Joint account on Credit cards

[lou_7979 0]

Hello. My wife sent in her AOS package a couple of weeks ago, and I'm in the process of adding her name to my accounts, such as utility bills, credit cards, etc. However, when I called my credit card company, they said the only way to add her name to my account so that both our names appear on the bill is if they do a co-applicant credit check. And this requires them checking her credit history, etc. But she's only been here a couple of months and she has no job yet since she doesnt have her EAD. So I'm curious about other people's experiences- was there a way you added your spouse to your credit card account (joint) without them doing a credit check? Thx

[cellarlily 0]

I would assume since they have to do a credit check for every person who applies for their credit cards that this is very common. Because she doesn't have a job yet, I would hold off on putting her on your credit card bill until after she is employed. If her name is on other bills and you can show that you're co-habitating, you should be okay come interview time.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

My husband added me to he credit card as an additional card holder as I had no credit history.... this helped my credit score over a six month period and not long after we made the account joint.... you do not need to have joint names on the account for AOS interview we just showed both our cards for the same account....

Kez

[lou_7979 0]

I would assume since they have to do a credit check for every person who applies for their credit cards that this is very common. Because she doesn't have a job yet, I would hold off on putting her on your credit card bill until after she is employed. If her name is on other bills and you can show that you're co-habitating, you should be okay come interview time.

The only thing is that I'm not requesting for her to apply for a credit card. I simply want to add her name to my account so that both our names appear on the bill. But is there a way of doing this without a credit check? Or does she have to wait until she works and develops a credit history. How have others handled this... Thanks for your help

My husband added me to he credit card as an additional card holder as I had no credit history.... this helped my credit score over a six month period and not long after we made the account joint.... you do not need to have joint names on the account for AOS interview we just showed both our cards for the same account....

Kez

So you each received a card with your individual names on it, but with the same account number. Am I correct?

[MaryandMian 1]

I added my husband as an authorized credit card user and it helped him gain credit. They did not perform a credit check to do this.

[Allie&Leo 0]

I added my husband (fiance at the time) as an authorized user. His name does not show up on the bills. However, he got a card with his name on it. When the card came in the mail - there was a letter from the credit card company showing his name as an authorized user. I plan on using the letter in the interview and making copy of both cards (same credit card#) to show. However my husband and I have already opened a joint savings/checking account. I was able to do that with his ss# and K1 visa. For utilities I only had success adding his name to phone bill (BellSouth) without any hassle. I also am planning on adding him to cell phone bill (family plan) as an authorized user.

Good Luck

Allie

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

Add your spouse to utility bills such as Electricity or Phone bill,

It is easier and does not require Credit Check to put her name on the Bill.

Thats how My wife & I did it, I added her to my Phone, Electricity, & Cable Bill.

We submitted those as evidence of co-habitability/ intermingling of finances

[Jello 0]

You just call the credit card company and ask for a second card on your account for your spouse (or fiance or whatever, they usually don't care). All they ask for is their name (I gave my wife one while she was still living overseas and before we were married). In a week or so, your spouse will get a card in their name. Both names won't be on the bill, but all you really need is to make a copy of both cards for the interview.

Besides, the credit card companies love doing it because they think the two of you will spend twice as much on the card.

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

You do Not have to have joint credit cards or even a credit card in your name

thaere are numerous ways to show evdience of financial co-mingling the CC is the least neccesary of all.

[rob&ana 0]

Lou:

Yes, just tell them that you want to add her as an authorized user. The credit card will have the exact same number but her name on it. The statements should be addressed to you, but somewhere (cause my bank statements come that way) it will say either that she’s an authorized user, or her expenditures will come out separately on the statement.

In our case, we found that adding my name to the utility bills was more difficult than adding my name to the bank accounts or credit cards, most places required deposits or made a big hassle out of it.

Other evidence of co-habiting, are club memberships (Sam’s Club, Costco, Gyms, etc.), also, in my case I added Rob as a beneficiary of my life insurance policy at work, and had him included in my dental insurance. My employer gave me a letter stating this, and I used it as evidence. Lease documents, even the car insurance policy (though that might also be costly due to the lack of driving history in the US).

Oh, and we had receipts from our wedding reception, like the restaurant bill, the wedding favors, flower shop bill, etc., and I made sure that the receipts were made to both our name and that they said WEDDING FLOWERS, WEDDING CELEBRATION, WEDDING FAVORS.

That’s all I can think of right now, but if I think of anything else, I’ll make sure to post it.

Good luck!

[lou_7979 0]

Thanks for your replies everyone!

Lou:

Yes, just tell them that you want to add her as an authorized user. The credit card will have the exact same number but her name on it. The statements should be addressed to you, but somewhere (cause my bank statements come that way) it will say either that she’s an authorized user, or her expenditures will come out separately on the statement.

In our case, we found that adding my name to the utility bills was more difficult than adding my name to the bank accounts or credit cards, most places required deposits or made a big hassle out of it.

Other evidence of co-habiting, are club memberships (Sam’s Club, Costco, Gyms, etc.), also, in my case I added Rob as a beneficiary of my life insurance policy at work, and had him included in my dental insurance. My employer gave me a letter stating this, and I used it as evidence. Lease documents, even the car insurance policy (though that might also be costly due to the lack of driving history in the US).

Oh, and we had receipts from our wedding reception, like the restaurant bill, the wedding favors, flower shop bill, etc., and I made sure that the receipts were made to both our name and that they said WEDDING FLOWERS, WEDDING CELEBRATION, WEDDING FAVORS.

That’s all I can think of right now, but if I think of anything else, I’ll make sure to post it.

Good luck!

[dxt7339 1]

I added my wife to one of my checking accounts and then was offered a credit card for overdraft protection, so I listed her as an authorized user. So we have a account statement for the checking account with both our names and a credit card each from the same bank.

Thanks for your replies everyone!

Lou:

Yes, just tell them that you want to add her as an authorized user. The credit card will have the exact same number but her name on it. The statements should be addressed to you, but somewhere (cause my bank statements come that way) it will say either that she’s an authorized user, or her expenditures will come out separately on the statement.

In our case, we found that adding my name to the utility bills was more difficult than adding my name to the bank accounts or credit cards, most places required deposits or made a big hassle out of it.

Other evidence of co-habiting, are club memberships (Sam’s Club, Costco, Gyms, etc.), also, in my case I added Rob as a beneficiary of my life insurance policy at work, and had him included in my dental insurance. My employer gave me a letter stating this, and I used it as evidence. Lease documents, even the car insurance policy (though that might also be costly due to the lack of driving history in the US).

Oh, and we had receipts from our wedding reception, like the restaurant bill, the wedding favors, flower shop bill, etc., and I made sure that the receipts were made to both our name and that they said WEDDING FLOWERS, WEDDING CELEBRATION, WEDDING FAVORS.

That’s all I can think of right now, but if I think of anything else, I’ll make sure to post it.

Good luck!