Question about signing the back of cards.

[Open123]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Obviously I think it is, or I wouldn't have said so. Presumably you do as well, as you're taking the time to respond. And, I'm guessing that there are a fair few who agree with me, since there are 6 pages of this thread, and it keeps on getting bumped by various parties. 

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For Visa/MC, the signing of the card is a clear condition of the Issuer's T&C period.  I have no views on this.  If they change it, fine.  If not, fine too.

My response is only to point out those who "knowingly" violate this T&C simply because they don't like it (for whatever reason), while deriding others for violating "other" portions of the same T&C they happen to "like."  

(Mod Cut)

[Anonymous]

I work in a major retail store. Our STRICT policy that we have to enforce on all customers goes like this: 

If your card is signed, you are protected under merchant agreement and we can not ask you for your ID. 

If your card is NOT signed or says "See ID," we have every right to check your government issued photo ID and will refuse you the sale if you don't present it. 

The safest thing you can ever put on the back of your credit cards is write "SEE ID." I can not stress it enough. I have learned this from having the responsibility of managing tens of thousands of dollars daily at my job. You will not get asked every time at every store for your ID to be shown, but it happens to me personally about 40 to 50% of the time whenever I use my credit cards. 

[jsucool76]

I've been in ONE store that asks for ID (not counting for purchases that have an age restriction) and that is old Navy of all stores. I have (and I'm sure many others have) made purchases in the thousands of dollars and never been asked for an ID, so that entire system is flawed, as it is almost impossible to uphold a policy like that. There is no way to know whether your staff asks every single customer for an ID unless you either a) stand over their shoulder the entire time which is an entire waste of resources, or b) Record video of every transaction and then pay someone to comb through all the video. Either way, both could end up costing more than any possible downsides of not checking someone's ID.

[jsucool76]

I'll also add in my other two cents.... The safest thing you can do is have a card from a bank that is actually good about dispute resolution. Chase has always been fantastic in this sense (in my experiences) and I've found Barclay's to be pretty easy to deal with here as well.

[CreditMagic7]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I work in a major retail store. Our STRICT policy that we have to enforce on all customers goes like this: 

If your card is signed, you are protected under merchant agreement and we can not ask you for your ID. 

If your card is NOT signed or says "See ID," we have every right to check your government issued photo ID and will refuse you the sale if you don't present it. 

The safest thing you can ever put on the back of your credit cards is write "SEE ID." I can not stress it enough. I have learned this from having the responsibility of managing tens of thousands of dollars daily at my job. You will not get asked every time at every store for your ID to be shown, but it happens to me personally about 40 to 50% of the time whenever I use my credit cards. 

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I have a lady friend who when i first seen that on her cards thought it was a no brainer great idea! but i've read others who are vehemently against such practice and as mentioned above a signature is compliant to the card's terms and nothing else.

I didn't read this thread thru yet but wanted to weigh in on that for discussion sake.

[Anonymous]

The only store that asks to see my ID and/or my card as well rather routinely is Best Buy. Other than that no one ever asks to see my card let alone care if the back is signed or not.  I never sign the back and half the time the ink comes off right away. 

[mitchblue]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I work in a major retail store. Our STRICT policy that we have to enforce on all customers goes like this: 

If your card is signed, you are protected under merchant agreement and we can not ask you for your ID. 

If your card is NOT signed or says "See ID," we have every right to check your government issued photo ID and will refuse you the sale if you don't present it. 

The safest thing you can ever put on the back of your credit cards is write "SEE ID." I can not stress it enough. I have learned this from having the responsibility of managing tens of thousands of dollars daily at my job. You will not get asked every time at every store for your ID to be shown, but it happens to me personally about 40 to 50% of the time whenever I use my credit cards. 

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The problem with that is outside your store, no one ever looks. At all. I would prefer if they made sure my cards were signed or at least took a gander. The last time I was checked (asked to sign unsigned card) I was in my early 20's, 25 years ago. 

[Imperfectfuture]

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@mitchblue wrote:

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@Open123 wrote:

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@slicemans wrote:

It is pointless. Most people who ask for ID look at your credit card name. They never look at your signature.

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For Visa/MC, a Merchant may not refuse a purchase for a refusal to show an ID.  However, if a card is unsigned, a Merchant must request ID, witness the card being signed, and then compare the signature to the ID's before accepting the card.

Just curious, why is such a simple T&C rule so often confused and misunderstood?

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Not really misunderstood just that those merchants you mention don't seem to know it themselves. No one ver asks me to sign my cards, ever. 

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Same for me, even when I showed the ID.

[Imperfectfuture]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Open123 wrote:

I couldn’t care less about what Merchants know or don’t know. If they violate a portion of the T&C with me that I find inconvenient, I’ll confront them by offering to call the Issuer.

When it comes to this portion of the T&C, people here either: (1) knowingly and blatantly violate it, and even boast about it; (2) are completely ignorant of it coming up with ad hoc policies to suite their views; and, (3) these same very people reprimand “others” for violating the T&C.

(Mod Cut)

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(Mod Cut)

Whether or not to sign the back of the card is a valuable discussion as to the safety measures that are in place and how to best keep your information private. While I have an opinion on what I think is the best method of doing so, I recognize that others have a point on some topics and may change my methods going forwards. The lack of merchant checks and the inability of the cards to hold standard pen ink are major drawbacks here, which may lead some people to believe that their information is best protected by hoping that the merchant will ask for an ID, either by writing "SEE ID" or by not signing at all.

However, if you feel this strongly about the subject, perhaps you should request that a mod lock this thread. It certainly seems to be inflaming passions and devolving from discourse into a "he said/she said" argument between extremes. I will also be hoping that chip/pin, which would resolve this issue, arrives in the U.S. sometime in the next 50 years.

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Vary well said.  Please cease devolving.  If Open123 wishes to app for moderator, go for it.  Until then, getting hot under the collar over this serves no purpose.   The thread gets me thinking about my practices, but relating this discussion to forum policies is not a factual comparison, only if someone is feeling a bit misunderstood.

[Imperfectfuture]

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@Open123 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Obviously I think it is, or I wouldn't have said so. Presumably you do as well, as you're taking the time to respond. And, I'm guessing that there are a fair few who agree with me, since there are 6 pages of this thread, and it keeps on getting bumped by various parties.

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For Visa/MC, the signing of the card is a clear condition of the Issuer's T&C period.  I have no views on this.  If they change it, fine.  If not, fine too.

My response is only to point out those who "knowingly" violate this T&C simply because they don't like it (for whatever reason), while deriding others for violating "other" portions of the same T&C they happen to "like."  

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T&C of Visa, MasterCard, are not the same as T&C of the forums.  And, the rant will not change that, sorry if it offends you.