There are two main advantages. First, if you are an authorized user of someone else's credit card, creditors cannot legally collect outstanding debts from you because you are not a joint cardholder. You cannot be held financially responsible for an outstanding balance, although some creditors may attempt to get you to pay it anyway. A second advantage is that the account appears on the authorized user's credit report. Assuming the account is in good standing, this will help to build a positive credit history. Conversely, being an authorized user can hurt your credit history if the cardholder is delinquent with payments. In addition, many credit scores, including FICO, do not include authorized user accounts. A final disadvantage is one that is similar to cosigning: the relationship between the cardholder and the authorized user could be strained if there are problems with the account or making monthly debt payments.
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