Should I take out a credit card for my boyfriend's debt?

VestanPance

By all means give him advice and support on how to best tackle the debt, but in no way take the debt on in your name.

pearl123

As other have suggested...no don't do it! Instead, maybe you boyfriend could go to the CAB for advise how to pay off his debts quickly.

thegirlintheattic

No! Never going to be a good idea.

sabretoothtigger

Its not sensible because you are not married legally but if you already share all income and bills it sounds 1 way to pay it off quicker. He should be able to take out a new card himself really, you should check that first. If he has bad history, it'd help if he made regular payments

If you make regular payments to your own card it will improve your credit so long as its paid off. If you dont already share all money, get him to 'sell' you his car in consideration of the debt exchange for security. If he doesnt like that idea, dont do it because its his business

david39

Don't do it - as others above have advised.

Main reason (other than he might run off and leave you with the debt) is, once you've cleared his cards, he'll go out and run the debt up all over again!

**Juice**

I wouldn't do this - particularly since he has proved he has issues with getting into debt previously. Best case scenario is he pays it but feels a bit of resentment towards you for being his creditor, worst case has been outlined above.

j.e.j.

I don't want to rain on your parade, Ducky101, but I think I'd also advise against it. A quick browse of the loans board is enough to give you an idea of what could happen (not saying it will) if you were to take out a credit card in your name in order to pay someone else's debt.

IMO you are not husband and wife, so you are not responsible for the other person's debt. (I know you said YOU won't be paying it, but what happens IF he defaults, or racks up more debt..)

wannabehermit

I think you get the general gist from other posters but NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!

I speak from experience, DON'T DO IT. Have a look at the top line of my sig. That was all due to transferring another persons debt into my name (and it didn't work because all he did once those old CCs were cleared was run them back up to their limits).

Angelic

Don't do it! What happnes when you break up and you are left with the debt? What would he learn if you were to do this for him? The best way to help him is to show him this site so he can learn about debt and how to pay it off himself.

doodoot

Sorry to sound like a broken record...but DON'T DO IT!

My best friend did this and thought she would be fine - she had just given birth to their child, and thought she could trust him 100%

Three months later he hightailed it out of the house and left her with £3000 or so worth of credit card debt.

That was seven years ago, he's never paid a penny to her for it and she's now blacklisted because she couldn't pay them off while she was on benefits.

Be under no illusions that you getting a credit card to help him will actually help him...he needs to learn things the hard way, and you don't.