Once a person has completed a debt settlement plan, they will have a significant other or family member add them to a credit account as an authorized user. This can help to rebuild and re-establish their credit without the responsibility of the credit account weighing on them. For people who cannot get new lines of credit on their own, this can be a great choice to have.

However, if the account holder doesn’t make payments on time or defaults on the credit line, the negative implications will fall onto the credit of the authorized user in addition to the primary account holder. If you are an authorized user with someone who is financially responsible, this can be a great way to rebuild credit. However, rebuilding credit scores as an authorized user is something that might not be available in years to come.