having worked in retail for several years, i have placed "see id" on my card as well. if anything, it is something in the world of nothing. i always advised my customers who didn't want to sign their cards that: a)if not signed, a thief can sign their own signatures on it and the signatures would then match; and b) technically we aren't allowed to accept it. i can't see any harm in placing "ask for id) in a that section by your signature. if you want to put it there, do it. if merchants don't ask, they don't have to.

I write 'dance like a monkey' on all my cards. Then I get all indignant when the cashier continues to follow their normal store procedures instead of my personal non-standard instruction. Why won't they do as I say?

Ironically, except at Best Buy, I have yet to have anyone check my card against my signature. THey won't match in any way, and I've actually signed things like 'Stolen' and 'I am a Monkey' in the signature line on the credit slip. At Best Buy, they've upgraded to all-electronic checkouts, so all I make is a completely unitelligible scribble on the screen. I guess it's close enough to the unintelligible scribble on my card, because they usually just hand it back to me.

I used to work as a cashier in high school and was trained to compare signatures so it bothers me whenever a cashier scans the card and hands it back to me before i even get the receipt to sign. i obviously know it's mine so i don't make a big deal but it's disheartening to know that the simplest job that a cashier SHOULD be doing is not being done.

i almost feel that if your card is stolen and security cams show that a store a cashier didn't check signatures or just handed back the card after swiped that they should be held partially responsible. Maybe that's what would get stores to check...if due diligence is not performed then a store is held liable for the purchase.

i thought we had a discussion about this on consumerist before. Putting "Ask for ID" is against your cardholder agreement and technically voids your CC, although that's never enforced.

I am not liable for fraud on my card, so why should I add to my inconvenience and diminish my privacy. Yes, I realize that costs of fraud are an externality, but to me, privacy is paramount. Particularly as we see a move to RFID drivers licenses and probably more scanning capability at retail. I only want a store to have the minimal information absolutely necessary to complete he transaction.

P.S. I only use cash at Best Buy because of their draconian credit policies.

Someday people will get this right and stop disseminating false information.

[usa.visa.com]

Try to use your 'See Id' signed card at the post office or any government office and see how far it gets you.

the first and most crucial flaw in this theory is simple: it assumes that the cashier actually looks at the back of your card.

this starts with the fact that most CC transactions performed with the cardholder swiping the card themselves, the chance that the card even ends up in the hands of a cashier at all.

so if you don't swipe it yourself, and do hand it to the cashier, rarely do they pay it any attention other than to swipe it and hand it back to you. i've had more cashiers comment on the crack in one of my cards than look at the back of it.

@petrarch1608: Actually, putting "Ask for ID" and not signing your card is against your cardholder agreement. As the OP says above, you can both sign your card and say "Ask for ID" without violating your agreement.

Just a heads up, the Post will (and does) refuse to accept any credit/debit card with only "Please see ID" written on it.

@ars_workerbee2: I think the point of the post is, for those cases where the cashier does look at the back of your card, you've included instructions ("Please ask for my ID") that you want them to do.

That doesn't mean they'll see it, or do it, but it's an additional line of defense against fraud...

@petrarch1608: @Skellbasher: I think the point of this article is to discuss the validity/usefulness of doing both signing your card and writing "See ID" on the strip, not just writing "See ID."

I myself subscribe to the "both" option, as well. Granted, it's been about a year since anyone has asked to see my ID. (grumble, grumble)

I've signed my CC slips as "Joe Black", "Mooooo", "Sucks", etc - cashiers never called the difference between my signature on the card and on the slip, even when they seemingly compared them.

The only place where I got in trouble for this is outside of US - EU, Australia, New Zealand, etc. They do check and claim a difference.

I have encountered the phenomenon where a card doesn't swipe and must be entered manually that the cashier requests a form of identification. Of course this was a store charge card that wasn't working, I'm sure they would have done the same for a credit card that had stopped swiping.

Seriously? After all the articles about how merchants have no right to require ID for credit card purchases?

The silly thing about this is that I very rarely hand a credit card to anyone anymore. It's all self service card machines at checkouts nowadays. The only time I hand over a card to a human is at a restaurant. They never seem to even look at the card.

@Matthew Hughes: There's a difference between requiring ID and asking for it when the cardholder requests it... we are, after all, the customers... what we say goes, right?

I never sign my cards, and once, in an argument, i signed my coworkers name. I had absolutely no problems. Not a single purchase I made was questioned, ever.

For several years I worked as a bartender in NJ and now am in the rental industry in MA. One of the most frustrating things I've encountered is the indignation many customers have when you actually ask to see ID when they've put "See ID" in the signature space on their credit cards and check cards.

As a bartender I was frequently berated by customers who would refuse to produce an ID because they felt my asking for an it implied they looked like a criminal.

Folks who write "See ID" on their cards need to understand that they're instructing the cashier to make an extra effort to confirm their identity. Sometimes it may be an inconvenience but it's part of the extra security their asking for.

