This is the magic question that everyone keeps asking. As a tradeline company, we naturally receive very similar inquiries from people on a regular basis. As observers of the general public, our industry itself and the financial market as a whole, we recognize that the vast majority of tradeline-related content published on the web is based on controversy. You can find it on blogs, on social media, from major news outlets, and on almost any platform or website where credit or finances are discussed. People love controversy. It brings discussions to life, creates a wide array of emotions, and easily garners the participation of the public because it makes them think.

Generally - and while we're not saying this is either good or bad - people love to label things. And when the subject of buying or selling authorized user tradelines comes up, everybody wants to jump in and have a word.

Are Tradelines Good Or Are Tradelines Bad?

They are neither good nor bad. They simply exist. There are so many ethical and moral debates surrounding this subject; it's likely that the controversy will continue for eternity. While we aren't here to deliver lessons in morality or ethics, we have no issue at all admitting that tradelines are not for everyone. We say this not only because it's true, but because it's the only way to get away from the never ending stream of opinions and begin discussing the hard facts.

While tradelines themselves are not good nor bad, they can be good or bad for certain people - and there are many reasons why. The most reasonable way to provide a solid answer to whether or not buying tradelines is a smart decision is to eliminate discussing the controversial aspects and stay strictly focused upon facts and data.

When Is It A Bad Idea To Buy Tradelines?

As we already mentioned, buying tradelines can be a bad idea for certain people. These individuals can quickly and easily be categorized using the following parameters:

  • Anyone with bad credit due to negligence
  • Anyone whose credit cards are "maxxed out"
  • Anyone who has current delinquent payments on any type of credit line
  • Anyone with recent negative remarks on their credit report
  • Anyone who is in (or about to be) in collections for debt(s) owed
  • Anyone with outstanding past-due debts
  • Anyone who has a history of frequent late payments
  • Anyone with inconsistent credit report information
  • Anyone with a complete lack of credit history

All of the reasons outlined above are the pain points and the situations where buying tradelines won't be helpful to you. If your credit score is bad due to financial problems, reporting issues, credit freezes, irresponsible use of credit, or anything contrary to what would be considered "responsible use of credit", becoming an authorized user on the card of someone else isn't only a waste of your money but also a waste of your time.

While having authorized user accounts on your report might improve your credit very slightly, the amount would be insignificant and defeat the purpose. Aside from this, it's generally very difficult to be approved for new lines of credit when you have outstanding issues, even if your overall credit score isn't terribly low.

Before you make the decision to spend money on trying to improve your score, you should spend your money on past-due debts, heavy balances, and organizing your financial situation so that your credit report is as clean and presentable as possible to any type of lender. If your credit report has errors, you'll need to fix them first or else you'll face the possibility of non-posting issues, which means the tradelines you buy won't show up on your credit report.

When Is It A Smart Idea To Buy Tradelines?

Authorized user tradelines are one of the most powerful tools available for quickly raising your credit score by significant margins. In fact, they work so well it's surprising. However, in order to for them to have an optimal impact you'll need to have a credit report that has the following traits:

  • No recent collections, delinquencies, or negative remarks
  • A clean and punctual payment history
  • At least a few of your own (primary) credit accounts in good standing
  • Be employed, have a stable source of income, or sufficient assets to display your value vs. debt ratio
  • A healthy mix of revolving credit and installment loans (this is a big plus)
  • Credit utilization that's absolutely no higher than 50%
  • Proper credit reports with matching personal info across all major credit bureaus

If you generally feel comfortable saying that your credit is in good shape and you meet the above standards, we'd feel comfortable and confident that tradelines will help you. But apart from just helping you, there has to be a reason that you want to increase your credit score. It's important to know what you want and why.

Remember, when you pay to become an authorized user it can deliver a very strong positive boost to your score, but you must understand that it is not permanent. Generally speaking, people who buy tradelines are already responsible with their credit but seek an extra push upwards to acquire a loan approval, lock in a better financing rate, or get into a loan with out having to pay absurdly high down payment. This is the idea and purpose for paying. It's not something where you pay once and stay on as an authorized user forever.

The typical time that you'll enjoy the boosted credit score is a period of 60 days, which is the period that we guarantee you (meaning the authorized user status of the tradelines you buy will be display on your credit report for two consecutive months). This gives you a comfortable window of opportunity for taking action. If you need more time, that can also be arranged by simply extending your purchases but we rarely find that to be necessary.

Use Your Intelligence

Regardless, those who stand to benefit the most will have a solid plan and good intent. Since you're paying for this service and considering it's only temporary, you really want to have everything in order. This means you should be ready to apply for your financing beforehand. The preparation involved includes having your down payment ready, being sure that you've checked and double-checked your credit report for anything inaccurate (especially your personal details), and have a good idea of what kind of rates are being offered to you right now (as compared to if your credit score, age, limits, and/or utilization were improved).

It might sound like a lot of hassle, but the truth is it's a very easy and smooth process. It just requires basic preparations. For example, rather than just go out and buy tradelines to pump up your score and then hope it all works out (which it very well might), we're talking about being smart. Guessing and making general assumptions isn't necessarily a smart move when considering your finances or something as important as purchasing a vehicle, home, or anything with a high-level of value that you'll be making payments on for a long period of time.

If you want to buy tradelines in the smartest way possible, you need to weigh things out and get a decent idea of what the potential benefit could be. Spending a few thousand dollars right now to save yourself tens, or possibly hundreds of thousand of dollars worth of interest over the long-term couldn't possibly be considered a dumb or a bad idea. In fact, this instance, yes buying tradelines is not only smart but extremely smart.

Additionally, if you have cash reserves or savings and prefer to not use it all on a down-payment, being the authorized user of the right cards can allow you to keep your hands on a lot of that cash and still achieve your goals since your credit score (and overall report) should be much stronger.

There are other things apart from financing and loans that should be taken into consideration as well. Having a better credit score can offer a lot more than the ability to make better purchases. There are some very specific situations where credit checks are performed or required for things like renting a property or being accepted as an employee at certain companies. If you have been responsible and don't have anything negative to hold you back, it never hurts to go for the gold. Can you imagine not being accepting for your dream job - even when you're a top-candidate - because your credit score is lacking by a few points? Having the confidence of a solid credit score when dealing with any type of process where your credit might be a deciding factor truly is a great and relieving feeling.

If you feel like you're in the position where buying tradelines could benefit you, we invite you to learn more by taking a look at how it works. If you have questions, concerns, or require specific help regarding which lines will provide you with the greatest chances for success, be sure to get in contact with us. Working with people to help them transform their goals into a reality is our specialty. We pride ourselves on our ability to consistently deliver success, and we'll always be here if you need us.