Bank / Credit Card Question for Spouse

[tony1343]

So my fiancee is in America (not spouse yet, but will be soon enough).

 

Obviously she is Chinese and her surname (xing) comes first.

 

I'm going to sign her up as an authorized user on my credit card and have a card issued for her (and then go about trying to figure out how to get her on my bank accounts, etc).

 

On the credit card, would you all reverse the order to the Western standard (first surname)? Or stick with the Chinese order? I think I can do either with the credit card. Probably doesn't matter since no one ever asks for ID.

 

I'm guessing with a new bank account, they'll ask for first name and last name and then the system will automatically put it in the western order.

 

Dumb question, but oh well.

[dnoblett]

We use Given Family name on everything.

 

After we were married my wife's Name is "Given" "Family" "My Family"

[DRBob1021]

I went through this... I would suggest you wait to after you marry and have her name changed. My wife and I working on changing all her stuff into her married name. Just my thoughts.

[Kyle]

On the credit card, would you all reverse the order to the Western standard (first surname)? Or stick with the Chinese order? I think I can do either with the credit card. Probably doesn't matter since no one ever asks for ID.

 

I'm guessing with a new bank account, they'll ask for first name and last name and then the system will automatically put it in the western order.

 

Since these are American accounts, I'd do given name first, family name second.

 

I added my wife (who hasn't even had her IR-1 interview yet-thus no legal status in the States) to my bank account as a joint owner. They wanted her name this way: Jingjing [Chinese family name].

 

The same was true, when I added her as a sole beneficiary to my portfolio accounts. I suspect, other financial institutions will be the same.

[tony1343]

Okay, thanks everyone. I'm just going to stick with the American "Given Name" "Family Name" order.

 

Not going to wait until after we marry, since I don't think she's going to change her surname. Well, I leave it up to her. Chinese women don't normally change though, so I see no reason for her to change. I'm not a big fan of the tradition anyway (as long as any children get my surname). I guess it's the English tradition. Women of my original ancestry also don't change their last names.