An authorized user is someone added to the card by the primary cardholder giving the authorized user access to the credit line and full range of features provided by the credit card issuer. You may add an authorized user if you want to maintain a joint credit card account or if you have good credit and want to help the authorized user improve his or her credit score. You can add an authorized user to an unsecured card or a secured card, and that user will receive his or her own card with their name on it. Whenever the card is used, the charge will be deducted from the card’s available balance. The card will still only require one monthly payment for the shared balance. Your credit card company will report the account history to the credit bureaus, which will then appear as a tradeline on each of your credit reports. This can help cardholders improve their credit score as long as they make timely payments and maintain a low balance. Many married couples choose to add the spouse with the lower credit score as the authorized user on the account to give both partners access to credit while working to earn a good credit score for both users. You can maximize your rewards potential because spending by both users will earn credit card rewards.