I printed out a little label on my label printer that says "please check my ID" and affixed it underneath my signature. Everytime the merchant actually takes the card the ask for my ID. Well at least so far.

What if "See ID" is what you sign everything with but isn't your signature? I mean my signature's basically a scribble, so long as it was consistent across all forms couldn't your signature be a stylized picture of a duck?

Even if it is the CC company's policy, it is still the dumbest damn policy I have ever seen. It makes absolutely no sense to make the cardholder sign the card in front of you for it to be valid. Makes me crazy every time I am at the post office and see this argument go down. Why is the USPS the only company that enforces this? It almost seems like it is out of spite.

@jakenjill: They enforce it because they're a government agency and government agencies love bureaucracy and following rules.

I've said this before and I'll say it again--not signing your card makes the banks richer and the merchants poorer. Usually when charges are disputed the burden of proof is left on the merchant, and them accepting a non-signed card automatically makes them at fault.

I have "Ask for ID" on the back of my card and it's never been refused. In the multiple years it's been there I can still count on one hand how many times the merchant has checked let alone actually asked for my ID. If I ever do get a merchant that refuses my card, then they lose the sale, plain and simple. I'm not putting my signature on that (or any) card.

I was in line behind a lady at the post office last week who got into it with the postal worker about this. She couldn't understand why the post office was the only place that enforced this policy and felt necessary to argue for about 5 minutes about it before pulling out her checkbook to pay.

I'm sure this has a lot to do with the post office being a gov't entity that follows the rules to a "t" whereas most merchants don't want to piss off customers, they just want their money.

Honestly though, why is the signature on the card really necessary? You agree to the terms when you apply for the card (with your signature on the bottom of the page), why not just use that little space for something else that might actually prevent theives from using my card?

@jakenjill: Because it's USPS. They can make life a living hell... along with the DMV

What, doesn't everybody know thieves and scammers are both physically and psychologically incapable of signing credit cards?

meh, not a problem. Time to read the next article!

I just want to know what liberties are being taken away by signing the back of your credit card?

Yay Postoffice!

interesting..kinda. i got a new debit card a month ago and haven't bothered signing it because i thought the check id way was more protective (and i could've sworn i read that on consumerist). anyway, no one has asked me to sign it OR ask for an ID. to reflect some of the comments above..i don't see why cc companies make this rule or why they haven't come up with a rule that actually benefits consumers.

When I worked in retail hell for a department store, we were told to always ask for ID if a customer didn't sign their Visa. If they refused to show ID, which some people do, then they had to provide payment in another format. This policy took effect years ago. I also witnessed this at the Apple store a couple days ago.

What about stores that ask for ID anytime you use a debtit OR credit card? I've noticed some small chain stores ask for an ID every time I use a debit. A litte ridiculous, no?

I can't stand people who put "See ID" on their cards. The whole point of credit cards is that they are faster and more efficient than cash or checks. If someone steals your physical card (which is a very rare occurrence), you are not responsible for any charges. Don't make people like me wait around while you argue over why it makes you "feel safe" to put that on your cards. (This is why I like stores like Target that don't even handle your card--zip the card through the machine, sign the screen, and I'm done paying even before the last item is scanned.)

This irks me almost as much as stores that require government ID in order to use a credit card. Visa and MC (and maybe the others) specifically forbid stores from denying a purchase based on the ability to show a second ID. (Especially when I have my photo and signature hard-printed on the card.) I actually avoid stores that do that.

I don't mean to offend those of you who are paranoid about credit cards and ID, but you all need to relax a bit.

@bnpederson: Not valid. Do both, write see your id and your signature.

@snwbrder0721:
I just applied for a credit card through my bank, requiring absolutely no signature. My acceptance of the terms will be when/if I sign the credit card.

@quiksilver180: If only the DMV here took credit cards. I have to get out the checkbook once every 2 years to renew my plates since they don't know what the 21st century is.

Anyways, I've been using cards for years, none of them are signed, and I've never been given crap. Once in a blue moon, I'll go somewhere that will check the signature and just ask for my ID.

