Ep. 01 · The basics
How authorized users actually work
What happens when you're added to someone else's card: who owes the balance, what the bureaus receive, and what the scoring models do with it.
Videos & guides
Every episode, in order
Start at episode 01 if you're new. Each video lists its sources in the description; each guide cites them inline.
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Ep. 02 · Fine print
What tradeline sellers don't tell you
Issuer reporting, manual underwriting, and why a paid seat on a stranger's card may count for less than the listing implies.
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Guide · Do it yourself
Checklist: before you ask someone to add you
Five things to confirm about the card and the cardholder first, so the account helps rather than hurts.
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Ep. 03 · Legal vs gray area
Is buying a tradeline legal?
What the law says, where credit-repair rules come in, and the line between an authorized user and misrepresentation on an application.
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Guide · Business credit
Personal vs business credit: where AU stops helping
Why authorized user accounts don't build business credit, and what the IRS, SBA and Dun & Bradstreet actually look at instead.
Tool mentioned: ZenBusiness (LLC formation) — affiliate link
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Ep. 04 · Do it yourself
Tracking your score for 30 days after being added
A walkthrough of the free tracker: setting a baseline, when to check, and how to tell a real change from normal month-to-month noise.
Tools we mention
Tools referenced in the videos
Some of these are affiliate links: if you sign up, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. None of them sell tradelines, and none of them are required. Affiliate disclosure.
Business credit
Nav
Business credit reports and scores from the major business bureaus in one place.
Visit Nav
Business formation
ZenBusiness
LLC formation and registered-agent service, for when you're setting up a business entity.
Visit ZenBusiness
Credit monitoring
Three-bureau monitoring
A service that shows all three reports, useful for filling in the tracker. Your free weekly reports at AnnualCreditReport.com work too.
Visit partnerFree download
Track what actually changes
The 30-Day Authorized User Score Tracker is a Google Sheets or PDF template for logging your scores across Equifax, Experian and TransUnion after you're added as an authorized user.
Educational only. Not financial advice. We don't sell tradelines.
Send me the free tracker
Google Sheets and PDF versions. One email with the link, then the occasional new episode. Unsubscribe any time.