TIL adding an authorized user actually gave my score a quick boost

I was stuck at a 680 for like 6 months and nothing I did moved it. I paid down balances, disputed a wrong collection, even got a secured card. Then my buddy told me his mom added him as an authorized user on her old card with a 20 year history. I figured why not try it and asked my dad to add me to his card he's had since 1998. Within 2 billing cycles my score jumped 45 points lol. I thought that stuff was a scam but it really works if the person has good payment history. Has anyone else tried this and seen a big jump too?

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wright.michael2d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah I had the same thing happen a few years back. My dad added me to his Amex he's had since 1995 and my score jumped about 50 points in the first month. I was skeptical at first too because it sounded too easy but it really does work if the primary cardholder has a long clean history. The trick is making sure they actually pay on time and don't carry a high balance because that can hurt you instead of help. I've seen some people get burned when the cardholder maxed out their card and it dragged their utilization down. It's worth doing but you gotta pick the right person.