How old does someone have to be to get a credit score? It’s a simple answer — 18 and above, according to VantageScore’s Dr. Andrada Pacheco in a new Bankrate article.
Dr. Pacheco points out that younger people who established credit histories by becoming authorized users on their parents’ cards will not get a score until they turn 18. The average VantageScore 4.0 for 18-year-olds was 652, considered “near prime,” as of February 2025. On average, 18-year-olds who are authorized users on a credit card account have a one-point advantage over those who do not. That one point may not sound like much, but VantageScore considers scores of 661-780 to be “prime,” and moving into that bracket could make a significant difference in credit terms and approvals. At this stage of a person’s credit journey, every point can make a difference.
Adding a child as an authorized user is as much about educational opportunities as it is about boosting their scores down the road.
The advice would be to wait until the child is actually responsible enough to handle it himself or herself,” Pacheco says. “It’s a great teaching tool. It’s important for them to understand what credit is and that it’s important to use credit responsibly.
Read more on establishing credit for younger users here:
