How to add an authorized user to a Chase card

An authorized user is a person who is authorized to make purchases using your credit card account. The user is issued their own credit card, but does not receive a statement and is not responsible for making payments. Technically, anyone can be an authorized user, but authorized users are usually family members, guardians or trustees of the primary cardholder.

Adding an authorized user to your Chase credit card is a quick and easy process that makes sense in several situations. This can make family finances more convenient, as well as help authorized users increase or improve their credit.

Adding teenagers or students as authorized users can also help them get good credit scores. When they are added as an authorized user, Chase will report the account to the credit reporting agencies as if it belongs to an authorized user. When you pay on time, this will be reflected in the authorized user’s credit as a timely payment, which will build a reliable credit history over time.

However, in some cases, you may not want to add an authorized user to your account. Here’s how to do it, how it will affect authorized user credit, what the applicable fees are, and how to decide if adding an authorized user to your account makes sense in your situation.

How to add an authorized user to your Chase account

To add an authorized user to your account, you have two options: add them through your online account or by calling the customer service number on the back of your card.

Before contacting Chase to add an authorized user, make sure you have the following information:

• Identifying Information
• TIN
• Date of Birth
• Contacts

online

You may find an option to add an authorized user to your online account. Under the Accounts tab, you will see each of your credit card accounts. Each account has a tab labeled “More” with a drop-down menu. This drop-down menu will take you to “account services”. After clicking on it, another drop-down menu will have an option to “add an authorized user”.

From there, you’ll enter your username, date of birth, and address.

By phone

You can also call Chase support to add an authorized user to your account. The number on the back of your credit card will be the most accurate for the call as the numbers are different for each card family (eg Chase Sapphire Reserve card and Chase Freedom Flex℠ card).

Deleting an authorized user

If you need to remove an authorized user, you will need to call Chase support. This process is slightly longer because the customer service agent will also need to request that the authorized user’s name be removed from the report sent to the credit reporting agencies.

Should I add an authorized user to the Chase card?

There are times when it doesn’t make sense to add an authorized user to your Chase card. While it may be easier to have one Chase account for a family, there are many benefits when each partner has their own account.

Earn more Chase Ultimate Rewards points

If you and your partner love to travel with Chase Ultimate Rewards, you can earn more Bonus Points for signing up as a family if each partner has their own Ultimate Rewards credit card.

For example, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, each partner will be able to earn 60,000 bonus points with their own accounts (of course, spending $4,000 in the first three months). Chase allows you to combine points between family members for a total of 120,000 bonus points.

Improve your credit score

You can also add or remove an authorized user to improve their credit score. If you have a credit card with a large amount of credit without a balance, adding your partner to this card can help improve their credit score by lowering their credit utilization rate. Conversely, you can remove an authorized user from a card with a very high credit utilization rate to improve their score.

Beware of misuse

Adding an authorized user also opens up the possibility for the user to abuse the credit limit. An authorized user is allowed to charge up to the primary cardholder’s credit limit, but is not responsible for making payments. This can leave the primary cardholder not only in debt but also resenting the authorized user if spending expectations are not clear up front.

Is there a fee to add an authorized user to your Chase credit card account?

For most Chase credit cards, there is no charge for adding an authorized user. The only Chase card that charges authorized users extra is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Since this is a premium travel card with many benefits, the fee is $75 per authorized user.

bottom line

Adding an authorized user to your account is very easy, and not only can it make life more convenient for the primary cardholder, but it can also help a new credit user increase credit.