I see that we have an old Staff Report on the front page which advises against signing the back of one’s credit card.
It’s possible that things have changed since then–I used to see other advice columnists give the same information. But for the past few years, signing the card seems to be almost universally recommended.
As a matter of fact, the Post Office will flat-out refuse a card that is not signed. I’m not aware of any other organization that takes such a hardline stance.
And there are plenty of places where having the card say to check for ID is useless, because the clerk never sees the back of the card. Even at places where I hand them the card, very few of the clerks actually look at the back of it. That probably wasn’t the case 16 years ago.
And I’ve considered this tactic: Sign the back (since the major credit card issuers themselves insist on it), but in addition add the note “Please ask for ID”. I haven’t actually tried this.
But glowacks, above, makes a point. In these days of swipe-it-urself credit card transactions (not to mention all the on-line and telephone sales), what’s the point anymore?
I thought the agreements between the major cards and merchants forbid asking for ID?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked for i.d. over the last year.
Correct - all credit card issuers expressly say that it is AGAINST the merchant agreement to ask for ID, and you can be fined for doing so. I have refused to provide ID on many occasions.
edit: here’s the discussion from last time The Straight Dope offered similar advice: Credit cards - Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports - Straight Dope Message Board
100% incorrect. Consumerist (date July 2014) addressed this by contacting the three major card networks. Asking for ID is…complicated, but it is NOT against the merchant agreement. If one has not signed the card, it is required and the merchant can refuse the transaction if you do not sign the card (doesn’t matter, of course, if they don’t look at the card).
Rules change over time, and posting what may have been true 10 years or more ago without checking doesn’t help. It used to be that merchants could not have minimums nor charge more for credit cards, but both have changed and are allowed, with limits.
A quick perusal of the latest Mastercard merchant rules (PDF) I could find (2014) says its ok:
Visa (PDF, 2014) is the same:
By putting something like – see picture ID – in the blank spot, I
1] am not providing someone with my card a sample of my signature.
2] not allowing said person a blank slate to forge my name in their handwriting.
I have recently had clerks ask for my card after I self swipe to verify the signature.
I’d decline the transaction unless your signature also was ‘see picture ID’ and matched the signature of how you wrote that on the card.
While the clerks couldn’t give a shit, officially an unsigned card is not valid per both Visa and MasterCard rules. Both specifically state in their merchant rules that the merchant is required to have you sign the card before accepting it. That the merchants ignore that is their own business. Cashiers especially aren’t paid enough to care.
And a newer report (2008) from the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board Is it safer not to sign the back of your credit cards? - The Straight Dope Which does advise signing the back of a credit card, and explains why.
I used to run into this as a merchant. People are DUMB.
Here was my first conversation:
“um ma’am, your card isn’t signed - our agreement requires that you sign your card.”
“A do that so that people will ask me for ID if someone steals my card then they won’t have ID that matches”
“Um, if someone steals your card - they will just sign the back and the signatures will match perfectly”
“We’ll I’m not signing it - a police officer told me to do this.”
So what am I going to do? Technically I should have refused the sale, but I can guarantee you I am probably the only one in our district that actually the merchant agreements (we were all employees of a specialty retailer) - if I told my boss I refused a sale - I’d get in trouble and at the $4.25 I was making at the time I couldn’t afford a lawyer or legal dispute and so I just did what she wanted and asked for ID. She wanted the item, we wanted the sale, master card really doesn’t give a shit as this is something they put in there like the apple user agreement - and most of our purchases were cheap stuff.
After a few times of going through this MOST people HONESTLY didn’t get that this gave them zero protection and actually (if anyone bother to actually check the signatures) - it would actually harm them. So I gave up trying to “help” people.
I had no problem with “Check ID” - as even if technically against the rules - no one cares.
My friend uses the “Check ID” and I’m actually surprised the number of times people ask. All of the times I’ve seen it happen are waitresses and he always thanks them - and I suspect they actually do it as it probably leads to better tips.
We weren’t handwriting experts so I would only cursorily glance at it and knowingly accepted cards that weren’t from the person when I knew the customer and it was another family member. I figure that statue of limitations on something that isn’t a crime has long passed by now - so im fessing up.
Maybe 15 or 20 years ago, my sister-in-law, who lives in Florida, told me that a local police officer at some sort of community meeting recommended writing “Please ask for photo ID.” I thought it made perfect sense, so whenever I got new cards, I did.
At the time I lived in New York City. Now I live in rural Connecticut. In all of those 15 or 20 years, a clerk has asked me for ID exactly once.
When I visit my in-laws in Florida, I get asked for it just about every single time. Go figure.
Amusing anecdote:
I recently got another new card. I stuck it in my wallet without thinking to sign it. The first time I used it, the clerk told me the card wasn’t signed. Not wanting to start a discussion, I signed my name. She then compared the signature she’d watched me put on the receipt to the signature she’d watched me put on the card, decided they matched, and OKed the purchase.
Actually, it’s still true. I will admit my wording was not accurate, but my intent was to convey what it does actually say - that it’s against the merchant agreement to require ID to complete the transaction. Sure, go ahead and ask, but if the customer declines, if you don’t process the transaction, you’re in breach of the agreement.
