Personal Finance Advice

I sign all my cards. When I worked in retail as a cashier, if I got an unsigned card or a card that said something like “See ID,” I would refuse to accept it. The customers would try to present an ID, but I would say that it’s against our merchant agreement with the card companies to accept cards that aren’t signed.

Also, if your card is signed, you CANNOT be asked to present ID as a condition of the sale. That’s also in the merchant’s agreement. If they still insist on ID, you can report them to the card company and they might have their ability to accept that type of card revoked.

If I’m ever asked for ID when presenting a signed card, I’ll spend the time to educate the poor cashier on this fact if I have an extra minute or two. So far, nobody’s refused a sale because I wouldn’t present ID, but I’m sure that time will come.

As far as credit card thieves, they’ll be able to use my card whether or not the card is signed. As long as I sign my card, however, VISA or MC or whoever will give me my money back and then it’s the card company’s problem. I mean, think about it. Say you write “See ID” on the back. Then your card is stolen, and I thief tries to use it at a store. Some cashier does what the card says and asks for ID. Either the thief presents the wrong ID or refuses. What’s the cashier gonna do? Tackle the guy? Ask them to hold still while the police come to arrest him?

It’s not up to you or me or even merchants to stop credit card theft. It’s up to the credit card companies working with police. You can still take measures to keep your card from getting stolen, but if it’s removed from your possession, then nothing you do to the card will keep it from being used short of reporting the theft to your card issuer.

I agree. Not signing the card makes it invalid. Not only can the merchant refuse to accept it, but in some cases they can actually confiscate it.

I agree with the above posts and I just wanted to add this:

Let’s just assume we live in a perfect world and the cashier will always check the back of the card. If some guy has stolen my credit card, he probably has done so by stealing my wallet and therefore, also has my ID. Therefore, presenting an ID to the cashier isn’t much of a problem for him (assuming he’s the same gender and race).

However, if a guy has stolen my credit card, he has not necessarily developed the ability to convincingly forge my signature. IMHO, having a signature on the back of your card is much better protection than “Check ID”.

Of course, who’s to say that you don’t legitimately sign your name “Check ID”.

My signature is an illegibile scribble that couldn’t be correlated to my name no matter how hard you tried. If that’s a legal signature, so is “Check ID”.

So all a thief has to do is sign the credit card slip “Check ID”, and he’s home free!

Here’s a fun story series of articles about someone having fun with credit card signatures:
http://www.zug.com/pranks/credit/

While I agree the card should be signed and that the cashier has a responsibility to refuse a card that is not signed, a credit card is not an ID nor is it to be used as ID, according to former Kansas AG Bob Stephen. Another words Credit Card is not a 2nd form of ID.
As for asking for an ID, I have to disagree with the 1st reponse, it is the cashiers responsibility to make sure the customer before them is the person, they claim to be. That may mean asking to see an ID, just like for a check. I must admit though, with the customer sliding their own card at the grocery store where I work, I almost never check.

I have placed “SEE ID” on the back of all my cards for years now and I have not had any problems except one retailer that said they could not accept a card that did not have a signature. It does seem that more vendors are not looking at signatures and I expect when the touch cards increase in use, even less cashiers will check.

I do both. I sign and write next to it ‘Ask ID’. A couple of merchant have asked for ID, whom I’ve then applauded for doing so.

Looking at the bigger picture, merchants should be held responsible for not checking the signature and/or ID. Few merchants actually match my signature with the one on my credit card. And ever fewer ask for my ID. … and yet, they bare no responsibility when something is purchased with a stolen identity.

In Belgium, Visa cards now come with a PIN (for credit cards!). Why is this not available in the US? For older systems, or the old paper based slider, the system still defaults to checking the signature.

So when was the last time someone checked the signature and you thanked them, generally we use the card to get out fast…and we don’t want to take the extra time for the signature to be checked…having three kids in tow when I do it, I am not going to start asking the clerk to even look at my signature! It prolly looks completly different when signed with baby in hand anyway…..

