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Fact check: Not all banks allow children to be authorized credit card users

BrieAnna J. Frank   | Paste BN
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The claim: 6-year-olds can be added as authorized users on all credit cards

A viral Jan. 14, 2022, Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims there is a way children can build their credit score before they reach adulthood. 

“FUN FACT - Did you know when your child turns 6. You can add them as an authorized user to one of your credit cards,” the post begins. “Never give them the card, and all the payments you make from 6 to 18 goes to your child’s credit too. Your kid will have an unbelievable credit score from years of payment history.” 

The post was shared more than 50,000 times and was circulating still in early 2023.

More recent versions of the claim posted in early 2023 were shared thousands of times before they were deleted. 

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Our rating: Partly false

This isn't a universal policy. Not all banks or credit card companies allow children to be added as an authorized user. And even if the policy allows minors to be added, that doesn't mean adding them will help their future credit score, because not all banks report authorized users' credit history to credit rating agencies. 

Only some banks allow kids to be added to an adult's credit card

There's no federal law that sets a minimum age requirement for authorized credit card users. Each bank, however, can set their own policies,  according to the media techonology website CNET. 

U.S. Bank, for example, requires authorized users to be at least 13 years old, according to its website. Discover Bank has a minimum age of 15 and reports all authorized user activity to credit reporting agencies, spokesperson Isaac Reynoso said.

Daniel Castorina, a spokesperson for Chase Bank, said customers must be at least 18 to enter into a credit card agreement. The bank's website notes it does not report the authorized user credit history of minors to credit reporting agencies, which means they wouldn't build credit history by being added to an adult's credit card. 

More: Do you have a good credit score? Credit expert shares tips on how to improve your score.

Wells Fargo does not have a universal age restriction for authorized users and reports all authorized user information to credit bureaus, according to spokesperson Sarah DuBois. 

“While it’s true that adding your child as an authorized user may help them establish a credit history and build credit, the way the credit bureau handles this information for building credit is determined solely by the bureaus and not by Wells Fargo,” DuBois said. 

Teenage years best to add child to credit account, but it comes with risks

Andrea Clark, owner of The Table Financial Planning and an advisor bureau member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, said children "absolutely can piggyback on your good credit history and payment record." 

Clark added her own children to her credit accounts when they were teenagers but said doing so always comes with potential risks. Late payments or bankruptcy, for example, could negatively affect an authorized user's credit.

More: To cope with record inflation, Americans have opened up a record number of credit cards

And while some banks may allow it, Clark said it's unnecessary to add 6-year-old children to credit accounts in order for them to be set up well for adulthood. 

“Somewhere around age 13 to 15 is plenty of time to establish a good credit history with the ultimate goal of helping your young adult child start out in life under the best possible conditions,” Clark said. 

Paste BN reached out to users who shared the claim for comment.

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