I'm very fortunate to have had no need for a credit card and I don't own one (debit card only), I have no debt and an excellent job. I attempted to open an account with a respected online-only bank which failed due to "No debit data found, no open, paid, or closed trade lines found and no credit score". I was told I need a score of 600 for an interest checking account.
My family has excellent credit scores and habits (cards paid off in full every month, etc.). What's the fastest way I can reach my goal number? Would it be to have them add me as an authorized user to their lines of credit? I'm completely ignorant of the logistics here, and hard facts seem difficult to find. For instance if they do add me as an authorized user, given that they have excellent habits, what conditions are optimal - multiple lines, high limits, some sort of ratio, other factors?
Should I additionally get a credit card from my current bank or other, or would the above be sufficient? Assume that the card is purely for building my score and I don't actually need any credit, any balance will be paid in full every month and so forth. What kind of a card should I seek out and how should I be using it? (I would prefer not to own a credit card from my current bank or any other brick & mortar bank, but I'll do what it takes.)
In the meantime I may open a joint account as a secondary with the online bank, but I was told I will not be able to build credit this way, so the question still applies.