What is an...

Additional Cardholder

An Additional Cardholder is someone who you have authorised to have an extra credit card on your credit card account, enabling them to make purchases without needing your approval.

It’s important to note that this is not the same as a joint account - you remain fully and solely liable for all spending on both cards and repayments by both you and by the added cardholder. This is in stark contrast to a joint account or a mortgage taken out in joint names, where each party has Joint and Several Liability – either party can be sued for the debt, either by themselves or together, the lender can choose.

If I’m an Additional Cardholder, will the account show on my Credit Report?

Credit history is only recorded on the Credit Report of the main cardholder, including any spending incurred on the other card. Any joint accounts will be reported so it’s important to know the difference between the two.

If you haven’t already, you can check your Multi Agency Credit Report with checkmyfile and see everything being reported by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion in one easy-to-understand report. Free for 30 days, it’s then just £14.99 per month and you can cancel online at any time.

What requirements are there to be an Additional Cardholder?

The person named as the additional cardholder is usually required to be an immediate family member, aged over 18 and living at the same address as the main cardholder. Other than that, no financial checks are usually undertaken on the person you wish to grant access to your credit account; the credit card company relies entirely on your authority to add the cardholder at your own risk.

Remember: in all cases you are 100% liable for all spending by the additional cardholder.

Is a credit check needed to grant an additional card?

No. While a credit check would have been carried out at the time of the original credit agreement, lenders do not need to check the credit histories of any additional cardholders added as the main cardholder is still ultimately liable for all expenditure.

The UK's First Provider Of Online Credit Reports

Launched 25 Years, 35 Million Credit Scores & 8 Million Credit Reports Ago

The UK's First Provider Of Online Credit Reports

Related Jargon