How To Remove Authorized User Accounts From Your Credit Report

Given that Chase counts credit/charge cards that your an authorized user of when determining if their 5/24 rule applies to you, I thought it would be helpful to look at removing these accounts from your credit report (DEM Flyers has tackled this before, but not all card issuers were accounted for). Obviously this isn’t necessary if you’re never added as an authorized user, but increasingly card issuers are offering increased bonuses for adding an authorized user so chances are you’ve been in this situation before.

[Read: How Does Being An Authorized User Affect Your Credit?]

Before getting started you should first make sure that the authorized user account has been closed (no need to close the primary account, just the authorized user account), as it’s usually not possible to get it removed when it’s still open.

Ways To Remove Authorized User Accounts

To get started it’s important to know that there are two ways to get authorized user accounts removed from your report:

  • Request that the card issuer removes them (normally has to be done by the primary account holder)
  • Request that the credit bureau (e.g TransUnion, Equifax or Experian) removes them

In general it’s going to be much easier to to ask the card issuer to remove the account from a credit report first. This is because if they say yes then they will automatically contact all three credit bureaus and ask them to remove the account. If you contact the credit bureaus, you’ll need to make sure all three remove the account otherwise it might still show on some of your credit reports.

Specific Card Issuers

American Express

American Express is definitely the most difficult card issuer to get authorized users removed from credit reports. Using the chat function simply does not work and calling doesn’t have a much better success rate either, often they will tell you that this cannot be done due to legal reasons. I’m unaware of any law that prevents them from doing this and some represenatives will process it for you, so it seems to be a case of hanging up and calling again (positive data points: 1, 2)

The other option is a dispute with the credit bureau and that has limited success as well:

Bank of America

Calling Bank of America will work but the authorized user account needs to be closed before they will remove it (1). The Credit Karma dispute feature will also work for at least TransUnion according to this data point (1). Authorized user can call in as well and it will automatically drop off within 30 days: 1.

Barclaycard

The authorized user account needs to be closed for thirty days before Barclaycard will consider removing it from your credit report. Once this time period is over, you should be able to just send a message requesting the card be removed from your credit reports. This message should come from the authorized user and not the primary account holder (only the authorized user account needs to have been closed for thirty days). Barclaycard state that this will be done when the next statement closes.

Capital One

Authorized user can removed themselves in the online portal. The account falls off your report within 30 days of doing so.

Chase

Removing an authorized user account with Chase couldn’t be easier (probably because they don’t even require a SSN for these accounts). All you need to do is send them a secured message and ask for the account to be removed. The message should be sent by the authorized user that wants the account removed from their credit report and not the primary cardholder. If the authorized user doesn’t have an account with Chase it should be sent via the primary account holder.

Citi

Citi will also remove authorized user accounts from credit reports if it’s requested, although only phone requests will be processed. Again this request should be initiated by the authorized user account holder and the account must be closed first. Citi states that your credit report should be updated within 30 – 90 days.

Discover

Update: Readers are reporting that Discover is refusing to do this now.

Discover allows you to get authorized user accounts removed from your credit report by sending them a secured message. For some reason sometimes this is done incorrectly and it’ll show as ‘Closed – Terminated’ on your credit report. Sending them another message should get this fixed.

Synchrony

Removing an authorized user account with Synchrony is very easy via secured message.

U.S. Bank

No idea, share experiences in the comments.

Wells Fargo

No idea, share the experiences in the comments.

Removal Via Credit Bureaus

Equifax

Experian

TransUnion

Easily done through Credit Karma, using their direct dispute feature:

  • Pull up your list of accounts
  • Under each account there is a link to dispute that account
  • Click this link
  • Click “Ownership – I am no longer liable for this account” as your dispute reason

 

 

 

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MoreSun
MoreSun (@guest_1682520)
August 29, 2023 17:48

Fwiw closing AU accounts with Amex chat did not remove them from the credit report despite chat saying they would drop off in a month or two.

Albert
Albert (@guest_1657121)
July 20, 2023 01:08

I have some questions regarding Amex authorized user accounts:

1. Does anyone have any experience with the process of getting a closed Amex AU card removed from their personal credit report, especially for Experian? I managed to get the AU account struck off from the other credit bureaus, namely TransUnion and Equifax.

2. Should I reach out to Experian, Amex CS, or perhaps both parties to get the closed AU account removed from my credit report?

Some more context:

I became an AU for someone else’s Amex CC, presumably for them to take advantage of those AU bonuses, but I’m beginning to see that it was more trouble than it was worth. The issue is that it’s causing a hurdle with automatic approvals for Chase applications due to me being at “5”/24, considering the AU card.

