRS could treat those payments as gifts. A taxable gift is any transfer of value where you don’t receive something of equal worth in return.10Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Gift Taxes
For 2026, the annual gift tax exclusion is $19,000 per recipient.11Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026, Including Amendments From the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Personal spending on your card that stays below that annual figure raises nothing to report. Above the threshold you would file Form 709, though you likely wouldn’t owe actual tax unless you’ve already used up your lifetime exemption. Shared household expenses where both people benefit don’t raise the same concern. For parents funding significant purchases for adult children or partners covering large personal expenses, a quick check with a tax professional is worth it.
Removing an Authorized User Later
Removing an authorized user is simpler than adding one. Call your issuer’s customer service line or handle it through the online portal. Access stops immediately.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Remove an Authorized User From My Credit Card Account The authorized user can also remove themselves by calling the number on the back of their card, without your involvement.
After the removal, ask whether you should get a new card with a new account number. The CFPB recommends this if the authorized user still has your card number, which they almost certainly do since the cards typically share the same number.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Remove an Authorized User From My Credit Card Account A new number also cuts off any online accounts where the old number is saved.
For the authorized user, removal drops the account off their credit report entirely. If the account had been helping their score through a long payment history or low utilization, expect a drop; length of credit history alone is 15% of a FICO score.8Experian. Removing Yourself as an Authorized User Could Help Your Credit If the account carried missed payments, removal usually improves their score, since late payment history weighs more heavily than account age.