What Happens to Your Credit When a Tradeline Is Removed?

Authorized user tradelines aren’t permanent. Whether you cancel your plan or the cardholder removes you, here’s what to expect.

What happens when you’re removed

When you’re no longer an authorized user, the issuer stops reporting the account for you, and the bureaus typically remove it from your report. Your score is then recalculated without that account’s limit, age and payment history.

Why your score may drop

The tradeline was helping with:

• Utilization: losing its high limit raises your overall utilization.
• Account age: losing an older account lowers your average age.
• Payment history: fewer positive accounts on file.

How much your score changes depends on how strong your own accounts are by then.

How to keep your gains

1. Build your own accounts while the tradeline is active. Open a secured card or credit-builder loan and pay it on time.
2. Pay down your own balances so your utilization stays low on its own.
3. Time removal carefully. Keep the tradeline until after any big application, like a mortgage or auto loan, closes.

Flexible plans

Tradeline Tribe plans are month to month. You stay on the card until you cancel, so you control the timing. Browse available tradelines.