Buyers come to me asking for old tradelines specifically. “I want the oldest card you have” is something I hear a lot, and the logic is right — the older the tradeline, the bigger the lift on the age component of your score. But how that age actually shows up on your report depends entirely on which issuer the card is from, and that part catches a lot of buyers off-guard. Seasoned tradelines are worth understanding before you buy.
What “seasoned” actually means
A tradeline is seasoned when it’s been open long enough to carry meaningful age value. Most brokers — including the ones I’ve listed with — require cards to be at least two years old before they’ll put them on the market. In practice, the more interesting cards are usually in the five-to-fifteen-year range, because that’s where the account-age benefit really starts to move the needle.
When you’re added as an authorized user on a seasoned card, your credit report picks up the card’s original open date and the credit limit. That original open date then folds into your average account age — raising it, in most cases, which is exactly what you’re paying for. It’s a straightforward mechanism, with one major exception.
The Amex exception — and why it matters
American Express changed how it reports authorized users around 2015. Before that, Amex AUs reported with the card’s original open date — same as every other major issuer. After the change, Amex started reporting AUs with the date they were added, not the date the card was originally opened.
What that means in practice: if you’re added as an AU on a 15-year-old Amex card today, what appears on your credit report is effectively a one-day-old account. The limit transfers fine. The age benefit is gone.
I found this out in an embarrassing way — I had a long-standing Amex card I was recommending through a broker, and a buyer came back wondering why their average account age hadn’t budged. Turned out the card was showing its AU-add date instead of its open date. A refund conversation followed. (Not my favorite kind of lesson, but a thorough one.) I flag Amex cards explicitly now whenever this comes up.
What the age transfer actually looks like for other issuers
For non-Amex issuers — Chase, Capital One, Bank of America, Barclays, US Bank — the authorized user gets the card’s original open date. A 10-year Chase card shows up as a 10-year-old account on your report. That’s what you’re buying when you’re shopping for seasoned tradelines.
Limit matters alongside age. A $30,000, 10-year card lowers your utilization ratio and adds account age at the same time — that’s the combination that moves scores most. An old card with a $500 limit is less useful; the utilization lever barely moves and the age benefit is real but small in context. When I’m looking at cards to list, I think about both numbers together, not just one.
One more thing worth knowing: the tradeline typically stays on your report for three billing cycles — that’s the standard product length most brokers offer. (Some offer a one-month extension for an additional fee.) After the AU period ends and you’re removed, the tradeline will eventually age off. You get the score benefit for the window, not permanently.
Where to find them
Most people find seasoned tradelines through brokers — companies that list cardholders’ AU slots and handle the transaction. I’ve listed with Boost Credit 101, Tradeline Supply Company, Improve My Credit Fitness, and Coast Tradelines at various points. Brokers do vet the cards and manage the payment process, but they keep the majority of what the buyer pays — the cardholder receives roughly 30 cents on the dollar. That’s why I also sell directly through this site: buyers pay less, I keep more, and nothing changes about the product.
When you’re evaluating any tradeline — broker or direct — the two numbers that matter are the credit limit and the original open date. The issuer name is irrelevant once the data hits your report. A $25,000, 8-year Chase card and a $25,000, 8-year Capital One card are functionally identical from a scoring standpoint. Don’t pay a premium for a brand name.
If you’re in the market, here’s what I have available. Each listing shows the limit and age — the two numbers you actually need to evaluate whether it’ll help.
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