I basically tried to explain to a friend who had SEE ID on his card about the merchant agreement and that the business was actually supposed to refuse his sale. He didn’t want to seem to listen.

Honestly, I am a little annoyed when asked for an ID because if someone has stolen my card he has probably stolen my wallet and has my ID. I may start thanking them if they check the signature but I won’t be thanking them for wasting my time by checking my ID.

There are some merchants — namely, Amtrak — who will not accept your credit card if it says “Ask for ID.” They require your signature on the card to use it, so if you don’t sign it, you’re SOL.

I sign mine. When I remember.

Always a good idea to sign your cards for many of the reasons mentioned above. I trust a retailer who actually looks at my signature before handing my card back to me to complete the transaction. Some don’t.

I’m surprised no one has mentioned this yet - I sign my name and write “Check ID” under it. That way, they can’t refuse it since it is not signed, but I still ask them to verify my identity before completing the transaction.
Of course, I still only get asked for i.d. maybe 1 out of every 20 transactions. But I always take the time to say thank you after they check my i.d. I want to thank the cashiers who are being conscientious and doing their job.

Maybe I am missing something, but I am not seeing the point of those who are saying that the person who has stolen your card probably also has your ID (such as driver’s license). What are the odds that the person who stole my wallet looks exactly like me?! Of course, I expect the cashier to refuse the transaction (not tackle the guy) if the person presenting the card and ID is not the rightful owner.

I do like the idea of signing but also writing “Check ID” next to it. I will start doing that!

If you don’t sign the back of your credit card and it is lost or stolen, then you will be liable for all charges incurred by the thief because you voided the terms of the credit card agreement by not signing the card. Visa and MC are all too happy to pass along the charges to you in this case. If you do sign the back of the card and it is lost or stolen, then you are only liable to a maximum of $50.

Forging a signature is MUCH more difficult than obtaining a fake ID. Writing “See ID” does little to nothing to protect you (especially since the merchant is NOT required to follow any instructions regarding “See ID”)

Only a handful of experts can fake a signature, and even those people have to practice the signature thousands of times before getting it halfway right. IDs are much easier. Did you know you can even buy fake IDs on the Internet?

So you actually expect the cashier to have some inherent ability to conduct handwriting analysis with enough proficiency to make an accurate distinction between a forgery and a sloppy signature?

A fake ID may be easy to obtain, but it still requires more work and effort on the part of the criminal, which may give the consumer enough time to realize the card is missing and cancel it before any fraudulent charges are even made.

That being said though, the entire credit card system is ill-equipped to handle fraud as we know it today. While we need to remain cautious of pick-pockets, purse-snatchers and accidentally leaving things places, these crimes are much more easily and profitably perpetrated online. It is the consumer’s responsibility to safeguard their information as much as possible, but the credit card companies need to get creative in how they address the growing problem of ID theft and fraud.

Does this work with the
Visa Check Cards?, I ask because I don’t trust credit cards.

In Grace,
-Earthen

i work for the post office and we are not allowed to accept cards without a signature but so many people argue with us, saying that if it is signed then someone who steals the card can steal their signature, so some people dont even bother asking anymore just to prevent an arguement with the customer. i always say, if they want to scam you, they will do it with or without a signature.

You guys don’t make any sense. If someone steals my id that doesnt mean he looks like me. A signature is easy to replicate, looking like someone in a photo id is not easily to replicate.

I used to never sign the back of my card and was never asked to show ID or refused a sale.

On the other hand, my boyfriend has “check ID” on his and is always asked for ID and is never refused. Even when we are together using both of our cards at the same time, they check his ID but never mine.

Now I have both my signature and “check ID”

I never sign my credit cards. What’s the point? Nobody ever really checks it anyway. And when I sign the receipt, I *NEVER* sign my name. I’ve signed it as George Bush, Osama bin Laden, Cher, and a nice picture of a tree with a swing. If nobody is even looking at the receipt to see if I really sign my name as a tree or if I really am bin Laden, what’s the point in signing?

I had a sale that turned out to be a stolen credit card and i had looked at the name and then when he signed on the pad and compared them and it was the same. the feeling sucks.