 TITLE: Can I Use My Spouse’s Credit Card After They Die? CONTENT: Next Steps After a Cardholder Dies\n----------------------------------\nWhen your spouse passes away with existing credit card debt, there are some important steps you should take to protect your credit score.\n*   **Stop using their credit cards, even if you are an authorized user.** Because using a credit card on which you are not the account holder constitutes fraud, stop using your spouse's cards immediately to avoid any issues. While your creditor may be understanding of the situation, it'd be best to avoid the problem altogether. If you or your spouse previously set up any automatic payments to be made with these credit cards, you'll need to change the method of payment to a credit card or bank account for which you are the account holder if you weren't paying from a joint account.\n*   **Notify the credit card companies of the death.** If the card was in your spouse's name alone, ask the card issuer to close the account. If it was a joint credit card account, explain to the credit card issuer that one of the account holders is deceased. The credit card company will typically give you the option to keep the account open in your name, but may ask you to fill out a new credit application and agree to new credit terms.  \n    Even if you don't plan to use the joint credit card, think twice before closing the account, especially if it's a card you've had for a long time. Closing a credit card account can hurt your credit score if it increases your credit utilization ratio.\n*   **Notify the credit bureaus of the death.** Eventually, the credit card companies will report your spouse's death to credit reporting agencies, but it might take a while. In the meantime, criminals could try to steal your spouse's identity by applying for new credit in their name. You can help prevent this by notifying the three major consumer credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) yourself. Each credit bureau has a slightly different reporting process, but you can generally notify the bureaus by mail or online. You'll need your spouse's Social Security number and a copy of their death certificate.\n*   **Review your spouse's credit report.** In addition to alerting credit bureaus of your spouse's death, it's a good idea to request a copy of your spouse's credit report. The report will provide a list of your partner's creditors so you can make sure each of them is notified of the death and watch for any incoming bills.\n*   **Pay any bills for which you are responsible.** If you and your spouse have jointly held credit cards or other joint credit accounts, such as your mortgage, do everything you can to pay these bills on time. Even one late payment can cause your credit score to dip, and maintaining good credit now may be more important than ever.  \n    If you are in a community property state, you are responsible for all of your spouse's credit cards. Even though you will be closing the accounts, make sure to pay the final bill on time, or your credit score may suffer. If making minimum payments will be difficult if not impossible, reach out to the credit card issuers to see if they can offer some accommodation while you figure out the way forward financially.  \n    Unless you live in a community property state, don't make any payments on credit cards on which you're an authorized user or cards belonging to your spouse alone. Because married couples have separate credit reports and credit scores, ignoring a bill for which you're not responsible won't hurt your credit score. END