Authorized users

[noturbizniss]

Want to clarify this.  Is this still correct that if I add myself 10 times on the same card as an authorized user, with my social, it will only show up once on my credit report?

No, they will show up ten times. You need dipute to remove

[Jm1248]

Also want to clarify how I remove secondary users (under my own name) from my Amex account, and that doing this will remove it from my credit report completely, as if I didn't get this new card at all.

No, they will show up ten times. You need dipute to remove

First remove with Amex then dispute with credit bureau

[newdanfan]

No, they will show up ten times. You need dipute to remove

This changed from when you posted last time that they only added it once per card?

[noturbizniss]

This changed from when you posted last time that they only added it once per card?

Yes

First remove with Amex then dispute with credit bureau

-1.i still have all my amex AUs but had them removed from credit report

[Jm1248]

i still have all my amex AUs but had them removed from credit report

They don't get re-reported by Amex next billing cycle if you already had them removed? Dropr but I was told they would show up again

[noturbizniss]

Just got a bunch of new Amex Biz SPG AU cards, and in order to activate them you must call in and enter ssn and dob. Cannot be done online apparently (at least for this batch of cards). Major PITA.

[newdanfan]

Yes-1.i still have all my amex AUs but had them removed from credit report

Can you please clarify how I can get them removed from my credit report?

[noturbizniss]

Can you please clarify how I can get them removed from my credit report?

Or you call the three bureaus like I did and tell them as an AU you are not financially liable for the account and therefore it should not be on your credit report at all and be removed. And it will be.

Even if its your own name & ssn ?

Affirmative. Out of 97 or so on experian I have maybe ten left. Don't really know why. Tu removed all, and still waiting on EQ. They never saw anything bait associated primary accounts. I just said as an AU I'm not responsible.

Search for [cb] dispute phone number. Helps to have a recent credit report to re&eremce

They don't care whose account t it is just that it says au. Some were my own primary some were my wife's
[/quote

[DaveInLA]

What are the problems with having AU show up on your credit report? Is it because it increases total CL? Too many "new" apps, thus lowering AAoA?

[Ydad]

Just got a bunch of new Amex Biz SPG AU cards, and in order to activate them you must call in and enter ssn and dob. Cannot be done online apparently (at least for this batch of cards). Major PITA.

IME the primary cardholder can call and activate the cards using his SSN and DOB.

[Ydad]

What are the problems with having AU show up on your credit report? Is it because it increases total CL? Too many "new" apps, thus lowering AAoA?

Average credit length becomes younger. And some banks will refuse apps because of too many recently opened accounts

[TimT]

What are the problems with having AU show up on your credit report? Is it because it increases total CL? Too many "new" apps, thus lowering AAoA?

Chase has been refusing people new cards because of too many new cards, including au's.

[DaveInLA]

Average credit length becomes younger. And some banks will refuse apps because of too many recently opened accounts

Yeah, that's what I figured. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything else.

[E-MAN]

When you call up to activate without SSN and DOB what do you tell them when asked for the SSN and DOB? Just that you don't have it?

[TimT]

When you call up to activate without SSN and DOB what do you tell them when asked for the SSN and DOB? Just that you don't have it?

At least for the ssn. Try to remember the dob

[benjie1305]

When you call up to activate without SSN and DOB what do you tell them when asked for the SSN and DOB? Just that you don't have it?

You will have a very hard (if not impossible) time activating personal AUs without SSN and DOB.

[Joe4007]

A friend of mine returning from vacation in South Florida with his wife and kids was detained and questioned for 6 hours in one of the South Florida airports by the local authorities, because TSA found 200+ AU cards in his checked bag (I guess they randomly opened his bag or they can see it through X-ray?). To make matters worse, they mistakenly entered his driver's license # wrong. Seeing that he's not in the system, they were sure they caught some big time identity thief.  He tried explaining all the shtick to them and that he brought all the cards along as he wanted to catch up with the express checkout credits (to which the detective responded: is that what you do on vacation with your wife? ).

Luckily, other family members were still in South Florida for a couple more days, so they came to pick up his kids and arranged for a lawyer to come down ASAP. By the time the lawyer got there some other officer was already on shift and was much more willing to work with him. He explained his story again and they were willing to let him go without an arrest. However, they asked for affidavits from all the people that he used as AU's stating that they allowed him to use their names as AU's to his accounts (He didn't use bogus names, but rather names and DOB's of friends and family).

He's now trying to convince them that they should let it go without the affidavits since AU's are quite meaningless. He had his lawyer relay the following screenshots from Amex chat and is waiting for a response.






P.S. On a positive note, the airline notated his tickets and since he wasn't actually charged with anything, they rescheduled him for the next day free of charge.

Anyone have any ideas that might help him out?

[Marco Polo]

If that screenshot doesn't help, nit sure what would.

Either way, lesson that people should only add real names and the people know about it.

[benjie1305]

Oy. That sucks. Hope it gets resolved and I agree that one should only add people that agree to this and are real. Or at least dont travel with ones that are made up. 

[noturbizniss]

Among many other reasons, that's why I have a spreadsheet with all my card numbers, names, expiration, cvv, etc that I keep on dropbox. Besides for being a PITA to lug around.