Credit cards insisting additional cardholders live at the same address - why?

gumbald · 24 Jan 2013 at 20:09

Just a general question here - as above. It seems most credit cards insist on having an additional cardholder at the same address (well, making you tick a box to declare this), does anyone know why this is? Every Google I can Google just gives me all their application/details pages.

I'd like my mum to have a card on my account - is this really unthinkable?

MrMoonX · 24 Jan 2013 at 20:16

just tell them she lives at your address and when the card comes give it to her?

gumbald · 24 Jan 2013 at 21:35

MrMoonX said:
just tell them she lives at your address and when the card comes give it to her?

I obviously appreciate this is possible...

cheechm · 24 Jan 2013 at 21:37

It'll probably be to do with fraud. Most additional cards I've hard also don't send separate statements, so not sure what would be sent to the additional address?

gumbald · 24 Jan 2013 at 21:38

cheechm said:
It'll probably be to do with fraud. Most additional cards I've hard also don't send separate statements, so not sure what would be sent to the additional address?

There won't be anything sent to another address - as they won't allow an additional cardholder to be at a different address.

Oh, not sure which way you were making that point. As far as I know, no extra statements are generated, the spending is just visible to me if required, it's my account.

POB · 24 Jan 2013 at 21:46

Online ordering of stuff from companies might cause some issues? I think some payment gateways can check to see if the address the customer gives when ordering matches the card address.

kthula666 · 24 Jan 2013 at 21:54

Most companies you order from will only post to card address on the first order. After that setting a second addy is optional.

OllyM · 24 Jan 2013 at 22:02

MrMoonX said:
just tell them she lives at your address and when the card comes give it to her?

You can't do this because they have to do anti money laundering checks to issue an additional card nowadays, and unless they get a match when they search the electoral roll they will ask for proof of ID.

gumbald · 24 Jan 2013 at 22:12

OllyM said:
You can't do this because they have to do anti money laundering checks to issue an additional card nowadays, and unless they get a match when they search the electoral roll they will ask for proof of ID.

Aha, thanks for the information. Figured it would be something like this, didn't want to just trigger the button if it was going to be a refusal. Somewhat silly system though, I'm the additional card on my dad's account even though I've not lived there for 3 years.

cheechm · 25 Jan 2013 at 03:04

POB said:
Online ordering of stuff from companies might cause some issues? I think some payment gateways can check to see if the address the customer gives when ordering matches the card address.

I haven't come across any payment gateways where billing and shipping addresses can't be different. But I'm just using the usual ones such as Overclockers, Amazon, Ticketmaster etc...

Aod · 25 Jan 2013 at 03:27

cheechm said:
I haven't come across any payment gateways where billing and shipping addresses can't be different. But I'm just using the usual ones such as Overclockers, Amazon, Ticketmaster etc...

It used to be universal that the first (and sometimes second and third or even all) order had to be sent to the registered billing address, but this no longer seems to be a requirement. It's actually been several years since the last time it happened to me.

I'm sure there are still companies out there with such requirements.