Joint Credit Card Accounts
Pros and cons of a joint credit card account.
Joint credit card accounts. People have joint credit cards for different reasons. That means that they can both make charges to the account and they are both liable for the credit card balance. A joint credit card affects both people s credit history. Partners who have a joint credit card account are equally responsible for paying off the balance.
Joint bank accounts joint mortgages and other shared financial products are easy to find so you might assume the same about joint credit cards. All parties involved are likely to be required to go through the application process which can impact the annual percentage rate apr on the card issued. The details of the account appear on the credit reports for both owners. With a joint account each party is equally responsible for payment of the balance on the credit card.
A joint account holder on the other hand is pretty much a co owner for a credit card account. With a joint credit card both people can make charges to the credit card and the card s history is included on both people s credit report. With a joint credit card account two people are equally responsible for the privileges and responsibilities that come with a credit card. Some credit card issuers offer joint accounts but the industry as a whole has been gradually moving away from them says chad rixse director of financial planning at forefront wealth partners a financial advice firm.
Some share a credit card account with their college bound children to give the kids access to emergency cash and some do it to help family members and friends who would not qualify for a credit card on their own. There are a number of reasons why people share credit card accounts. If the other account holder is uncooperative you may end up making all the payments even if you weren t the one who created the balance. Joint accounts are most commonly used by spouses who share their finances and don t mind having the same credit limit.
As the name implies joint account holders have equal status on the account. For this reason it s important to trust the person you open a joint account with. A joint credit card account is a type of credit account that simply put lets more than one person own and manage it. If you or your partner has a bad credit score.
Sharing a credit card can make it easier to manage shared expenses or to give another person access to a spending method. But that s not the case. Any missed payments will result in a lowering of both credit scores. As joint account holders.