Is piggy backing off good credit still allowed?

[graceful]

Just wondering. My parents put me on as an authorized user on their American Express Card when I was still in HS and thus, my "credit history" goes back to 1972 when I was an infant. Lol. Probably has been a help in maintaining my 820 FICO score. They did give me the actual card to be used only for emergencies and I never abused the privilege.

In fact, when I got my own cards, I got plenty of them, I never ran up a balance and always treated the credit cards as charge cards to be paid in full each month.

Just wondering if this type of credit "piggy backing" is still allowed or happens. I was thinking of adding both of my kids to one of our older credit cards as authorized without actually giving them the card while this "loop hole" still exists.

A few things I wonder about though. How old must a child be to be an authorized user? I think that I can't even pull up their credit report yet because they are too young. When is it NOT to young to get their credit report. I won't mind a responsible 15 year old to have a card but will we be able to monitor their credit reports?

If I can get a card for them at 15, what's the disadvantage of adding them when they are 11 or 12 and holding on to the actual cards for a few years before letting them have them in case of emergencies (instead of cash)?

Haven't actually tried to do this. Just wondering...

[Seeker]

It was changed to no... and then changed back to yes....

Authorized-user accounts OK again (Page 1 of 2)

I think it is still allowed.

[Seeker]

I read more deeply into that page....

It is OK for spouses.

For children, you will have to ask the people providing the credit.

Some issuers don't report the activity of children, and if they do report their activity, they will require the Social Security number of the children and may even require that the children be made co-owners of that account.

[am_vanquish]

I added my wife as an authorized user on my Citi CC account about a year ago. We checked our credit reports last month & that account didn't show up on her report. I just figured that's how it was supposed to be, but now I might look into it ... even though it probably won't have much of an impact.