How to Improve Credit Using the Piggyback Method

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act helped to give homemakers credit scores by adding them as an authorized user on their husbands' accounts. Being added as an authorized user of an account--known as "piggybacking"--can help you increase your credit score through association with someone who has good credit, even if you never use the account. Unfortunately, credit repair companies began using piggybacking to boost the scores of strangers' accounts. The credit bureaus have caught on to this method and are developing ways to catch deceptive use of piggybacking, but it still works in legitimate cases of adding family to credit accounts.

Instructions

1

Ask a family member to help you out. You need to have someone who is willing to add you as an authorized user to her account. Typically, this would only be a parent or a husband or wife.

2

Call the credit card company. The card owner must call the credit card company and ask to add you as an authorized user. You may or may not get your own credit card. Even if you never use the account, you will still benefit from being an authorized user.

3

Wait for your credit score to rise. You may see an initial jump of 20 or 30 points, but you'll have to wait several months to see a significant increase.