If my memory is not that bad, we already (at consumerist) discussed the same issue a week or couple weeks ago. I still don't get it why people refuse to sign the cc o dc. Maybe it is because most of the people have the same kind of writing. I've noticed that a lot. What upsets me is that whatever cashier who asks for my ID don't even bother to check both signatures (on my ID and back of my card) they stare for a few seconds checking my name, I guess my age and my picture on my ID. So, I don't even understand the big deal with signing as well...

The funny thing about the USPS policy is that you can go out to their automated machines and conduct your transaction there with an unsigned credit card.

It really makes no sense that a machine doesn't care but a person does.

@JNighthawk: It is likely you accept the terms by using the credit card.

However, it is also more likely that you agreed to something when you signed up for the card.

How many people can get away with not paying their credit card bills by not signing the card? Zero.

So, what about AmEx and Discover's policies?

A signature is your legal mark. If it had to be your name, then no doctor I have ever met would be able to use a credit card since none of them use more than one letter and some scribbles.

A scribble, heart, happy face or "see I.D." all work if you use them consistantly and with no fraud intended.

Somebody call the waahhhhmbulance! Seriously, what card doesn't have "Not valid unless signed" right above/below the place you are supposed to sign it? I make no excuses for credit card companies, as the ones in the US are incredibly behind their European counterparts, but if the thing says "sign it or you can't use it" then just sign it! You agreed to all this nonsense by getting the card!

I was at a post office and the person in front of me didn't have their CC signed. The post office employee told them they could either sign it in front of them or use a different form of payment. An unsigned debit card was presented, that was okay. WTF?

@amoeba: For me, it's not that I refuse to. I just never remember to (in other words, I'm too damn lazy)

@the_goz: And when I steal your credit card, the VERY first thing I'll do is remove that label! What's the point when it *is* you? You want them to check the ID when it *isn't* you! Unless you're just trying to encourage them to adopt the habit...

I once (honestly) forgot to sign a new card and went to use it. The lady stopped me and told me the card was not signed and she couldn't continue the transaction until I signed it. I asked what good it did for me to stand there and sign it, that proved nothing. She said she couldn't complete the transaction unless the card was signed. So I signed the card. She never asked for any other ID. She then completed the transaction. WTF?

The best part was when she picked up the receipt and compared my signature to the one on the card. Yes, she really did.

@schwnj: You're generalizing when you say that you're not held accountable for purchases when a physical card is stolen. Credit cards and debit cards are different on this and then it matters when you report the card as stolen also.

I put 'See ID' on my card more as an experiment to see how many people actually look at the back of the card and how many people ask for ID. Ironically, I used to work retail and hated the people who got pissed off if you didn't see it on the card and ask for the ID. Of course people act all apologetic when they ask and I feel awkward when I have to asure them that I understand that they're asking for ID because I wrote that on the card. Maybe I should write 'Harrass me' on the card and see what reaction I get.

The problem with signing the card is that the signature doesn't last forever. Even my 'See ID' is faded after so many uses. Just sign the card if they make you and then wipe it off after you leave the store.

@SOhp101: No, the burden of proof is not on the merchant. How could the card company possibly say "we will not cover this fraudulent charge, because the card was not signed?" The card is freaking gone! Are they using the Visa Psychics to see the card with their clairvoyant powers so they can tell whether it's signed or not?

@groupie: As for the merchants checking IDs, it is actually against companies' merchant agreements to ask for ID on credit or debit transactions. The obvious exception is when signatures do not match (or are not present), but in most all cases, you cannot ask for ID.

@the_goz: You have to sign it because it's a sort of contract with the card company. By signing the card, you are signing your agreement with the card company. That's the explanation I was given, anyway.

When I last worked retail in the mid-80s, American Express' policy was that if the card was unsigned you were supposed to check ID and have the cardholder sign the card in front of you. If cardholder refused to sign their card, you were to keep it, cut it in half and send it to Amex. Of course no one would actually do that since it would alienate customers.

