Sarah Rasner, Neldovalette
Being a certified user with another person’s credit card can help you establish your credit history. Parents add children and become adults. Alternatively, your spouse may share your account and one spouse may share as a certified user. However, if a major cardholder dies, the certified user will be left with a card within range.
After my grandfather passed away earlier this year, my grandmother (a user who has been certified as a husband’s card for many years) was left without her own name. Then there was a short scramble to understand whether she could qualify for a new card, given her established credit history.
In her case, she was able to qualify for several cards, but that was a mixed bag in terms of how the issuer responded. Under her new account in her name, she quickly offered the same card. I asked another person to reapply for her, refused her, then approved her after trying to apply for another.
If you are an approved user, if for some reason you have a plan in place if the account of the primary cardholder is closed (which involves as difficult death as you can talk about), then it’s a wise move.
If you are in this situation, this is what you expect.
You are not responsible for your debts
If the primary cardholder has credit card debt, do not emphasize it. You’re not on the hook on any of it.
According to Drew Tsitos, manager of credit card products for the Navy Federal Credit Union, the debt is paid from the deceased’s property. “True authorized users are permitted to simply use their account, but are not directly responsible for the health or payment of their account.”
However, if you are also a beneficiary of the property, you may be affected. The debts that the property must pay back reduce the amount of money it can receive. Additionally, in community property status, a spouse could be responsible for credit card liabilities arising during the marriage, the Federal Trade Commission notes.
You can find the complete list of community properties states on the IRS.Gov website.
Stop using your card and call the issuer
If your deceased is your relative, such as your spouse or parent, you may be the person who will be a problem solving their finances. Notify the credit bureau and the bank or credit union where they held their passed card.
(They may discover other means, like notifications from the Social Security Agency, but they know how to proceed with closing their accounts, so it’s worth telling them.)
Please check the credit report
Tsitos recommends checking your credit reports to see which reports show you the cards or cards that are certified users. He says that card issuers handle certified users differently when it comes to reporting payment activities to the bureau.
When the issuer closes the deceased card, the credit report shows the closed account. This could temporarily draw your credit score, similar to what could happen if you close your own credit card.
“We see some variance,” says Tsitos. “That’s totally normal.”
Apply for a new credit card
If you need your own card account, the next step is to find the card and apply. The application will request your financial information. This can be difficult if you are a non-working spouse or retire and are not working for your income.
However, you can report income from investment dividends and interest, withdrawal from your retirement account, social security, public support, and even money you receive as support from others (such as financial support from another relative).
One place to start is the issuer of the card you were a certified user because you are somewhat “known” to that bank. Also, if you have a limited credit history, you can consider a credit card that is easy to obtain.
Sara Rathner writes for Nerdwallet. Email: srathner@nerdwallet.com.
ArticleWhat happens to users who are authorized when the primary credit card holder dies? It originally appeared in Nerdwallet.
Original issue: July 11, 2025 2pm Edit
