topic Re: Signing back of card? in Credit Cards

Signing back of card?

MoneyBurns — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 20:08:07 GMT

I sign all my cards, usually in permanent marker and then I place a clear tape on top. However some cards don't have the "not valid unless signed" on the back like the Chase amazon prime or Capital One QS from what I remember. So my question is, do I have to sign those cards too?

Thanks for all the input!!

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 20:11:06 GMT

Since the pin cards came out I haven't had anyone touch my card in probably 6+ months. Even some restaurants now just bring a pin terminal to the table.

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 20:16:58 GMT

I am paranoid: afaic if someone steals my card, they have my signature right there to copy inasmuch as anyone could.
So I print "PLEASE SEE ID".

The only issue with that is that the one & only place that (used to) refuse to accept my cards for lack of signature is the US Post Office. Now, though, even they use swipe/chip machines so they never even see my card.

Other than Post Office, and even in the last 2ish years with them, I have not had a single issue not signing the back of my cards.

(Maybe once a year, out of all the swipes, someone actually checks my ID. And I thank them for it.)

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 20:21:46 GMT

I literally just checked my sock drawer and wallet and none of my cards are signed. All of them are chip cards. I just never bothered signing them. If someone steals my wallet, what do I care? Let the banks do their jobs in that case.

I rarely carry more than 1 card in my wallet plus my backup card -- I swap cards based on what stores I am planning to go to. I definitely never carry more than 1+1 cards. Today I only have my backup card in my wallet since I'm not planning on shopping anywhere.

Re: Signing back of card?

mkhan1093 — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 20:36:01 GMT

In my experience, nobody cares anymore. I think they're just remnants from before the chip and PIN days.

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 20:45:21 GMT

None of my cards are signed.

Re: Signing back of card?

Gmood1 — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 21:06:12 GMT

I've signed in the past. The last 5 or 10 have no signatures and no one cares. Lol

Re: Signing back of card?

driftless — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 21:47:32 GMT

Two of my Amex cards do not have a signature block. The ink does not stay on my CSR card.

Re: Signing back of card?

driftless — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 22:04:17 GMT

Post-Script: I was in London and a bookstore wanted to see my signature on the back of my CSR which had rubbed off. They asked me to resign the card, the ink did not hold, dumb is as dumb asks.

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 22:30:42 GMT

I still sign every single card i get, idk, i guess i got used to it. I can't sign my actually signature as the blocks keep getting smaller so i have to do a mini version lol.

My wife writes "please ask for id" on her cards...there are still some vendors who physically take the card and look on the back then ask my wife for ID.

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 23:55:18 GMT

I have never signed the back of a single credit or debit card in my entire life. And i have never had a cashier say anything about it or refuse to accept it.

i dont think it something that anyone pays attention to.

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 01:42:18 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I still sign every single card i get, idk, i guess i got used to it. I can't sign my actually signature as the blocks keep getting smaller so i have to do a mini version lol.

My wife writes "please ask for id" on her cards...there are still some vendors who physically take the card and look on the back then ask my wife for ID.

This comes up frequently. For V and M at least, this violates the customer agreement that you must sign the card with your signature. But, generally, no-one cares

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 02:29:13 GMT

I sign all my cards with SEE ID, though one of my cards I signed "stolen" and it took over 2 years of people glancing at the card & swiping before anyone ever noticed and asked me about it.

I can echo capabk in that the only place I've ever been flat out refused service was at the post office counter. Kept saying that require it to have a signature, so just to spite them I used the same card via SamPay to get around it. Everywhere else just scans without looking, glances then scans or on rare occasions asks me for ID.

My favorite SEE ID moment was in Costco, with my citi Costco card which has my **bleep** face on it right below "SEE ID" instead of a signature. Guy asks me for ID, I point to my picture on the card and he says "yeah that's not Id though". Have to admit he had me there

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 03:01:26 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I sign all my cards with SEE ID, though one of my cards I signed "stolen" and it took over 2 years of people glancing at the card & swiping before anyone ever noticed and asked me about it.

I can echo capabk in that the only place I've ever been flat out refused service was at the post office counter. Kept saying that require it to have a signature, so just to spite them I used the same card via SamPay to get around it. Everywhere else just scans without looking, glances then scans or on rare occasions asks me for ID.

My favorite SEE ID moment was in Costco, with my citi Costco card which has my **bleep** face on it right below "SEE ID" instead of a signature. Guy asks me for ID, I point to my picture on the card and he says "yeah that's not Id though". Have to admit he had me there

really? It’s a Costco ID, how is that not an ID, it was issued by them.

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 03:04:27 GMT

I haven't signed my cards in at least 20 years. But for grins I would sign "Donald Duck" on my receipt and no one EVER noticed it.lol

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 05:39:55 GMT

No one pays attention or cares.

I can't count the number of times a clerk turned my card over to see "SEE ID" or "THIS CARD IS STOLEN" in the signature panel only to turn it back over and hand it back to be and continue the transaction. Like they were just doing it out of muscle memory....

The only issue I have ever had like other posters was the USPS. I always found it stupid that they would ask me to sign the card, not ask for Id, then accept the card. I mean how useless is that......

Re: Signing back of card?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 05:42:44 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I haven't signed my cards in at least 20 years. But for grins I would sign "Donald Duck" on my receipt and no one EVER noticed it.lol

My 10 y/o signs when she is with me and there is a terminal. Clerks usually just smile and say nothing....

For giggles always wanted to dispute a large charge saying it was not my signature just to see what happens but then figured it would cause more trouble than its worth...

Re: Signing back of card?

MrDisco99 — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 13:52:28 GMT

One time I was at a convenience store and the clerk gave me crap about my signature being worn. Didn't ask to see ID or anything just accused me of using a stolen card.

So I left the drinks on the counter and walked out.

Re: Signing back of card?

HeavenOhio — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 14:41:05 GMT

I started signing my cards when two "in the know" types convinced me to do it. They explained that there was no advantage to "please see ID," although I don't recall the rationale anymore. They also explained that the terms of use require the signature, although as mentioned above, few merchants seem to care.

The biggie, however, was a time when I couldn't use my credit card as a second form of ID. A Chase manager who happened to be manning (womaning) a teller window made me take a "quiz" to prove my identity. The odd thing was that the two tellers at the other windows both knew me and tended to have my account pulled up before I even got to the window. Plus, one of them had recently cut me a cashier's check in the $115,000 range without any ID issue.

When I have to sign on a screen, I usually just leave a squiggle. That started long ago when screens were primitive and generally mangled signatures. Nobody's ever noticed except for a Home Depot employee who laughed.

I've been thinking of using a signature that would be hard for most people to duplicate, such as learning to sign my name in Cyrillic.

Re: Signing back of card?

UncleB — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 15:20:59 GMT

This issue seems to come up in the forums every few months or so.

Rules and regulations aside, it's my goal to make my retail transactions as frictionless as possible so I sign my cards.

That said, it's also well-known that the signature panels on some cards are quite small so my signature on cards seldom looks like my 'actual' signature, but by making the attempt I've 'checked the box' for any clerks who actually check (like the USPS).

In my experience, the signature doesn't even have to be close as long as something is on the back of the card.