5 Responses to “What Will Happen To Me? I’m A Business Credit Card Authorized User?”

1. Sid B Says:
   July 31st, 2009 at 1:14 pm

   Call a lawyer it varies by jurisdiction.

2. torrie Says:
   July 31st, 2009 at 1:14 pm

   Is that 20K of YOUR charges alone? If so I am betting that is not all business and you might want to seek the advice of an Atty. Abuse of the account is a lot different than being just an Authorized user.
   IF it is the entire balance and only a small portion are your business expenses then take the advice of the other responders.

3. No Name Says:
   July 31st, 2009 at 1:14 pm

   Phone the credit card company and see who guaranteed the card. If it wasn’t you, you’re off the hook. Unless you signed a contract to pay. BUT, if they guy is in jail i wouldn’t worry about it. When in doubt speak to a lawyer

4. SPIFIMAN Says:
   July 31st, 2009 at 1:14 pm

   Authorized users are not responsible for charges made on credit cards.
   Make sure you are just a authorized user and not a joint or co-signer and you will be fine.

5. Ryan L Says:
   July 31st, 2009 at 1:14 pm

   Unless you’re a co-ap on the account, you’re not legally responsible for any balance on said account. As an authorized user, you have access to use the account but are not liable for it. Furthermore, since it’s a credit card, it is an unsecured loan, meaning that the bank can call and harass you all they want, or send you to collections, but they can’t collect on any assets.
   Will it affect your credit? That’s hard to say as the FICO scoring system currently does have calculations such that being an authorized user on an account can affect your credit score. That said, the scoring is soon to change so that being an authorized user on an account does not affect your score (this is being done to stop credit fixing scams where persons with good credit scores will in essence sell their good credit to others with bad credit by allowing them to become authorized users on their high limit/balance accounts). I don’t remember all of the details off the top of my head, but I’m sure you can find them with a little research (search on “FICO” or “credit score”).
   If you’re really worried about the situation, answer the calls or call customer service for the lender and request to have yourself removed from the account. Depending on who you’re dealing with, they might give you some grief, but remember that you’re liable for nothing.

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