How to add an authorized user to your Chase account in detail

Adding an authorized user to your Chase account: By adding a friend or family member to your Chase account as an authorized user, you can help them improve their credit situation if they have a bad score, and you have a good score. 

Despite not having access to a credit card, authorized users have the ability to spend from your account. Further, they will be able to leverage the credit history on your behalf in order to build their own credit.

According to Gerri Detweiler of Nav, an organization that helps business owners monitor their business credit and staff for free, credit history for all authorized users will appear on the user’s credit report. The authorized user can greatly benefit from this if the cardholder has good credit and low debt.

Make sure you only do this with people who you trust. Since you are ultimately the only one responsible for debt accumulated by authorized users, you must pay any debt that they refuse to pay.

Chase credit cards are used by many people in the United States. There are still plenty of people thinking about granting someone permission to use their card and wondering How to add an Authorized User to your Chase Account.

Because of this, we are here to explain how to add an authorized user to your Chase account. What are authorized users, what can and cannot be done by them, can I be harmed by them adding me, and so much more.

Who are authorized users?

Truth be told, the concept of an authorized user is not a mystery. You authorize them to act as a kind of secondary owner on your Chase account, meaning they can use the account to make purchases.

A user who is authorized to access the account does not have to pay the accumulated debt. That responsibility belongs solely to the account owner, which is you. As such, it is imperative that you determine with the authorized user how they will handle payments before adding them to your account. His or her share should be paid before the billing date.

What are the benefits of adding an authorized user to my Chase account?

In general, adding authorized users to a Chase account, or any other bank account, does not provide any benefit to the owner, but rather to the user. Those with weak credit or those who do not yet have a solid credit history should take special note of this. Children can be added as authorized users by their parents, which will help them build good credit so they can apply for a credit card on their own in the future.

How can I become an authorized user of a Chase card?

Any authorized user can be added to a Chase credit card. Chase does not have any minimum age requirements, so it doesn’t have to be a family member. The only information you need to provide is the person’s name, her date of birth, and her address. There is no need to include your social security number!

Okay, I get it now. My Chase account requires an authorized user, so how do I add one?

You can easily add an authorized user to your Chase account. Here’s how.

• Visit Chase.com to access your online account.
• “Accounts” will appear once you click on it.
• Select “Account Services” from the “More Options” menu.
• Add an authorized user by selecting “Add an authorized user”.
• Your Chase accounts may have more than one, but you need to choose one of them.

After that, you need to fill out the required information for the authorized user. Charge reminds you on the registration page that the authorized user can charge your account, but not make payments. The responsibility rests solely and exclusively with you, as we have said previously.

Keep Reading: How do I increase my Chase credit card limit?

Does it cost anything to add an authorized user to your Chase account?

Most Chase credit cards allow you to add an authorized user for free. If you want to add authorized users to your Chase Sapphire Reserve account, you are required to pay $75 for each one.

What credit limits can be set for authorized users to your Chase account?

You cannot set a specific credit limit for any authorized users at Chase, like most other credit card companies. The authorized user limit will be the same if your credit limit is $10,000.

Do authorized users have access to all the benefits of a Chase card?

The authorized user can access most of a Chase credit card’s benefits (if the card offers them, of course), such as purchase protection or rental car insurance. You may redeem rewards or cash back rewards if you have a rewards or cash back card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the Chase Freedom, only you may redeem them. Consequently, the authorized user’s purchases will count toward the reward points as a benefit for you.

What are the benefits of adding an authorized user to your Chase credit card?

Your Chase credit card account can be added to an authorized user so that you can:

• Build or rebuild the credit of a family member or friend.
• If you do not frequently use an account, keep it active.
• You can use a family member or employee’s credit card without any problems.

Authorized user status has the biggest advantage of helping individuals with bad credit. After all, your loved one may not have been responsible for getting into financial trouble, according to Ed Mierzwinski, senior director of the Federal Consumer Program at the US PIRG, an organization that works for public interest.

In many cases, bad credit is not caused by bad financial habits, says Mierzwinski. This can result from layoffs or illnesses, for instance.”

As we discussed at the beginning of this article, authorized user status can help people who do not have credit and are trying to establish credit. Detweiler explains this way: “When my daughter turned 16, I added her as an authorized user to one of my credit cards.”. He’s now a college student with excellent credit.

Giving an authorized user access to your account can also improve your own credit rating if you do not often use that account to the point where it could be closed for inactivity. An authorized user can keep the account active by charging and paying them, and both parties get the benefit of a positive payment history.

James Philpot, professor of finance and director of the financial planning program at Missouri State University, says adding authorized users is sometimes a matter of convenience.

Couples could, for example, both add each other as authorized users to allow seamless use of each other’s accounts. To make purchases on behalf of the company, a trusted employee could obtain an authorized user card on a small business card account.

How does adding an authorized user affect my Chase credit card?

Here are some potential risks you need to understand before adding a user to your Chase credit card account:

• Charges made using the card are your final responsibility.
• A credit utilization rate that exceeds a responsible level.
• If things don’t go well, strain your personal relationships

According to Philpot, cardholders who add authorized users to their account because they want to help a friend or loved one sometimes make mistakes. Credit cards can be dangerous to give to people who might not otherwise qualify for them.