The process of having to clarify that one of the cards is an AU during recon is a hit or miss, since some agents don’t accept that and still treat the AU card as counting towards 5/24. They also take a look at my past apps and accounts more closely during recon, which is not something I want, so automatic approval is much preferred.

MoreSun
MoreSun (@guest_1682519)
August 29, 2023 17:46

I got TU and EQ immediately on filing disputes with them. Experian denied my dispute saying the info was accurate, I tried to dispute again under a different option but it was denied again. The only option I see left is to call Amex and ask to have the account removed. The players I’m working with don’t want to do that so they’re just gonna wait to get under 5/24 again.

Ben
Ben (@guest_1529456)
January 9, 2023 11:37

Thanks for posting this! This worked great. I was able to get back inside Chase 5/24 and approved for a Chase new card.

gasongasoff
gasongasoff (@guest_1400300)
June 26, 2022 01:26

I was able to remove an authorized user (amex gold) from my amex platinum account simply by using the chat function. The rep processed the request immediately and sent me a short disclosure about cancelling recurring payments, etc. You may want to update the information above about how easy it is to remove an authorized user from Amex.

John
John (@guest_1450235)
September 22, 2022 11:10

There’s a difference between canceling an AU account and getting that account removed from the AU’s credit report. You did the former; this blog post is about the latter.

An
An (@guest_1391504)
June 6, 2022 12:19

Confirming the latest post by my DP for AMEX:

Went throught the process of AU removal through the chat, was easy and fast, without any questions about relationships or anything else, will update my post after changes in credit bureaus…

Albert
Albert (@guest_1657120)
July 20, 2023 01:07
  An

Were you able to get your closed Amex AU card removed from your Experian credit report?

Joe
Joe (@guest_1240334)
August 17, 2021 11:54

Update: Amex chat deleted my authorized user account today with no issues. Must have updated their policy at some point.

MARIA PADILLA
MARIA PADILLA (@guest_818600)
October 4, 2019 14:11

There are absolutely no laws forbiding credit card issuers from removing authorized users. Nor is ther any law forbidding them from changing anything like a late fee payment schedule, removing negative info etc. They have absolute 100% control of what they report, change, charge, etc. They dont do it because of$$$$$$ plain and simple they contract with the credit bureaus to keep negative reporting or any reporting on you and anyone else. So dont let them fool you. Also Credit bureaus NEVER show you what creditors use for so called proof. Mostly because it isnt. There needs to be a law where if they are accusing they need to show absolute proof of said accusation, not us having to prove our innocence

Zalman
Zalman (@guest_815222)
September 26, 2019 16:48

I know this is an old post, but I figured this can be helpful to others like me and maybe this post can be updated as well?

Just called the Amex Credit Bureau Department, they were able to remove the account as soon as I asked, after clarifying that I have no responsibility to pay the account.
I didn’t have to close the AU account.
Will check in 40 days if it actually went through.

Number: 800-874-2717

I guess they changed their policy??

Colin
Colin (@guest_864923)
January 3, 2020 22:55

Helps me brotha! Thank you for taking the time. I love it when you find a gem of a DP like this, lol.

Earthyfool
Earthyfool (@guest_1059609)
September 21, 2020 20:17

My experience with AMEX was the same. Called the number (800 874 2717) in the post above, identified myself and confirmed that I was a non-spouse AU for the agent to say that they will remove the account from the credit report by the next reporting cycle, which is just about two weeks away in my case. Ni need to close the account. Will check and update.

Derek
Derek (@guest_1060613)
September 23, 2020 13:36

Same for me too. Just called and they also asked what’s the name of the primary account holder and what’s your relationship to that person. I said friend and they promptly agreed to remove my AU items on my credit report.

jb
jb (@guest_1074561)
October 17, 2020 04:58

do you know how long it took for the AU to show as removed on your credit report?

Zalmy
Zalmy (@guest_1601851)
April 19, 2023 14:41

Awesome DP, just got myself and P2s AUs removed. Word of caution: your spouse can’t get removed.

AA
AA (@guest_780440)
July 9, 2019 14:34

I removed a Capital One AU account in March but it did not automatically fall off the AU’s credit report. It is still there now (4 months later). A Capital One phone rep said said they’ve already stopped reporting new activity after the AU card was closed and that they can’t remove the past data via a phone call. I’d have to dispute with a letter to their credit report dispute department. I’ll post results if I decide to go forward with it.

cameron
cameron (@guest_780501)
July 9, 2019 16:49
  AA

I always dispute with all three credit agencies to remove closed au.

Kevin
Kevin (@guest_770351)
June 14, 2019 17:52

Amex told me they needed a recent credit report “customer number”