I also understood that the liability limits on theft were dependent on the card being signed. Sort of like insurance companies being hesitant to pay out on a car that is stolen while left running with the door open and unattended.

I didn't understand the idea of not signing credit cards then or now. When I asked people why they didn't sign them, it was because a thief could copy their signature. It didn't seem to sink in that if the thief signed the card themselves, they wouldn't need to copy it.

My dad signs those self check out CC machines with "suckers" or stupid things just to see if they ever will get back to him.

They haven't yet.

The whole signiture verification is such a farce anyway, I never sign anything the same way twice...that way no one can copy my siggy... :)

@amoeba: nowadays most retail clerks have no clue they are supposed to verify the signatures. many seem to be instructed to verify at least the names and pics match, but even getting one that does that much is rarer and rarer..

My credit card is so overused the signature label is worn out with no visible signature. You can even see the word "void" coming through on the security strip. It's funny because maybe half the time the cashier flips the card over and "checks" the signature - and 100% of the time they just hand it back to me.

But holy crap one time I was at a BP gas station and I handed over my corporate (unsigned) gas card and the girl asked to see ID. I said this is the first time I've ever been called out on my gas card and I'd had this card since the freakin' 80's. But even when I handed over my ID the girl stared at like it was Greek. I had to show her literally that the card said XXXX Corporation which shared my last name on my DL. Ugh she was stupid.

I had (HAD) a friend who wrote 'SEE ID' on her card, and always handed her ID over with the card. I can't stand that sort of thing. I am sure she probably shows her receipt going out of the bathroom. She also would keep a daily log of license plate numbers of cars that violated "carpool lane" rules, and she would phone them to the police, daily.

Anyhow, I wish the consumerist would run a story about merchants imposing a minimum or extra charge to use a credit or debit card. That is ridiculous, especially for debit purchases. (Maybe they have run one... not searched, yet.) Those fees and minimums are ALWAYS against the contract the merchant has with their cc processor, and this sort of thing should not be tolerated. More than once I have called 1-800-VISA-911 to have Visa explain the rules to a merchant.

@ccouvillion: But they could see the receipt that did not have their signature. That would match the card, if they checked it.

@faust1200: Could you imagine someone trying to commit fraud with a FLEET card? hahahaha... "Enter my mileage?"

With most businesses having personal "swipe" terminals (ex. at the grocery store so you don't have to hand your card to a cashier), there is no need to sign my card. I've used my Visa Debit card for years without any sort of signature.

@Shadowfire: yes, in this case the burden of proof is on the merchant. here's how it goes down:

1) customer disputes transaction
2) card issuer requests receipt copy
3) merchant provides receipt copy
HERE'S WHERE IT MATTERS:
4) if card issuer has card in hand & card is not signed or says SEE ID, they can file a "compliance" claim thru card network
5) unless you legitimately use SEE ID as a signature, the merchant card network would, in this case, rule in favor of the card issuer.

a compliance claim is different from a chargeback. basically it means that the merchant did not comply with the requirements of the merchant network. in this specific example, they accepted a card that was not valid (b/c it was not signed) for a purchase. therefore, the transaction did not meet the 3 requirements for a valid transaction: approval obtained thru network, cardholder present (signature on slip), & valid (as in "signed") card present (partial or full mag read - a manual or keyed entry does not comply with the "card present" guidelines).

OK, #1. You agree to the cardholder agreement usually when you sign up for the card. Remember when you signed the app? Also, the signature on the receipt stipulates that by signing, you are agreeing to the cardholder agreement and terms.

#2. Look at what the definition of SIGNATURE is. 1 and 5 clearly say an identifying mark. By writing it in your own handwriting, it's your mark. Did you also know you can legally sign something by applying a fingerprint to it? People who could not read or write also signed something by "applying/writing" their mark, which was sometimes just an X.

