To get a credit card for your child before they turn 18, add them as an authorized user on a card you already hold; once they turn 18 they can apply on their own, though federal law requires applicants under 21 to show independent income or bring on a cosigner. Which path fits depends on your child’s age and whether you want them building a credit history now or waiting until adulthood.
Why Minors Can’t Have Their Own Card
Banks don’t issue credit cards directly to children because most contracts signed by someone under 18 are voidable under long-standing contract law. That makes lending to a minor a losing proposition for the issuer. The workaround is authorized user status: the account stays in your name, and your child gets a card linked to it.
How Authorized User Status Works
When you add your child as an authorized user, the bank issues a card in their name tied to your account. Your child can make purchases. You remain legally responsible for every dollar charged, whether you approved the transaction or not. If the account goes delinquent, the late marks land on your credit report, the collection calls come to you, and any lawsuit names you. Your child has zero liability.
You can revoke access at any time by calling the issuer. They will typically suggest replacing your card with a new number so the old one can’t keep being used. That flexibility is what makes authorized user status a workable training tool: if your child overspends or ignores the ground rules, you can shut off access the same day.
Minimum Age by Card Issuer
No federal law sets a minimum age for authorized users. Each issuer sets its own policy, and the range is wide. As of recent published policies:
- No minimum age: Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo
- Age 13: American Express, Barclays
- Age 15: Discover
- Age 16: U.S. Bank
Policies change without notice, so confirm with your issuer before you start. The cardholder agreement is the binding document that governs who can be added and under what conditions.
What Information the Issuer Will Ask For
Every bank will ask for your child’s full legal name and date of birth. Beyond that, requirements diverge. Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Barclays allow you to add an authorized user with just a name, date of birth, and address. Others ask for a Social Security number.
The SSN matters if you want the account activity reported to the credit bureaus under your child’s name, because the bureaus use that number to match records to a person. Federal Customer Identification Program rules under the Bank Secrecy Act apply when a bank opens a new account, not when you add an authorized user to an existing one, so any SSN request here reflects the bank’s own internal policy rather than a federal mandate. If your issuer asks, have your child’s Social Security card handy for accuracy.
Adding Your Child to Your Account
Most issuers let you add an authorized user through their website or mobile app. Log in, go to account management or card services, and look for an option along the lines of “add authorized user” or “manage cardholders.” You’ll fill out a short form with your child’s information and confirm that you accept continued responsibility for the account balance. The whole process takes a few minutes.
If you’d rather not do it online, call the number on the back of your card and a representative can walk you through it. Once the request is approved, the bank mails a physical card with your child’s name to your address. It usually arrives within a week or two. Activate it by calling the number on the sticker or through the issuer’s app. The card then runs on your existing billing cycle, and charges appear on your regular statement.
Setting Spending Controls
Many issuers let you set a spending limit for the authorized user’s card that sits below your overall credit limit. You might cap your child at $100 or $200 per transaction. You can also turn on real-time text or email alerts so you see each purchase as it happens rather than discovering surprises on the monthly statement.
Some issuers offer the ability to temporarily freeze the authorized user’s card through the app without removing them from the account. The card stops working until you unfreeze it, but the account relationship stays intact. If your issuer doesn’t offer built-in controls, you’ll be relying on conversations with your child and frequent statement reviews. Ask about these features before choosing which of your cards to use.
How Authorized User Status Affects Your Child’s Credit
Parents often add a child as an authorized user specifically to give them a head start on credit history. When an issuer reports the account to the credit bureaus, the account’s full history, including its age, payment record, and balance, can appear on the authorized user’s credit report. A child added to a well-managed account with years of on-time payments and low balances can enter adulthood with an established credit file.
There is a catch. Not every issuer reports authorized user activity for minors. Some will add your child to the account but won’t send data to the bureaus until the child turns 18. Others report regardless of age. If credit building is your reason for doing this, call the issuer and ask whether they report authorized user accounts for minors and to which bureaus. Without that reporting, the benefit doesn’t exist.
The account’s health matters too. High utilization or a missed payment can drag your child’s scores down along with yours. Keeping utilization well below 30% of the limit and never missing a payment protects both of you. If your child is later removed from the account, the account drops off their credit report entirely, and the positive history goes with it.
Freezing Your Child’s Credit File
A federal law that took effect in September 2018 gives parents and legal guardians the right to place a security freeze on the credit file of any child under 16, free at all three national bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If a bureau doesn’t already have a file for your child, it must create one solely to freeze it. That file can’t be used to open credit until you lift the freeze.
To place the freeze, you’ll need to prove your relationship, typically with a birth certificate. Each bureau has its own process and contact information for minor freezes. The freeze doesn’t interfere with authorized user status on your existing account; it blocks anyone else from opening new accounts using your child’s identity.
Getting a Credit Card After Eighteen
Once your child turns 18, they can apply on their own, but the Credit CARD Act of 2009 adds a layer of protection for applicants under 21. No issuer can open a credit card account for someone under 21 unless the applicant either demonstrates an independent ability to make the required minimum payments or has a cosigner at least 21 years old who can cover the debt.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S.C. 1637 – Open End Consumer Credit Plans
The implementing regulation spells this out: the issuer must obtain financial information showing the applicant can independently handle the minimum payments, or the cosigner must sign an agreement accepting liability for any debt incurred before the applicant turns 21.2eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.51 – Ability to Pay If the account was opened with a cosigner, the issuer cannot increase the credit limit unless the cosigner agrees in writing to take on liability for the higher amount.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S.C. 1637 – Open End Consumer Credit Plans
What Counts as Independent Income
Applicants between 18 and 20 can list only their own income or assets. They cannot include a parent’s or roommate’s income, even if that person helps pay the bills. Qualifying income includes wages from a job, investment income like dividends or interest, trust payouts, royalty payments, and the portion of scholarships, grants, or work-study wages the student receives directly. An allowance from a parent can also count as the applicant’s income.
Student Credit Cards
Many issuers offer student credit cards for applicants with thin credit files. These cards typically have lower limits and simpler qualification requirements than general-purpose cards. If your child spent a few years as an authorized user on your account before applying, they may already have enough credit history to qualify for a better starting limit or a standard card. Student cards often include cash-back rewards on everyday purchases, and some issuers will upgrade the card to a regular product after a period of responsible use.
Secured Cards as a Fallback
If your child is 18 or older but can’t qualify for an unsecured card and doesn’t want a cosigner, a secured credit card is an option. The applicant puts down a refundable cash deposit, and that deposit typically becomes the credit limit. Deposits usually run $200 to $500, though some cards start as low as $100. Because the bank holds the deposit as collateral, approval is much easier. Some secured cards don’t even run a credit check.
Secured cards report to the credit bureaus like regular cards, so they build credit history with every on-time payment. After several months of responsible use, many issuers will refund the deposit and upgrade the account to unsecured with a higher limit. The deposit caps how much debt your child can take on while they prove they can handle payments, which makes this a practical first step for young adults building credit without leaning on a parent’s account.
A Word on Gift Taxes
When your child charges purchases to your card and you pay the bill, the IRS treats that as a gift.3Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Gift Taxes For nearly every family this creates no tax bill. The annual gift tax exclusion for 2026 is $19,000 per recipient, so you can cover up to that amount in charges for your child in a single year with no reporting obligation.4Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026, Including Amendments From the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Spending above that would trigger a gift tax return, but no actual tax until you’ve used up the lifetime exemption, which runs into the millions.