Piggybacking on someone’s credit card can be an excellent way for the person piggybacking to improve their credit. It’s more valuable in some situations than in others. But how does it work? Is it legal? Are there risks?
Piggybacking credit is the practice of letting someone with a thin credit file get added as an authorized user of someone with excellent credit.
What is Piggybacking Credit?
When a person becomes an authorized user on someone else’s account, they receive the entire history reflected on their own credit report.
How Does Piggybacking Credit Work?
An authorized user is a person who is permitted to use a credit card account but isn’t the primary account holder.
What is an Authorized User?
Adding your child as an authorized user can provide them with several benefits in the future. It’s a way for them to start building their credit history and make it easier for minors to get a rewards credit card of their own when they are an adult.
Piggybacking Credit Between Parents and Kids
For-profit piggybacking is the process of renting your excellent credit to a stranger in exchange for payment. You can use a profit-seeking company as an intermediary, called a tradeline company.
Hiring a For-Profit Piggybacking Service