Filing Individually - Can my wife open cards and make me authorized user?

[jonance]

Hi,

Will be filing a non-consumer chapter 7 in a month or so. We have literally not ever had a single bit of consumer debt in our lives besides our mortgage, but some investment properties i'm getting rid of are causing my BK.

Anyhow, I have cancelled all of my credit cards (they were 0 balance anyhow) to be sure they didn't show 'cancelled by card issuer' on her credit report. My question is...after my BK, can she open up a card herself, and then make me an authorized user? Will they allow a recent BK filer to be an authorized user? We always pay off each month...the point is just to get miles, etc. I'd like to continue doing this if possible. Have been on debit for a few months with their meager rewards.

Thanks
John

[BassBoy]

If none of your accounts in BK are hers, and the BK is yours alone, which is what I gather from your post, then it shouldn't be an issue for her to open an account with you being an authorized user. Actually, I don't think the the authorized user's credit is even checked in this case. I have my wife as an authorized user (we filed jointly too) on one of my accounts and they simply added her name to it....she can use it, call to inquire about the account and even pay the bill........all without ever pulling her credit. And I beieve being an authorized user will be on your credit report, which may look good for you in the future. It's not your own account, but it's something.