How to Add Aged Trade Lines to Credit

Today's financial environment demands higher credit scores. Apartment rental, automobile insurance and cell phone companies look at applicants as a financial risk. The philosophy is how a person handles their credit may indicate how they handle other aspects of their life. Adding seasoned tradelines to your credit report is a legal way to raise your credit scores and add good payment history to your credit. Seasoned tradelines are credit accounts that have been active for several years. They should have low balances and excellent payment histories. (Credit card accounts work best). This is referred to as "piggy backing" in the credit industry.

Instructions

1

Talk with Mom, Dad or your spouse (or person most likely to assist you) to discuss them adding you as a user on one or more credit card accounts. Explain that adding you to the accounts (tradelines) as an authorized user allows the credit card company to report that credit card's payment history to your report. Have your report handy to show and discuss account tradelines and the score raising technique and benefits of adding you to these accounts. Explain that you will not have possession of or use of the accounts, all you want is the payment history of each card reported to your report.

2

Have a person who is adding you to credit card accounts call credit card companies to let them know he is adding you. There may be a form or written request required. Once the form is sent or the request is made, have him ask when the accounts will be reported to the credit bureaus.

3

Wait until 30 days past the date of reporting to credit bureaus and pull your personal credit reports to be sure the accounts are reported, and see how these have affected your credit scores. You can do this by going online to freecreditreport.com. Be aware that, despite the name, this service is not free. There is a charge for the scores.

4

Take good care of the credit accounts you have. The idea is to use the piggybacked accounts to boost scores to build more credit. Once your score is boosted, you can apply for more credit. Do this carefully.