He qualified for one on his own last night, so thank you guys for the push in that direction!

I don't know about a joint card, but my Barclaycard offered to issue basically anyone (friend or family) a card with their own name but tied to my account so that they could build their credit. Didn't look into it so I'm not sure how it works exactly, but something to investigate, OP.

If it's to help rebuild only, then get a starter card in your partner's name only (one with the least amount of fees as possible. Cap 1 has a good one) and just use it once a month and pay it off in full. It will help the same way.

Have you looked into him taking a loan at a bank? He could just sit on the money and pay it back. I have a friend who did this when he needed to repair his credit from some bad post-college decisions.

I dont know the answer but have you looked into what will help rebuild faster? As in, if they were the sole owner or on a joint? Maybe someone on here knows it that makes a difference. Maybe doing a CC for them alone could build faster.

Have been for 5 years. Together 15.

I would get married first

So after looking at our options for getting my partner a credit card and to help repair the credit rating (mine is fine), we decided we would be willing to do a joint card. And before you ask, yes I know the risks. But the credit problems were from many years ago, and in the last 6 years my partner has managed our finances without any issue paying things on time. Plus, we are much more financially blessed then we were back then.

Googling shows that due to CFPB changes, Chase stopped offering them but I can't tell who still offers them. Any have any they'd recommend?