Adding a teenager to your credit card can build their credit history.

Many card issuers let parents add teenagers as authorized users so account activity appears on the teen's credit report. The primary cardholder remains responsible for charges, and both positive and negative activity can affect the teen's credit.

Many parents add teenagers to their credit card accounts to help them build a credit history. Most major card issuers allow a teen to be an authorized user and provide a card tied to the adult account. The primary cardholder remains legally responsible for all charges. Account activity for the authorized user is reported to credit bureaus, which can create an early credit record for the teenager. Key points: - Most major credit card issuers let a teenager be added as an authorized user and issue a card in the teen's name that is tied to the adult account. - Activity on the account is reported to the teen's credit report and can build a credit history over time. - The primary cardholder is responsible for all charges; missed payments or high balances can affect both the adult's and the teen's credit. - Issuers' minimum-age rules vary: some set no minimum and others set limits between about 13 and 18. - Families commonly add teens between roughly 13 and 16, sometimes tied to milestones like starting high school or a part-time job. - Rewards earned on the account typically go to the primary account, not the authorized user. Summary: Adding a teenager as an authorized user can create an early credit record and provide practical experience with credit cards while the adult remains financially responsible. The article notes the authorized-user period often serves as groundwork before the teenager opens an account in their own name, commonly around age 18. Families' timing and issuer rules vary.