Personally - I think consumers are better off signing the card (as instructed by the CC company) and just being diligent about checking their balance.

"They use cards as quickly as possible after a theft and prior to the accounts being blocked."

Thus making it INFINITELY more improbable that someone's going to whip up a bogus driver's license that matches my purloined card.

It ain't perfect, as the article states. Yet it's one more (probably symbolic) hurdle evil-doers must face.

Sort like the bike-lock approach. Sure, locks can be snipped, but the main function isn't to stop your bike from being carried off. Well, directly. The point is to make it so that someone else's bike (owned by the careless) moves to the front of the queue when some kid's eyeing which bike to steal.

And, "Check for ID" is different than "Write down my ID number on the credit slip". Apples/oranges, people. Yeesh! :D

Smoke and mirrors, if you ask me... If I write on the back of my card to ask for my ID, then there's no invasion of privacy.

Problem is ID's can/are forged... Take security checks at the airport for example. There is no way a TSA agent knows what every single ID/Driver Licence/Passport looks like, so how can they tell if it's real or not... Again - smoke and mirrors.

I disagree, but whatever. At least SIGN your sig. on the card and put "ask for id" next to it or something. Putting just "CID" on it is utterly stupid.

I used to write that on the back of my cards, but I very rarely had anyone ask to see my ID.

How you sign your name rarely seems to matter also. My boyfriend has even signed his own name to a receipt I paid for by accident before, and it didn't matter.

@Trai_Dep: Usually, for advanced terminals, name and family name will be confirmed by your credit card. If your name does not appear, either you let us cover our ass and write down your id number, or contact your credit card, so your name will appear in the future purchases (It takes 5 min of your time, and you set for good, plus it's another tool that helps to prevent cloning).

Usually, cloned credit cards, have no family name confirmation (or a completely different one, from the credit card).

That's the only time, when cashiers ask to write down your official id # in our business. (I know other places actually do this in other instances, and it's unacceptable).

And in 9 cases out of ten, that was fraud. So we saved a lot of headaches to rightful owners of these cc.

By the way, I like the fact that some credit cards show your picture. It's helpful, if your card is stolen, the thief cannot cash it on the spot in the shopping mall.

''See id'' is acceptable, when appearing WITH your signature. So do BOTH, if you wish. Or just sign your credit card.

If you write ''see id'' only, don't be surprised, if some businesses will reject it. (Especially, if you travel outside of USA).

Also, if you SHOW your id, don't be surprised to be a victim of identity theft. Some crooked cashiers have excellent memory for numbers.

Oh god, not this argument again.

Just sign the damn card and be careful not to lose it. And if you lose it, call your credit company and report fraud. What's the big deal?

@humphrmi: the thing is, this doesn't obligate the cashier to follow those instructions. the store has a contract with the cardholder, as do you, but no contract with you as to terms of accepting your card. at best buy, if you don't have an actual signature on your card, we have to match the signature on the electronic pad to a signature on a license or ID... besides, most fraud will happen fast, through online commerce, at gas stations, places that don't require ID. it's not a great last line of defense because the cashier doesn't have to do it.

I don't find this argument very compelling. Having your credit card information by itself can't lead to identity theft. So the only thing, under the grand assumption that everyone actually does this, is that your credit card might not be ringing up charges in Russia. But doing a charge back on these kinds of blatant fraud is relatively easy with credit card companies, since they're pretty much used to it now.

If you are still stupid enough to have a DEBIT CARD, then perhaps this argument has more merit. In that your bank account could get cleaned out with no recourse available.

OminousG: Wrong. I use my card at the post office weekly and have never had it refused.

@Skellbasher: Use mine at the post-office all the time. No problems.

A long LONG time ago I use to write See ID on the back of my cards. Then after never being asked for my ID over a few years I just started signing my name.

Now most the places I shop just let the customer swip their own card and even thought it says " Please show your card to the cashier " on the screen they never actually ask to see it and just hit a key saying they did.

It does help me to make sure I am extra careful not to loose my wallet haha

I love how the lowest paid segment of society is in charge of handwriting verification and identification confirmation.

The only thing I love more is at the grocery store. If I go to a cashier they MUST check my ID and do a handwriting comparison. But if I go to the 'do it yourself' checkout nobody checks anything.

There's a disconnect also between two very important things: The people who USE stolen cards, and the people who MAKE them. The people who use stolen cards are usually pretty dumb and are eager to get rid of them quickly.

But the people making them are part of a sophisticated gang designed to steal cc information. Remember that a stolen credit card has a street value of like $5. Since credit card vendors are getting very good at detecting fraud, the value of these stolen numbers is pretty much going down to almost nothing. So the gangs are compensating with higher levels of sophistication in obtaining good numbers that will last longer.

If they need to print out fake SSN cards with the person's name on it, that's also extremely easy to do if needed. Remember and SSN has NO PICTURE on it but is in theory a legitimate government issued ID which almost no one will refuse if shown.

