As parents, we want the best for our children: health, happiness—and hardy credit. Having a strong credit profile can determine whether your kid gets approved for a loan or how much they’ll pay for car insurance when they’re grown. But establishing credit for someone with no credit history is challenging.
A common workaround is for parents to add their children as authorized users on their credit card accounts. Credit checks aren’t required, and the user can quickly piggyback on the primary cardholder’s credit history. But this arrangement isn’t always the right move. Here’s what to know about the potential limitations of adding your kid as an authorized user and alternative ways they can build credit.