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The Daily Insight Hub

Is an additional card holder liable?

Author

Jackson Reed

Updated on January 24, 2026

An additional cardholder is an authorized secondary user added to an account by the primary cardholder. The additional cardholder generally gets to enjoy all the benefits of a debit or credit card account without any liability, which remains the responsibility of the primary cardholder.

Is an authorized user liable for debt?

An authorized user has no liability whatsoever. Authorized users can make charges, but they aren’t responsible for bill payments. The primary cardholder has complete liability and is responsible for making payments, redeeming rewards, requesting credit limit increases, etc.

Can you be an authorized user while in Chapter 7?

Because more individuals are filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy, a joint account holder or authorized user on your credit card could do so too.

Can you build credit as a secondary cardholder?

Yes, authorized users do build credit. You can actually build a good or excellent credit score just as an authorized user on a credit card. When you become an authorized user, the account is added to your credit report, which means on-time payments by the primary cardholder will help you build good credit history.

What happens when a primary credit card holder dies?

What happens to credit card debt after death? Credit card debt doesn’t disappear when a cardholder dies — it is paid off through their estate (which consists of everything owned at the time of death). If the estate’s assets aren’t enough to pay all debt, some creditors may not get paid.

Can you build credit as an additional card holder?

Can I exclude a credit card from Chapter 7?

No matter how important the card might be, excluding debt is not an option when you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Bankruptcy law requires you to list all of your debt on your bankruptcy petition, without exception. Even if you don’t owe a balance on your credit card, you must still list it in your bankruptcy papers.

Can a secondary cardholder cancel a primary credit card?

Though the secondary cardholder gets all privileges relating to the spending on the card, they cannot however cancel a card. That ability lies only with the primary cardholder. A Secondary cardholder can get a separate credit card with their name and information, but you are not the authorized person for the account.

What happens to a supplementary credit card holder if I go bankrupt?

Home » Blog » What Happens to a Supplementary Credit Card Holder if I Go Bankrupt? One spouse applied for a credit card, and when asked “would you like a card for your spouse?” answered yes, so they received two credit cards – a primary card and a supplementary credit card.

Can a joint credit card holder declare bankruptcy?

It’s usually a good idea to keep credit card accounts separate (or just add someone as an authorized user), but if you have a joint account and your joint cardholder decides to declare bankruptcy, you have a couple of options. Do one of these two things before your joint account holder files:

Is the secondary cardholder liable for debt?

Is the secondary cardholder liable for debt? A primary cardholder is liable for all charges and debts on an account, whether charged with the primary or secondary card. A supplementary cardholder’s liability is defined by the terms of the credit card agreement.