[USER]

Looking for advice…. My best friend is facing the last days of two year battle with cancer. He’s in his mid 30s with a wife and two young children.. Thankfully they’re in a fantastic position financially from his amazing work ethic and living below their means, but now comes the point where his wife who is a stay at home mom is preparing for the days to come.

They’ve covered all the beneficiaries, they have their will and their trust all set up, and they’ve moved almost all the accounts into her name.

The problem she’s now having is getting her own credit card. She’s been a secondary user on his card forever. Between taxable accounts, his life insurance, and their cash on hand she’ll be set for years to come, but she’s been turned down by both Chase and capital one on a credit card application due to a lack of income.

I know there are special applications to provide financial information in the form of bank statements, etc., to bypass the income requirement, but I’m trying to help her get something set up so she can do an immediate transfer of the last few account that remain in his name. Especially the subscription and utilities type which are tied to his credit card Which will be closed upon his death.

Does she need to apply for a store card or some of the ones with easier applications or do you have other ideas?

Update: he is home on hospice and she is a stay at home Mom. They are in a strong financial position. They just need the credit card for all the standard subscriptions, reoccurring expenses, etc rather than EBT or Checks. They don’t use Debit cards. They don’t have any household income at this point.

[CJ Lay]

Try secured cc from discover or bank of America. We were from Canada with no credit history and was able to get one, that was 3 yrs ago though.

[Jen]

So sorry that your friends are going through this. Props to you for helping them out!

Credit card apps allow you to use total household income, so she can include all of her spouse’s most recent income plus any investment income and income from the trust or other sources. Getting a credit card shouldn’t be difficult if she has good credit.

[Carly]

Unpopular Opinion..

Lie on the application, you’ll get approved automatically.

They have never verified income.

[Sofia]

Technically household income should count as her income.

[Shaun]

She should put down what was their household income as her income.

[Laury]

Unless she calls the credit card company and tells them he passed away, she can just keep the card open. I’m still an authorized user for 2 family members who passed away years ago.

The accounts are still open and I use them every month.

[Dustin]

Talk with their banks and see what they offer. Might be a secured card for now. Might not be a bad idea to open a store card and just charge once a quarter and pay off.

[Jordan]

I hope he had a second or third opinion to make sure the prognosis is correct. I’ve seen dozens of people come off of hospice and live for 10+ years because they finally received the proper diagnostic molecular testing and corresponding treatment.

Just thinking out loud, given his young age it is highly probable he has a driver mutation causing the cancer to grow. It is highly likely there is a targeted therapy for his diagnosis.

[Tyler]

It’s been a while since I applied for one but I’m pretty sure it asked for “household income” not personal income. She should be able to use his for that income.

[Elena]

She can apply for a credit card with her husband as a joined user (not authorized user) using household income from tax return. When he passes away and she contacts the credit card company, they will remove him and keep her as the only credit card owner.

[Author]

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