Also, when there was a fraudulent charge on my AMEX, I called them and they backed it off immediately. They didn't ask if my card was signed before issuing the credit.
A friend of mine had a sorority sister steal her CC. She then practiced her signature and then went and racked up a bunch of charges. It was hard to get the CC company to back off the charges (actually, I'm not sure they did) since the signatures matched. That is why I have 'Ask for Id' on my CC's. I've never had a bank not allow me to withdraw money because of it. If they ask for ID, they can then verify that the name on your license is the name on the credit card. If my friend had 'Ask for ID' on her card, her sorority sister couldn't have made all of those charges.
Looking online, it seems there's a lot of debate about this particular topic. There doesn't seem to be a clear consensus one way or another. Experian says it doesn't matter; Visa says sign it. Visa also says if the card is unsigned, the merchant will just ask you to sign it in their presence, so no big deal.
Being that Visa is the card issuer, don't you think that their policies govern the use of their cards?
This is what Visa says:
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” US
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.
I'm not sure what your point is, since this contradicts what you're condescendingly telling us. If it's not signed, there are steps the merchant can take to validate the card. Nowhere in this c&p does it say that unsigned = can't accept it; it just means the merchant has to take extra steps to validate it. Which is EXACTLY the point of putting CHECK ID.
Post by fluffydamn on Oct 30, 2014 16:39:15 GMT -5
I have see I.D on mine and never had a problem. Also never stopped the person who stole my card info who went shopping, while the card was in my possession.
Being that Visa is the card issuer, don't you think that their policies govern the use of their cards?
This is what Visa says:
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” US
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.
I'm not sure what your point is, since this contradicts what you're condescendingly telling us. If it's not signed, there are steps the merchant can take to validate the card. Nowhere in this c&p does it say that unsigned = can't accept it; it just means the merchant has to take extra steps to validate it. Which is EXACTLY the point of putting CHECK ID.
The step for the merchant to validate the card is to make you sign it, like you should have in the first place. After you sign the card, it is no longer unsigned and can be accepted.
"An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted" and "A refusal to sign means the card is still invalid and cannot be accepted" mean that unsigned = can't accept it.
My 72 year old MIL told me to do that because she saw it in an email forward that was going around the senior citizen crowd. It's a thing. A stupid thing.
My mom's been doing it longer than email has been around. It's not stupid, anyone can forge a signature. Not many people will have a fake id made up to go with the stolen cc.
They don't need to. People now steal the numbers electronically and make their own cards.
you sound like the postal worker at my post office who flat out refuses anyone's card (visa or not!) who isn't signed. 2 days ago i saw a man have to leave the post office without completing his transaction because she was very adamant "your card must be signed."
My mom's been doing it longer than email has been around. It's not stupid, anyone can forge a signature. Not many people will have a fake id made up to go with the stolen cc.
They don't need to. People now steal the numbers electronically and make their own cards.
Yup. My credit card numbers have been stolen many times, but my credit card has never been physically stolen. Either the card has been cloned or the number has been stolen and used online. Either way, they've never seen my signature.
I've never been held liable for any of these charges, nor has it been difficult to contest them, so it really isn't a big deal.
I do not sign the back of my cards because I highly doubt the people checking them are certified handwriting specialists and can truly confirm that is my signature.
you sound like the postal worker at my post office who flat out refuses anyone's card who isn't signed. 2 days ago i saw a man have to leave the post office without completing his transaction because she was very adamant "your card must be signed."
i mean really lady? not helpful.
The post office is notorious for that. I think they have a strict policy against unsigned cards.
you sound like the postal worker at my post office who flat out refuses anyone's card (visa or not!) who isn't signed. 2 days ago i saw a man have to leave the post office without completing his transaction because she was very adamant "your card must be signed."
i mean really lady? not helpful.
this is something new at our post office too.
Yes, I have encountered the same thing at the post office. They are adamant.
you sound like the postal worker at my post office who flat out refuses anyone's card who isn't signed. 2 days ago i saw a man have to leave the post office without completing his transaction because she was very adamant "your card must be signed."
i mean really lady? not helpful.
The post office is notorious for that. I think they have a strict policy against unsigned cards.
I'm not sure what your point is, since this contradicts what you're condescendingly telling us. If it's not signed, there are steps the merchant can take to validate the card. Nowhere in this c&p does it say that unsigned = can't accept it; it just means the merchant has to take extra steps to validate it. Which is EXACTLY the point of putting CHECK ID.
The step for the merchant to validate the card is to make you sign it, like you should have in the first place. After you sign the card, it is no longer unsigned and can be accepted.
"An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted" and "A refusal to sign means the card is still invalid and cannot be accepted" mean that unsigned = can't accept it.
