# Signing your credit card

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-credit-card/471405>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [November 6, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-credit-card/471405 "2008-11-06T03:35:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![amyin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@amyin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amyin)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-credit-card/471405/1 "2008-11-06T03:35:02Z")

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I’m new to the forum so forgive me if someone’s brought this up before… but doesn’t the column about signing your credit card ignore the blaringly obvious fact that if you don’t sign your credit card and someone else wants to use it, they can just sign it themselves with your name? Why would any criminal put up with being hassled for ID for using a signature-less card rather than simply sign it, and thus be able to replicate the correct signature and avoid any suspicion?

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**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-credit-card/471405/2 "2008-11-06T04:04:02Z")

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Hello and welcome.

Is this the article you mean?

> **[Should you sign the back of your credit cards?](https://www.straightdope.com/21342586/should-you-sign-the-back-of-your-credit-cards)**
>
> A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD

This is actually a staff report, not Cecil’s column. I’m sure a mod can move it.

The card companies want you to sign it because it’s how they get you to agree to their terms.  
They want the merchant to police you signing it, that’s why they say it’s invalid if it’s not signed.  
In the real world, most merchants don’t check the back of the card, won’t compare the signature to anything, whether or not the card wielder is the card owner.  
Credit card companies and merchants realize this and, as far as we can tell, don’t really care.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signing-your-credit-card/471405/3 "2008-11-06T06:52:12Z")

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Moved to CSR.