And yes, all of my cards have "see photo ID" written on the back at least twice in different colored inks and I also write one upside down in case you hold the card funny. Besides, half the time on those computer terminals, the cashier doesn't see what you signed anyway. And a show of hands on how many people have read/heard reports of cashiers/servers using skimmers when they handle your card? Best advice. Check your account, and check it often.

I signed my credit card with a sharpie and the signature is now a melted blur. In the states, no one checks it. No one. I spent a week in England and EVERYONE checked it and gave me dirty looks. Lucky for me I have one of those credit cards with a picture on it.

Do you know how difficult it was to mug a person who looks just like me?

Even though the merchants are just trying to prevent fraud, It's not a big deal in most places. I sign Mickey Mouse and other stupid names for fun. If your I.D. matches the name on the credit card they are going to approve it.

If your wallet was stolen, most merchants now check the picture on the I.D. to see if you look anything like the picture.

Not signing a CC or writing See ID used to be one of my pet peeves. I used to sit their and wait for the customer to sign the card or cancel the sale, as the card IS NOT VALID.

But that now management no longer backs up their employees or their agreements with Visa/MC/Amex/etc, I don't even bother looking at the cards. It's not worth the hassle those types of people (stupid 'I am outsmarting the system' people) put up to rectify the situation.

So congratulations "SeeID" people. Your refusal to have a valid card and follow your CC's instructions have systematically worn down cashiers, management, and corporations around the country to the point where almost no one checks the signature anymore, making it even EASIER to fraudulently use someone else's CC.

Nice work.

What about those of us that have signed cards, but the signature has worn off and can't be re-written on the card?

It's all a joke these days. Half the stores you visit have self-swipe machines where the cashier never touches your card. I work retail, and as a cashier we have to take and swipe the customer's card. I always check an ID on an unsigned card or a "See ID" card. You wouldn't believe how many people write "See ID" on their card, though, and then sigh heavily when I ask for their ID, like I'm doing them a huge disservice.

Oh, and at so many stores now, you don't even have to sign if your purchase is under $XX ($25 at my store), which makes the signature basically useless.

Mostly, I want to tell the people who say smugly, "Oh, I never sign my cards, that way no one can copy my signature," what IDIOTS they are. Honestly.

[www.zug.com]

Provides a different take on the subject.

Personally I have signed cards 'Elvis' and 'Firstname help I'm under duress lastname'

I worked for several years in an adult video store. Small town, only one in a fifty-mile radius. We accepted credit cards, provided they were signed and a driver's license shown. It was posted and we rarely had a problem with people flipping out. The few that did have problems were told to either pay with cash (since we required ID with a check, too) or get the (whatever expletive we felt was appropriate) out. Maybe it's just small-town North Carolina, but most people I dealt with trusted us with their information more than most businesses in the area.

My step-father refused to sign the back of his credit cards back in the 70's and 80's. His thinking was that if he were mugged or his hotel room robbed, then the crook would be making off with his checkbook and umpteen of his signatures. With this he could see the crook perfecting his forged signature and cleaning out his bank account the next day.

I'd always thought that that was the crazy reason so many people never signed the back of the credit card.

For the record, Best Buy's official corporate policy is to *never* check photo IDs when the customer is paying with a credit card. Whether the card's unsigned, signed, says "Check ID" or "Photo ID Required", etc, employees are not allowed to check IDs. Whether this is actually implemented in all stores...well that's another story, but that's the policy.

O.K. I have visited this site for a while to read what everyone else is saying so,first posting. I'm a Management Consultant in the Retail industry for 11 years and have management experience,(Small and Corporate) in the industry since '82. In '88 in Whistler B.C. Canada Visa were in my store installing debit system, I took a card, no ID visa rep asked why, I explained I have read the agreement it says anyone that uses my card, I have deemed to have lent it to them.(She told me not to repeat that to my staff) as for chargebacks they charge user and retailer(been on both sides) Think about gas stations that have pay at the pump. good luck with chargebacks. Also in Resorts you get some people from countries that their signature is not in English. Try deciphering Japanese characters in a name.