Except for the other options:
• 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.
• Compare the signature on the card to the signature on the ID.
The step for the merchant to validate the card is to make you sign it, like you should have in the first place. After you sign the card, it is no longer unsigned and can be accepted.
"An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted" and "A refusal to sign means the card is still invalid and cannot be accepted" mean that unsigned = can't accept it.
Except for the other options:
• 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.
• Compare the signature on the card to the signature on the ID.
These aren't options -- it is a three-step procedure ("If a customer gives you an unsigned card, the following steps must be taken..." not "one of the following steps must be taken").
The second step is signing the card.
(Further evidence that you have to do all three steps -- the third step would make no sense without the card being signed in the meantime. You can't compare the signature of an unsigned card to a signature on an id, because there is no signature on the unsigned card.)
Post by fuckyourcouch on Oct 30, 2014 16:59:48 GMT -5
1. I just got a new debit card like a month and a half ago and my signature is already rubbing off, so what am I supposed to do when that happens? Thanks Obama.
2. Lol at the condescending tones in here. INVALID!!1
3. My signature on my card looks nothing like what I sign on receipts in a big hurry. So good luck validating that shit.
you sound like the postal worker at my post office who flat out refuses anyone's card who isn't signed. 2 days ago i saw a man have to leave the post office without completing his transaction because she was very adamant "your card must be signed."
i mean really lady? not helpful.
He left instead of just signing his card then and there? Lol at both of them.
1. I just got a new debit card like a month and a half ago and my signature is already rubbing off, so what am I supposed to do when that happens? Thanks Obama.
2. Lol at the condescending tones in here. INVALID!!1
3. My signature on my card looks nothing like what I sign on receipts in a big hurry. So good luck validating that shit.
You signed it, and there's probably some smudge showing that you did, so it is valid.
Listen, the reality is that 99 times out of 100 the cashier isn't going to touch your card (or if s/he does, the signature block on the card isn't going to be looked at). And as noted upthread, many modern identity thefts are cloning stolen numbers and printing their own cards, and they can use their own signatures on those cards. This is why I think it is silly to put "sign id" on the card. It is against the issuer's policies, nobody's checking signatures, you aren't going to be liable for unauthorized transactions either way, if your card info is stolen it usually isn't because the card was physically stolen, and on and on. So it kind of doesn't accomplish anything to be the person who puts "see id" on the card.
you sound like the postal worker at my post office who flat out refuses anyone's card who isn't signed. 2 days ago i saw a man have to leave the post office without completing his transaction because she was very adamant "your card must be signed."
i mean really lady? not helpful.
The post office is notorious for that. I think they have a strict policy against unsigned cards.
I don't think the policy is against unsigned cards per se, but rather a strict policy about following the rules that Visa/MC issue about accepting credit cards. The post office and Disneyland (at least when I worked there) are the only two places I've come across that consistently follow those rules.
Post by captainobvious on Oct 30, 2014 17:25:00 GMT -5
I write See ID and also sign my cards, but at this point neither card has anything written on the back because it's been worn off with use(?) So I guess the folks at the bank will have to get mad at me because the little signature strip isn't even there for me to sign anymore.
I'll take "people who get off on their tiny allotment of authority" for five hundred, Alex.
In the course of my day, having to explain and enforce a bank policy like this is not a power trip. But the difference between a "policy followed loss" and a "policy exception loss" means my job - so if the bank says it has to be signed, then you have to sign it to withdraw money from your account.
Post by sandyapples on Oct 30, 2014 17:35:57 GMT -5
My cards are all chip cards and I enter my pin after I swipe. No one in recent memory has ever asked to see my card in Canada. I always feel like a criminal shopping in the states when they ask to see my ID.
My cards are all chip cards and I enter my pin after I swipe. No one in recent memory has ever asked to see my card in Canada. I always feel like a criminal shopping in the states when they ask to see my ID.
I always thought that was strange. Even before chip & pin was everywhere in Canada, no one asked to see my ID ever. Unlike the U.S. where they ask all the time.
My cards are all chip cards and I enter my pin after I swipe. No one in recent memory has ever asked to see my card in Canada. I always feel like a criminal shopping in the states when they ask to see my ID.
I always thought that was strange. Even before chip & pin was everywhere in Canada, no one asked to see my ID ever. Unlike the U.S. where they ask all the time.
Do you guys not have signature blocks on your cards? I've never been asked for ID to use a credit card. Not sure how Canadians would get flagged for that?
I don't know the last time I was asked for ID at the bank. Maybe when getting the cashiers check for our house closing?
They have swipe machines so you swipe your card and enter your pin, nobody looks at your ID for a normal withdrawal and I'm pretty sure they just did that and MAYBE had me show my DL for the cashiers check.