To think this was a bit naughty of dh

[Hotfluff]

hi, so I am a little annoyed with DH today. We are about to start some work on our house and over the weekend we have been discussing the way that we are going to finance it. Rather than wipeout our savings we decided that we are going to use, an interest free credit card which we will be able to pay fairly quickly. The total amount that we need is 8k.

DH works from home and has some flexibility today, so he said that he would sort it out at some point today. At
lunchtime, I had an alert from the credit reference agency that I use. It was telling me that there had been an application for credit. Just afterwards DH called me and explained that he had been able to get the full 8K in his name but had been able to get 4K interest-free in each of our names. No, I know that we are married and that the money is being used for our home, however I would have expected him to have told me before applying for credit in my name. To be clear this has never happened before and neither of us have any other debts apart from this new application. he apologised but said that he really didn’t see any issue as we had discussed that we needed the money and that we were going to borrow it using an interest free credit card. He said that he never for a moment thought I would have an issue with it, but that he will never do it again with asking.

Would you be as unhappy as I am in the scenario, or am I overreacting?

I would consider this to be a totally normal occurrence in the context of a marriage where finances are jointly managed and there is complete transparency. In fact it’s the sort of thing I’d probably do myself, and may have done, I can’t remember, just because I’m the one that controls the finances generally (not in an illegal coercive manner……)

It is obviously not fraud and no misappropriation of assets whatsoever has occurred, it would be different if he’d used her credit card to pay for something without consent, but there is obvious implied consent here and no actual transaction has occurred. So anyone posting fraud, prison etc is missing a basic understanding of the law. It will be against the terms and conditions of the contract with the provider, but since she does actually want the credit card it’s totally meaningless.

You're totally over reacting.

You're over-reacting, by the sound of it.

You’re being unreasonable i think. He was just taking care of a job he agreed to do on your behalf.

So you're only happy if he takes the debt on, not if you share it?

You are overreacting

I’m jealous that your partner is proactive and does what he says he’s going to do on time and lets you know right after.

I think there is a massive difference between him applying for credit in his name or against a joint account that the OP is a named account holder of and him applying for credit 50% in his name and applying for credit in the name of the OP only.
Also applying for the credit and being given the money is very different too to the OP being aware of this happening and agreeing to pay 50% of the costs of repayment of the loan (or more).

I don't think what he did, applying to take out a loan in your name, would be any different to a neighbour or a stranger doing it. I'm pleased that the lending institution contacted you @Hotfluff to advise you that an application for credit had been made in your name, which shows that the safety nets are working. I realise that he's your husband and you knew what the money would be used for but it was still a strange way to go about getting the money.

Absolutely. Working is FS myself, this would actually be classed as fraud

Massively overreacting.

I would tend to agree with you in principle.
A message confirming change to 4k each would've been nice and letting you deal with your 4k application might've been preferable to you but, in this instance, it sounds like he was trying to crack on and get it sorted as you'd discussed. It sounds like he was trying to be proactive and take on some of the life administration in your relationship, which I suspect a lot of people would appreciate. It would be different if he actually spent the funds.
If it was without any previous knowledge, not for a joint expense or discussed that he would be doing application that day it would be different.
Personally, it is the sort of thing I would sort out in our relationship and my husband would tell me to get on and do it and fill the forms in cos he hates that stuff.

Should have discussed it, def stepped over the line legally its fraud. However same result achieved really £8k each of your owe 50% just ensure you make equal payments to both each month. Doubt he will do anything similar again.

I'd be furious. And where I live it is illegal to apply for a CC in another person's name (even a spouse). It's not even legal to apply for a joint card without the other person's agreement.

He should have called you and said "We can get a joint card for 8k but will have to pay interest, or we can each get a card for 4k and pay zero interest". Obvs I'd say let's do the 2 cards, but getting a CC in my name should be MY decision.

DH and I each have a separate CC for use in our hobbies and buying each other gifts. But even so, we let the other know we were applying for it.

I’d be pleased he got on with it, was successful and I did t have to do it myself.

I get where you’re coming from and am surprised he is able to do it in your name and suspect at some point there will be something you need to action.

I’m the person in a couple who deals with all this kind of thing, I sort out all our finances and investment and my DP trusts me.

I think you have set a sensible boundary

Yes, I must have misunderstood the OP as I would assume that anyone getting a credit card in their own name would have to fill in a form and sign for it, surely their spouse would not be able to apply for it completely on their behalf? So I wouldn't have thought the OP's husband was doing anything illegal, just asking for an application form for credit card in her name, for her to complete the formalities herself?

I don’t get it either. He’s your DH and he sorted it out for you both. I guess technically he should have, but in practice he got it done.

You're overreacting.

It’s not financially savvy, because now both your credits will take hits from the new inquiry, when only one hit was necessary (if you trust each other and finances are blended). If something happens and you need another 0% card, what he did reduced your future options. That’s what I’d be mad about.

I'm not sure if I'm misreading it or if everyone else is!

But they'd agreed a credit limit of £8k. He's now applied for £16k between them - the original £8k plus £4k for each of them on top.

It is also definitely fraud to take out a credit card in someone else's name. Regardless of whether that is a spouse!

I wouldn't be overly happy with this and can't see that the op has over-reacted - it's not like she's thrown him out and threatened divorce!!

If anything you were a CF for wanting the debt to be all in his name tbh......

Overreacting, it was discussed you agreed to credit card, like others said he said he would sort it, he sorted it.

Not sure what you feel he did wrong? You are married, there is trust there (or should be) and it was discussed and you both agreed to interest free credit card. Feel you are overreacting

I would be blazing if my husband had done that without consulting me. I do not understand how the credit card company can allow that without your consent. Dreadful state of affairs.

I signed contracts in mine and my husbands name to sell our home and buy another. Everything is done electronically here and my husband works away so it needed to get done. Legally it was wrong but mutually between us he consented.
So I don't see a problem with what your husband did.

Massively overreacting. Poor bloke.