In the beginning, you are still the primary account holder, and the authorized user is nothing more than a secondary account holder without any legal obligations. Therefore, you are ultimately responsible for getting your credit card bills paid. Authorized users typically do not receive monthly statements from credit card companies.

You ask a person to join your account when you add them, Mierzwinski says, “so that they can handle credit responsibly.”. Mierzwinski says, “If things don’t work out or the authorized user doesn’t behave responsibly, situations can get complicated.”. “Moreover, this will reflect on your credit report.”.

Depending on Mierzwinski, an authorized user can negatively impact your credit in two ways: spending too much and not paying.

Your credit score can drop if you approach your credit limit. Mierzwinski says that as long as you pay your cards on time and stay below 30 percent of your limit, you shouldn’t have any issues. “If you go over 30 percent, you will have issues,” he continues.

You, as the primary cardholder, will have to cover the payment if the authorized user accumulates a great deal of debt and is having trouble paying. You will inevitably lose points if you are unable to do so.

Additionally, all of these issues may strain the relationship between you and the authorized user. A disagreement between the two (cardholders) could cause everything to blow up, says Mierzwinski. Therefore, you should be extremely sure that you are adding the correct user to your account before adding them.

Keep Reading: The Best Way to Replace your Chase Bank Credit Card

What happens when I am added as an authorized user to your Chase account?

Authorized users should also be careful, says Oleg Yavorovskiy, CEO of Guardian Debt Relief of New York City. You may increase your credit score by being added as a user, but you may also be hurt by it, depending on the intelligence and financial habits of the primary cardholder.

As Yavorovskiy explains, the credit score of a primary cardholder will be affected if the primary cardholder makes a late payment (a payment is considered late if it is more than 30 days late). The authorized user will also suffer.

Cardholders with high credit utilization rates can also damage the credit scores of authorized users, according to Yavorovskiy. In determining a credit score, credit utilization (amount of credit used compared to total available credit) is the second most important factor, following timely payments.

With a credit card with a limit of $10,000 and a balance of $8,000 on the same card, the credit utilization rate will be high. If the ratio is higher, it hurts the credit score of the cardholder, and it also hurts the score of the authorized user.

For this reason, suggests Yavorovskiy, it is best to be an authorized user of a family member’s or friend’s account who has been responsible with their finances for some time. Yavorovskiy emphasizes the importance of having clear guidance on what each individual is expected to accomplish.

How does one handle the situation when an agreement of this type does not work, either because of the financial misconduct of the authorized user or the cardholder? The cardholder can deactivate authorized users instantly, and unauthorized users can ask their issuing company to deactivate them.

How to remove an authorized user from a Chase credit card

The phone number on the back of your credit card or 1-800-432-3117 can be used to remove an authorized user from your Chase account. A secure message can also be used to remove an authorized user. Access the options “Connect with Chase” and “Secure messages” from the side menu after logging into your account.

How to take advantage of becoming an authorized user of a Chase credit card

• To boost your credit, make sure you pay all your other bills on time each month. Pay as much as you can on your credit card if you have additional debt, as this will also improve your credit score.
• Make sure you don’t misuse the privilege of being added as an authorized user by a family member or friend. Stick to the agreement you have with this person about how much money you can spend and how much you need to pay each month.
• Payment of expenses should be made on the agreed-upon date. You can be removed from the account at any time by the primary cardholder. You should follow whatever arrangement has been made.

Here are a few tips for adding an authorized user to your Chase account

• Those you cannot trust should not be offered this opportunity.
• Define your boundaries clearly.
• Control and monitor your account.
• If they fail to live up to their end of the deal, feel free to remove the user.

You alone are responsible for the charges made on your credit card, whether they are yours or not. This message has been repeated throughout the article.

You don’t need to give someone a credit card to help them build credit. Keep track of all authorized user expenses by setting up alerts that notify you of them.

Therefore, Mierzwinski says that users who add authorized users also have to ensure that all expenditures on the account remain within the credit limit of the account. “If you don’t raise the limit, your credit score could go down,” he says.

Chase can limit an authorized user’s spending if you think he or she is spending too much. You should ask if this can be done.

Any authorized user can be removed from the account at any time by the primary account holder. This needs to be handled by Chase’s customer service department, as we’ve explained previously. We recommend that you request a new card from the authorized user if they have the credit card number.

Upon removing an authorized user, the money in your account will no longer be available for them to spend. Nevertheless, you are responsible for any charges they may make. The last thing you should do is abruptly remove an authorized user from your account. A diplomatic solution is always preferred to an abrupt one, so try to resolve any issues first.

Keep Reading: Here are 8 things before applying for a Chase credit card

To conclude…

Both parties can benefit from adding an authorized user to your Chase account. However, the risks should be considered. You don’t want to ruin a relationship because someone is financially irresponsible. As a result, only add someone to your line of credit who you completely trust and who you are sure will be responsible for the credit line and will pay their part of the balance on time.

And voila, with this we have finished this article in which we have explained everything about How to add an authorized user to your Chase account. We are sure that you will have no doubts about the subject and we hope that you can make the decision that best suits your case.

Thanks for reading us!

If you liked this article on How to add an authorized user to your Chase account,  We want to know your opinion. Leave a comment below if you have any experience (good or bad) to add an authorized user to your Chase account.