I’d always thought that, if a merchant accepted a credit card, that it was against the card company’s policy to ask for ID - even if the card says “See ID” or the equivalent on the back.
Googling revealed a cache of an AOL page that corroborated this to a certain extent, but I’d like some more solid information. Poking around Visa.com and Mastercard.com, all I found was that for Visa cards, the merchants can ask you for ID if the card isn’t signed.
So does anyone have the Straight Dope?
It is perfectly within the right of a merchant to ask for ID to verify that the card being used belongs to person using it. If it is a stolen card, they may not get the money that they should get for the purchase.
Personally, I get offended if I am not asked for ID when using my card. When I got my new card when my old one expired, and I hadn’t gotten around to signing it, I appreciated the fact that a grocery store refused to accept my card until I signed it at the moment and provided my ID for comparison of signatures.
Hmmm, is there a way to get a merchant to ask for your identification? Does signing “See ID” help? I can hardly convince them to ask for it when I’m buying alcohol, it seems.
Hmmm, is there a way to get a merchant to ask for your identification? Does signing “See ID” help? I can hardly convince them to ask for it when I’m buying alcohol, it seems.
Some stores are really good about it (Best Buy), some aren’t. And yes, they often don’t get their money if the CC company finds out it wasn’t you who used the card.
Of course they have the “right” to ask for ID, just as they have to right to not sell you anything if they don’t want to, and you have the right to not buy something if you don’t like them asking for ID. But really, it’s a good thing. All my CC have “CHECK ID” where the signature is, and a good chunk of retailers check it. The only problem I’ve ever run into is at the USPS, which for some reason will not accept a card unless it’s been signed (and they don’t check ID). An odd security measure if you ask me.
From http://www.usa.visa.com/business/merchants/fraud_basics_cardpresent.html:
That’s the only place on Visa’s site where I was able to find one mention or another about checking ID, and it specifically addresses chriszarate’s point. As near as I can tell, the USPS is doing it correctly by not accepting the unsigned card. However, it doesn’t mention anything about asking for ID if the card is signed.
If anyone’s got a cite one way or the other (or works with this stuff on a daily basis), I’d appreciate it.
I managed a pet store for a long time, and we were expressly instructed to ask for a photo ID. Simply comparing the signature on the card to the signature on the slip meant absolutely nothing–as retail clerks are not trained handwriting experts, having compared signatures is not considered legally valid, should the person dispute the claim. Of course, I have no proof that this is true, this is only what I was told by the owners of the store, who got the information from the credit card guy. The same guy who spelled his company’s name incorrectly on the credit card machine. heh.
Not only does a retail clerk have the right to ask for ID, they are obligated to do so to protect their own interests, and yours. Without ID, any yutz in the world could walk around using your card… you oughta be grateful to those that do check.
peace,
~mixie
I am fairly sure that all credit cards include the phrase “not valid unless signed” somewhere near the signature line. This is probably the reason government agencies will not accept cards that only say “check ID”.
I work in retail and this is actually a very touchy topic for people. When I ask for an ID, some people get very upset and want a clear explanation of reasoning for me needing to see their ID. Personally, I like when retailers ask for an ID. I know a few people who have had credit cards stolen and lost money in the process of trying to prove they didn’t make the purchases.
“See ID” ? That sure is a new one on me.
Is not half the point to check that the signature on the card matches the signature on the ID? Otherwise the John Smiths of this world would just flash the stolen c.c. in their name, and show their ID, no?
Here it is just standard practise to offer your ID and card together, not everyone looks very carefully though. In Norway your ID and credit card are built into eachother (iirc), so that you have your photo on your credit card.
True, true. I was very surprised the first time I bought something with a CC in England and I did not have to show a photo ID.
Am I living on some other planet? I’ve been using credit cards literally for decades, and have never been asked for any sort of identification. In the grocery store, I swipe the card and sign the receipt, so the clerk never even sees my card, to say nothing of comparing signatures. At the gas station, there’s no other human involved in the transaction at all, and no signature on a receipt.
I work for a credit card bank as a fraud analyst.
First, according to Visa/Mastercard policy, the card is not valid unless signed. You can add “see ID” if you like, but the cardholders name must be signed on the card.
Second, according to the V/M merchant agreement, the merchant is supposed to match the signature from the receipt to the signature on the back of the card. If they don’t, and take a stolen card as a result, they get a chargeback (lose the money).
You have to remember that cashiers aren’t trained to detect fraud, they are trained to make sales. Larger merchants do budget fraud losses. That’s why the larger chains (Walmart, Target) install the self swipe terminals and why it seems signature verification is hit or miss. When I worked retail, I was told not to verify signatures, because it was “time consuming”.
As for the OP, stores can ask for ID for credit cards just as they would for a check. Stores like Best Buy are magnets for stolen credit cards. Enough fraud losses/chargebacks and policy will be changed. As a merchant, they reserve the right to verify a payment’s validity. It’s the equivalent of asking for ID for a check, or checking a hundred dollar bill to make sure it’s not counterfeit.
Groceries and gas are small potatoes, when you buy the big stuff (like HDTVs and furtniture) they will often ask for ID.
If someone with the same name as me wants to track me down and steal my credit cards, more power to him. That’s extremely unlikely, though.
Could you perhaps, sign your card and write “CHECK ID” next to your signature? That way all bases are covered.
I was mildly discomfited one time when I realized that I’d forgotten to sign the back of a credit card that I had been using for several months, and no cashier ever called me on it.
Personally, I have no problem with photographs on credit cards.
Well, I guess I was wrong. After much looking for cites supporting the opposing position to this, the closest I was able to find was this:
http://www.mastercard.com/canada/consumer/cust_serv.html
Which says:
However, it’s based in Canada, not the US. I was able to find mirrors of that site on Mastercard’s Hong Kong site and … whatever country “ID” represents, but nothing for the US. So I guess it only applies to Canadian Mastercards, and not to Visas at all or US Mastercards.
Thanks for the info, everyone, and especially hardygrrl.
[sub]oh, and for the record, I keep “See ID” on my cards as well; I prefer them asking for ID as well, but was mildly surprised when someone asked for it without checking the back of the card - which also had a signature blurred beyond readability.[/sub]
I used to manage a movie theatre and our instructions for box office were as follows:
1 Look at the imprinted name on card then swipe it. Compare the name that comes up on the computer (read in the magnetic code) to the one imprinted on the card. If it dosen’t match call a manger who will take the card and call police.
2 Look at the written sig. If the card is not signed the person must produce a valid photo id with a sig.
However one day I was working and I noticed Goldie Hawn in the lobby. So later I and cashing out a worker from the box office and I see her credit card slip. I say the guy "Hey, you sold tickets to Goldie Hawn!’ to which he replied “That was her? I told her she looked just like Goldie Hawn.” I then gave him a big lecture on the credit card proceedures.
Sorry for the hijack, but don’t you have to use your PIN when paying with a credit card in the US? The posts seem to imply (anybody could use your stolen card, etc…) that you don’t…since my question…
No you don’t. My credit cards don’t have PINs. All you do is sign a copy of the receipt.
You need to use a PIN when you use a debit card (which takes funds from your checking account). There are new ones called “check cards” that act like a credit card (you don’t have to use a PIN or anything), but it still withdraws from your checking account.
I just came home with $1400 worth of furniture, and no one asked for ID. Hell, I once bought a used car with a credit card without showing ID. I’ll take your word for it, but in about 30 years, I repeat, I’ve never been asked for ID, even when charging big stuff.
Then again, maybe I’m not me, and it’s just a case of very extended identity theft! 