Here’s what VISA has to say on the subject. This is from page 33 (out of 77 pages) of the 2014 “Card Acceptance Guidelines for VISA Merchants”.
Notice the part where it says An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted .
Unsigned Cards
While checking card security features, you should also make sure that the card
is signed . An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted . If
a customer gives you an unsigned card, the following steps must be taken:
• Check the cardholder’s ID. Ask the cardholder for some form of official
government identification, such as a driver’s license or passport . Where
permissible by law, the ID serial number and expiration date should be
written on the sales receipt before you complete the transaction .
• Ask the customer to sign the card. The card should be signed within your
full view, and the signature checked against the customer’s signature on the
ID . A refusal to sign means the card is still invalid and cannot be accepted .
Ask the customer for a different signed Visa card .
• Compare the signature on the card to the signature on the ID.
The words “Not Valid Without Signature” appear above, below, or beside the signature panel on
all Visa cards .
“See ID”
In the U .S ., some customers write “See ID” or “Ask for ID” in the signature panel,
thinking that this is a deterrent against fraud or forgery; that is, if their signature
is not on the card, a fraudster will not be able to forge it . In reality, criminals
often don’t take the time to practice signatures . They use cards as quickly as
possible after a theft and prior to the accounts being blocked . They are actually
counting on you not to look at the back of the card and compare signatures; they
may even have access to counterfeit identification with a signature in their own
handwriting .
In this situation, follow recommended steps listed above under Unsigned Cards .
Well… not quite true, but almost. Merchants are allowed to ask but customers are allowed to refuse and the merchant can’t have a policy of declining purchases from customers who don’t show ID. Page 34 of 2014 Card Acceptance Guidelines for VISA Merchants says:
Requesting Cardholder ID
When should you ask a cardholder for an official government ID? Although Visa
rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID except in the
specific circumstances discussed in this guide, merchants cannot make an ID
a condition of acceptance . Therefore, merchants cannot as part of their regular
card acceptance procedures refuse to complete a purchase transaction because
a cardholder refuses to provide ID . It is important that merchants understand
that the requesting of a cardholder ID does not change the merchant’s liability
for chargebacks . However, it can slow down a sale and annoy the customer . In
some cases, it may even deter the use of the Visa card and result in the loss of
a potential sale . Visa believes merchants should not ask for ID as part of their
regular card acceptance procedures .
Notice the part that says “merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance”, with the one exception being in the circumstance that the customer has an unsigned card, in which case the correct procedure is to (1) ask for ID, (2) ask the customer to sign the card, and (3) compare the signature on the ID to the signature on the card. But if the card is already signed, the merchant can ask for ID but if the customer says “no thanks” the merchant is supposed to say “okay” and go ahead and run the transaction anyway.
I’ve been a long time employee of one of the major card brands. One of the things that nobody has mentioned is the reason there is a rule against requiring an ID to complete a sale. It actually is there to protect you, the cardholder. What information is on your ID? Your home address, DL number, Birth Date, etc. More than enough information to attempt to steal your identity. Why would you want to hand that over to somebody you don’t know? They can easily memorize that information in about 5 seconds while you think they are just scrutinizing your picture. In any case, criminals do not steal your card with the intention of using that same piece of plastic, they just want the account number and mag stripe info so they can make a new card. Just sign the back of the card, make sure you keep an eye on your account, and know that you are protected (in the US) by the “zero liability” rule in addition to a slew of other risk services that keep the crooks from re-using that account number.
I haven’t signed mine because I’m lazy and the ink gets rubbed off in my wallet anyway. A significant percentage of the time I end up swiping the card anyway, but even when I don’t, I’ve been asked for ID once that I can recall (not counting when I was buying alcohol and would have had to show ID anyway, or when there was a sign saying they card everyone who pays with a credit card).
I haven’t signed the back of my credit cards in years, and most people I know haven’t bothered. In fact, there are many times I’m not even required to sign the transaction. I scan my card, and go. No need for a signature. Most grocery stores have a policy of not asking for signatures for anything less than $50. At Costco, it’s $200. Convenience stores, it’s $20 at most locations.
Card insurers and merchants are dedicated to reduce friction at the checkout. The faster the checkout, the more customers can be processed. Merchants have stopped taking checks because processing a check can add minutes to the checkout. Even cash is being discouraged because of the cost of taking cash, making change, then dealing with the cash. Using credit cards can reduce the amount of time spent during a checkout which means fewer cashiers are needed.
This is why both issuers and merchants will do almost anything to make credit cards easier to use and why many purchases don’t require even a signature. Just scan your card and go. After all, most credit card transactions now occur over the Internet where no one checks the back of your card for a signature and no one asks you to sign a credit card bill.
In October, merchants will be required to process NFC chip credit cards in order to be protected from fraud. When that happens, people no longer even have to carry around their credit cards and simply use their smartphones or other devices. When that happens, there won’t even be a credit card to sign.
FWIW in Peru, cards must be signed, cashiers must check ID and the only valid options are
For Peruvian: National ID (DNI)
For foreign residents: Foreigner’s Card (Carnet de Extranjería)
For foreigners: Passport
No other form of ID is valid, even if it has your picture and signature
Some stores got permission for non-ID-use self-checkout up to 50 soles (20 bucks) but it didn’t wasn’t popular