ALL EPISODES
Every episode, with its sources
Each episode has a written version with the video, the sources we checked and the date we checked them. Pick by number or by question.
EP. 01
How authorized user accounts actually work
What an authorized user account reports, how it reaches your credit score, which account details help or hurt, and five checks to make before anyone adds you.
EP. 02
Is buying tradelines legal?
Is buying tradelines legal? What the FTC challenged in BoostMyScore, what ECOA and Regulation B really say, and why a reported account can still disappoint.
EP. 03
Which card issuers report authorized users?
Published authorized user reporting policies from Discover, American Express and Chase, checked October 2026, with unknowns marked unknown and questions to ask.
EP. 04
What changes on your credit report after you're added
After you're added as an authorized user, here's what can change on your report, a week-by-week 30-day checklist, and how to read the result without guessing.
EP. 05
How to ask a family member to add you to their credit card
Word-for-word scripts to ask a family member to add you as an authorized user: the first message, their concerns, written boundaries and how to accept a no.
EP. 06
Authorized user vs co-signer: what each means for your credit
Authorized user vs co-signer: who owes the debt, what reaches your credit report, how scoring treats each, and how each arrangement ends. Questions to ask.
EP. 07
How long it takes an authorized user account to appear on your report
How long an authorized user account takes to appear on your credit report, why bureaus can differ, how to check each one, and what to ask if it's still missing.
EP. 08
What happens to your credit when you're removed as an authorized user
Being removed as an authorized user can lower your score, raise it or barely register. See the utilization math, the thin-file risk and what to check afterward.
EP. 09
How FICO 8, FICO 9 and VantageScore treat authorized user accounts
How FICO 8, FICO 9, VantageScore 3.0 and 4.0 treat authorized user accounts, what public guidance leaves out, and how to compare scores without misreading them.
EP. 10
New to U.S. credit? Starting with an authorized user account
New to U.S. credit? What an authorized user account can add, the ID and reporting questions to ask first, ITIN facts, and building credit in your own name.
EP. 11
Can a spouse's or family member's bad credit hurt you as an authorized user?
Your spouse's score doesn't transfer to you, but the card you share can affect your report. What to check together, who owes the bill, and how to step away.
EP. 12 · Coming soon
Does being an authorized user help you get a mortgage?
How mortgage lenders treat authorized user accounts: Fannie Mae DU vs manual underwriting, Freddie Mac DTI rules, score models, and questions to ask first.
EP. 13 · Coming soon
How to pull your credit reports from all three bureaus for free
A step-by-step AnnualCreditReport.com walkthrough: request Equifax, Experian and TransUnion reports free, save dated copies, and use phone or mail if needed.
EP. 14 · Coming soon
How to read an authorized user account on your credit report
Find an authorized user account on your credit report and read its responsibility field, dates, balance, limit and payment history — then make a dated record.
EP. 15 · Coming soon
Should you add a child or teen as an authorized user?
Before adding your child as an authorized user: why minimum age and reporting age differ, what to check on the card, spending access, and their own reports.
EP. 16 · Coming soon
Authorized user vs joint account: what's the difference?
Authorized user vs joint credit card holder: who repays the balance, how you join, what's reported, who controls the account and how each arrangement ends.
EP. 17 · Coming soon
Adding an authorized user: what the account holder risks
For the primary cardholder: you stay responsible for every charge. How added spending changes your utilization, which controls to verify, and how to end access.
EP. 18 · Coming soon
Does every issuer report authorized users? How to ask
A word-for-word call script to confirm whether your card issuer reports authorized users, to which bureaus, at what age and when, plus how to record the answer.
EP. 19 · Coming soon
Piggybacking credit explained: the family version and the paid version
Credit piggybacking covers two arrangements: a family authorized user addition and paid placement on a stranger's card. How they differ, and the FTC record.
EP. 20 · Coming soon
Secured cards and credit-builder loans: how they fit with the authorized user strategy
What an authorized user account, a secured card and a credit-builder loan each add (the deposit, the payments, the reporting) and why you don't need all three.
EP. 21 · Coming soon
Authorized user vs building your own credit: why lenders still look at your own accounts
An authorized user account can add reported history, but accounts in your own name show your repayment. Why lenders still look at your own accounts, explained.
EP. 22 · Coming soon
Tradeline scams: 7 red flags before you pay anyone
Seven warning signs in tradeline and credit repair offers — guaranteed points, upfront fees, CPNs, fake approvals — with FTC and CFPB sources and a checklist.
EP. 23 · Coming soon
Do auto lenders count authorized user accounts?
An authorized user account can affect your score, but auto lenders set their own rules. What to check on your reports and what to ask a lender before applying.
EP. 24 · Coming soon
Authorized user mistakes that stall your credit plan
Seven authorized user mistakes: assuming the issuer reports, choosing by age, undefined spending, mismatched scores, skipping reports and paid shortcuts.