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How to sell tradelines and earn passive income
How to sell tradelines is simpler than most people think.
You add someone as an authorized user on your credit card, they benefit from your positive payment history, and you get paid.
The whole process takes less than 15 minutes per transaction.
If you have good credit and established cards, you already have everything you need to start.
What selling tradelines actually means
When you sell a tradeline, you are allowing someone to piggyback on your credit card as an authorized user for a fee.
They never get access to your card or account.
You simply add their name, they benefit from the account reporting to their credit file, and you remove them after a few months.
Parents have been doing this with their kids for decades.
Selling tradelines just makes it available to people who don’t have family with excellent credit.
This has been legal under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974.
Which credit cards earn the most
Not every card is worth the same amount. Two factors determine your payout:
- Age of the account (older cards pay more)
- Credit limit (higher limits pay more)
A card that is 5+ years old with a $15,000+ limit can earn $150+ per posting. Newer cards with smaller limits might earn $40 to $80.
Banks like Citi, Discover, American Express, and Barclays tend to be safe for tradeline selling. Avoid Bank of America and Chase. These banks are known for shutting down accounts that add authorized users.
How much you can realistically earn
Most sellers with 5+ active cards listed earn between $500 and $2,000 per month. You can have multiple authorized users on each card at a time, which multiplies your earnings.
If you cycle authorized users on and off every three months, that gives you four earning cycles per year per card. The math scales quickly depending on the size of your credit card portfolio.
You can check your exact earning potential using our free Tradeline Seller Earnings Calculator.
How to get started selling tradelines
You need at least one credit card that is 2+ years old with a perfect payment history. Sign up with a tradeline company that handles the buyers, payments, and compliance on your behalf.
Working with a company like Tradeline Express means we limit how many users get added to your cards to reduce shutdown risk.
We also handle all the matching so you just add and remove users when we tell you to.
If you are ready to start, apply below or reach out with any questions.