One time when I was purchasing stuff at a local store 24, I signed dracula on the reciept... and the guy at the counter looked at it, and refused to give back my card; as he made the point that it coulda been stolen and I did a fake signature... I got my card back after showing my ID and apologizing for fooling around.

also Ive used my debt card at the post office without a signature and they didnt stop me, I suppose smaller post offices dont care to follow those rules.

Also if picture ID became mandatory for credit card transactions, you'd see discrimination lawsuits popping up. Why? Because when they tried to do this for VOTING, the African-American and Hispanic communities were complaining because a large percentage of legitimate people in their group had no form of government issued picture ID. Thus 'logically' they were discriminated from voting. I don't think its too far a jump for the race-card people like Al Sharpton to cry wolf at such an 'egregious' requirement for African Americans.

I'm still not sure I see the big deal. Nearly ALL credit/debit cards have protection against fraudulent use. If someone steals my card and uses it before I get it cancelled, I don't pay for anything. Everyone freaks out over this stuff, but if it happens, you're not out anything. Why stress over it?

These kind of things get old. See ID is just a waste of time and only adds a false sense of security. Credit cards already offer built in protections so you won't owe anything if they are stolen. Many transactions the retailer doesn't even touch the card, and they are not signature experts by any means. If you are that paranoid about credit cards don't use them, use cash or checks.

First we hate showing our ID at IHOP, and now it's a good idea. Make up your f'ing mind, Consumerist. >:(

I work as an intern at a national news organization in New York City, and frequently get sent out on errands to purchase things we need for our show. The producer gives me his no-limit corporate card, which is signed and says "ask for ID" on the back of it. I have bought everything from cases of beer to a thousand blank DVDs to iPhones to flat-screen TVs with that card (all, obviously, for the company; I'm not buying that stuff for myself. I like my job too much to even attempt to abuse the privilege), and never on a major purchase have I been asked for an ID. Even though I am really very obviously not the kind of person who would legitimately possess a corporate card (or have a male first name), the cashiers ask no questions.

The only time I was ever asked for an ID was while purchasing a $6 plastic tiara from a costume shop in the Village. And when I explained that I was an intern and handed over my company ID, the cashier validated it. So much for policy!

One issue with this is on the back of credit cards it states that "Card is not valid without signature." I had this rudely pointed out to me at the post office (USPS) where they told me I could not use the credit card because "See ID" is not a valid signature. Apparently this is policy at all USPS locations.

While I respect newspapers and read them fairly regularly, you have to understand that the people in charge of the newspapers are people just like us. They are also liable of reporting incorrectly or providing irresponsible advice.

I believe this is clearly a case of one. I kept my position very clear in my previous comments on requiring ID for credit card purchases. I do not intend to repeat its entirety again, so kindly refer to my older comments.

Frankly, for those people who feel more "secure" showing ID, let them do what they want. I'm personally against it in principle and also due to my personal experiences (ID theft, ID forging, etc. I eyewitnessed it all.)

I have just lost a massive amount of respect for the consumerist.

Way to teach people to be unintelligent consumers.

"It doesn't relieve us from protecting our card from misuse, but those three simple words make an excellent last line of defense."

Defense against what? I'm not liable for any mis-use of my card so why should I add the hassle of showing ID at every transaction?

I don't have a problem flashing my ID to verify I am the card owner, but I wonder how many card thieves are actually caught this way.

A cashier probably handles a hundred credit card purchases during a shift and never catches a card thief. I can see why most cashiers don't bother.

@DeltaPurser:

This is a pretty weak argument. When I was the doorman at a nightclub, I knew what every state's ID and Driver license looked like, as well as Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe's passports. I even had a nice little book with sample pictures of them all.

There's a significant flaw to this argument that my (admittedly not exhaustive, so apologies if this has already been pointed out) perusal of the comments has not revealed: how about those millions of microtransactions which don't require a signature in the first place? Fast food restaurants, gas stations, etc. Granted, these are small transactions dollar-wise, but there are millions of them each day. I think in the end, the burden is on each of us as consumers to be vigilant in protecting our credit, reputation, and finances.
After all, credit cards are not a necessity; they're a convenience.

@Skellbasher:

I have "ask for ID" on the back of every credit card. I use them frequently at the post office. In fact I usually hand the ID over at the same time as the card, but whenever I get asked for ID because it says to do so on the card, I tell the cashier "thank you".

As a person who recently had all of his cards stolen and used to make large fraudulent purchases, I think having the cashier ask for ID is the last line of defense.

This thread in all of its many incarnations is getting quite old. It's really not that difficult:

* The card needs to be signed, according to your card issuer.
* Writing "See ID" or some variant is not the same as signing your card.
* You can add "Ask for ID" but cashiers will rarely do so. When they do, don't be a jerk about showing it. Maybe even thank them?
* Some places (including, it seems, most post offices) will refuse an unsigned card. Many places will accept an unsigned card anyway. Some will ask for ID only when the card is unsigned.
* No matter what you write on your card, check your transactions frequently. At a minimum, carefully examine the monthly statement before you pay it.