Authorized user
An authorized user is someone added to another person's credit card account, allowed to use it without being legally responsible for the debt. The issuer can report that account's history — its age, payment record, and credit limit — to the authorized user's own credit report.
Why it matters
It can place an established account's history onto your file, a way to begin building credit without opening an account in your own name — though how much your score moves varies, and no one can promise a number.
Example
A parent adds their child as an authorized user on a 15-year-old card with a clean payment history; if the issuer reports authorized users, that card's age and on-time record can then appear on the child's credit report.
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Educational only — not financial advice. No guarantees.