To add your child as an authorized user on a credit card, log in to your issuer’s website or mobile app, open the authorized-user section of your account, and submit your child’s full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number. You can also call the number on the back of your card and give a representative the same information. The bank mails a card in your child’s name to your address within about seven to ten business days, and many issuers begin reporting the account on your child’s credit file once it’s active. You remain fully responsible for every charge.
Check Your Issuer’s Minimum Age First
Every issuer sets its own minimum age, and the range is wide. Some issuers publish no minimum at all; others require the authorized user to be 13, 15, 16, or even 18.1Experian. What’s the Minimum Age for an Authorized User? American Express allows authorized users starting at age 13. Capital One has no published minimum, so in theory you could add a young child purely to start a credit file.
Confirm your card’s rule before you begin. If your child is under the cutoff, the request will be rejected, and some issuers don’t clearly explain why. If you hold cards from more than one bank, one may accept a younger authorized user than another.
What Information You Need
Have three things in front of you: your child’s full legal name as it appears on official documents, their date of birth, and their Social Security number.2Chase. Can Being an Authorized User Build Your Credit? The SSN is used to verify identity and to report the account to the credit bureaus.
If your child doesn’t have an SSN, some issuers accept an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number instead. American Express and Capital One are among those that will use an ITIN for verification.3Experian. How to Apply for a Credit Card Without a Social Security Number You can apply for an ITIN by filing IRS Form W-7.
Submitting the Request
Most issuers give you three ways to add an authorized user. The online banking portal and the mobile app both usually have an authorized-user management section where you enter your child’s information and submit the request in a few taps.4American Express. How to Add or Remove Amex Authorized User If you’d rather talk to someone, call the customer service number on the back of your card. A representative will verify your identity and enter the request by hand.
Once approved, the issuer produces a card in your child’s name and mails it to your address on file. Delivery generally takes seven to ten business days. When the card arrives, activate it by phone or online. Hold onto it until you’ve had the conversation about spending rules.
Is There a Fee?
On most standard credit cards, adding an authorized user is free. Fees show up mainly on premium travel cards. The Chase Sapphire Reserve charges $195 per year for each additional cardholder, and American Express Platinum cards carry a similar $195 annual fee per authorized user. Some premium cards charge more when perks like lounge access come bundled with the extra card.
If your goal is helping your child build credit, a no-annual-fee card does the same job. The credit-reporting benefit doesn’t depend on the tier of card.
How It Affects Your Child’s Credit
Most major issuers report authorized-user accounts to all three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.5Experian. Are Authorized-User Accounts Reported to All Three Bureaus? Your payment history, credit utilization, and account age can all show up on your child’s report. If you pay on time and keep balances low, your child gets a credit history before they’ve applied for anything on their own.6Equifax. What Is an Authorized User on a Credit Card?
The reverse is also true. High balances or missed payments on that card land on your child’s file the same way.6Equifax. What Is an Authorized User on a Credit Card? Adding a child to a card you’re struggling to pay down can hurt their credit before they’ve had a chance to build any.
Issuers also differ on how much of the account history they report. Some backdate to the account’s original opening date, which is a real advantage if the card has been open for years. Others start reporting from the date the child was added. There’s no universal rule, so if account age is part of your plan, ask before you add.
You Owe Every Charge Your Child Makes
As the primary cardholder, you are responsible for every dollar. Your child has no legal duty to pay because they are not a party to the credit card agreement.6Equifax. What Is an Authorized User on a Credit Card? Under Regulation Z, authorized users aren’t considered “cardholders” in the legal sense. They can use the card, but the bank looks only to you for the balance, interest, and fees.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Comment for 1026.12 – Special Credit Card Provisions
That has real consequences. Late fees run $30 or more per missed payment, and interest keeps compounding. The bank can’t legally pursue a minor to collect. Weigh your credit limit before you hand over the card. A teenager with a $15,000 line is a real financial risk without clear rules.
One point that trips parents up: you keep your rights under the Fair Credit Billing Act to dispute billing errors and undelivered goods. But purchases your child made with your permission aren’t “unauthorized,” even if you didn’t approve that particular buy. If someone steals your child’s card, you can dispute those charges and your liability is capped at $50.8eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.12 – Special Credit Card Provisions If your child bought something you wish they hadn’t, that’s a family matter, not a billing dispute.
Keeping Tabs on Their Spending
Here’s where the arrangement often succeeds or fails. Most personal credit cards do not let you set a separate spending limit for an authorized user. Your child has access to whatever portion of your credit line isn’t already used.9Chase. Setting a Spending Limit for Authorized Users Some business cards offer per-user limits, but on personal cards you’re left with clear house rules and frequent monitoring.
Turn on transaction alerts. Visa lets you set alerts by text, email, or push for purchases over a set amount, online transactions, international charges, and declines.10Visa. Visa Purchase Alerts for Card and Transaction Alerts Most issuers offer similar alerts through their own apps. A ping the moment your child swipes is far more useful than the statement you review a month later.
If you want a more controlled start, use a card with a low overall limit. A $500 ceiling caps the potential damage while your child learns.
Gift Tax If Spending Gets Large
For most families this isn’t a concern, but it’s worth knowing. The IRS treats transfers of value between people as potential gifts. The annual gift tax exclusion for 2026 is $19,000 per recipient.11Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Gift Taxes If you cover your child’s card charges above that threshold in a calendar year, you may need to file Form 709.12Internal Revenue Service. Gifts and Inheritances 1
Two carve-outs shrink the concern. Tuition paid directly to an educational institution and medical expenses paid directly to a provider are excluded from the gift tax entirely, no matter the amount.11Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Gift Taxes Filing Form 709 also doesn’t necessarily mean you owe tax, since the lifetime exemption is well above what most families ever use.
How to Remove Your Child Later
Removal is easier than adding. Log into your online account or app, go to the authorized-user management section, and remove them.4American Express. How to Add or Remove Amex Authorized User You can also call customer service. Once processed, the card is deactivated and no further transactions will go through.
Your child can also remove themselves. An authorized user can call the number on the back of their card and request removal without needing your approval. That sometimes matters when an adult child wants to separate their credit from a parent’s account that has run into trouble.
After removal, destroy the physical card by cutting through both the chip and the magnetic stripe. The authorized-user tradeline may stay on your child’s credit report for some time, and your child can also ask the credit bureaus to remove it. If the history is positive, they may want to keep it for the score benefit. If it isn’t, removing it gives them a cleaner start.