Do You Sign Your Bank Card?

[Sir Topham Hatt]

Do you sign the back of your bank cards?

 

In the USA, I've read this is required, and although it's required in the UK, now Chip and Pin is used in 99% of retail stores, is there any point?

[Skiver Veteran]

AFAIK - in the UK, a retailed can reject your card if you haven't signed it so yes, I always do it.

 

Again, the US its required because they don't use chip and pin like we do. I don't recall if they have even implemented the chip side. I know when I was out there a fair old time ago, I had to sign for everything as they didn't have chip and pin machines.

[xendrome]

US - Nope, and they check maybe 1 out of 20 times.

[Anibal P]

I sign ,mine, but in reality I may hand it to a clerk in 1/100 transactions, so it's kinda pointless

[Travelar]

US - Nope. If they check, they always ask for ID since the card is not signed.

[Max Norris]

I've gotten called out for cards (US) that I've forgotten to sign, but then they ID me.  That said, at least 3/4 of the time they don't even notice when I use my wife's card.  But still, yea I sign 'em just to save time.

[fusi0n]

I don't.. But one of my friends, put "Ask for ID" on the back.. Everytime we go out, they ask him for his ID..

[cork1958]

US - Nope, and they check maybe 1 out of 20 times.

 

Yep,

But it's NEVER been looked at to see if it's signed.

[x-scratch]

usa = nope , my face is on my card with my fav team 

[123456789A]

I use a self signed certificate

[philcruicks]

UK - I do but only out of habit.

It never gets checked here and 99% of the time we put our own cards in the chip and pin machine so the person behind the till never even sees it.

[Guest]

Nope, but if someone asks me for a signature, I'll just ask for a pen and sign the card there. Bunch of useless ink lines that do not serve any purpose.

[+Random Stranger Subscriber¹]

canada:

 

 

Since all the cards have chips in them, and every in person purchase is pin based, i will not.

 

 

before eveerything became chipped, i would sign credit cards, but not debit, since it was pin based anyway.

[Dot Matrix]

I've signed mine "CHECK ID"

[+InsaneNutter MVC]

I cant honestly see why it matters here in the UK, i've never been asked to sign anything to compare to the signature on any of my cards.

 

I've been told in one random shop a few years ago it should be signed as they can refuse the card, however despite telling me that they accepted the card anyway.

[n_K]

I cant honestly see why it matters here in the UK, i've never been asked to sign anything to compare to the signature on any of my cards.

 

I've been told in one random shop a few years ago it should be signed as they can refuse the card, however despite telling me that they accepted the card anyway.

It's useful if someone steals your card and then uses it to buy things and get cash back instead of having the money put back on your card.

1) scammer steals card

2) scammer buys something

3) scammer goes to another store on another day and returns items with any excuse

4) scammer asks for money back as cash instead of on card, some retailer will refuse, others will allow it

5) if accepted, retailer will ask for a signature and check with the card (details must match). If the signature doesn't match, they won't give the refund.

[Dot Matrix]

It's useful if someone steals your card and then uses it to buy things and get cash back instead of having the money put back on your card.

1) scammer steals card

2) scammer buys something

3) scammer goes to another store on another day and returns items with any excuse

4) scammer asks for money back as cash instead of on card, some retailer will refuse, others will allow it

5) if accepted, retailer will ask for a signature and check with the card (details must match). If the signature doesn't match, they won't give the refund.

I saw this a lot when I worked retail. Our policy was though, if it was bought on a card, it went back to the card, anything else required manager over ride.

[CrossCheck]

I am in the U.S. My wife and I don't put or signature on our card, we simply write Check I.D. on the back. if they do look at the back of the card they always ask for ID.

[Rohdekill]

I've gotten called out for cards (US) that I've forgotten to sign, but then they ID me.  That said, at least 3/4 of the time they don't even notice when I use my wife's card.  But still, yea I sign 'em just to save time.

You do realize the entire point of signing the back of the card is so that it is ALWAYS compared against a signed photo ID, where they match up the signatures and the photo to the person before them.  If you go into any store (US) and hand them your card and they don't ask for a photo ID, whether you signed the card or not, should always raise a red flag and you should say something.  Either the clerk is slacking or the business willingly accepts any card, including stolen.

 

Signing a card should not save you any time.  You should always be asked for a photo ID - taking the same amount of time to verify.

[Max Norris]

You do realize the entire point of signing the back of the card is so that it is ALWAYS compared against a signed photo ID, where they match up the signatures and the photo to the person before them.  If you go into any store (US) and hand them your card and they don't ask for a photo ID, whether you signed the card or not, should always raise a red flag and you should say something.  Either the clerk is slacking or the business willingly accepts any card, including stolen.

Yea I do realize that. Maybe you should let them know that though.. as I said more often than not it's not even looked at.  I'm there to buy something, not to educate people on how to do their jobs.

[n_K]

You do realize the entire point of signing the back of the card is so that it is ALWAYS compared against a signed photo ID, where they match up the signatures and the photo to the person before them.  If you go into any store (US) and hand them your card and they don't ask for a photo ID, whether you signed the card or not, should always raise a red flag and you should say something.  Either the clerk is slacking or the business willingly accepts any card, including stolen.

 

Signing a card should not save you any time.  You should always be asked for a photo ID - taking the same amount of time to verify.

Never seen that in the UK, before chip and pin they'd ask you to sign something and see if it matched up with the signature on the back of the card.

[Michael Scrip]

I sign the back of my card... but I honestly cannot remember the last time anyone asked for an ID to verify my signature.

 

Most stores have the self-swiping card readers... so the cashier never even touches my card. I just swipe the card and move on.  I thought that was the point of the customer card readers.

 

 

It would seem kinda weird to hand your card to the cashier... and then they hand it BACK for me to swipe. And that's probably why they rarely do that.

 

Note... I only have a debit card... so maybe it's different for credit cards (?)

 

 

 

 

[TAZMINATOR]

Nope..   They never ask for my card or ID...  I use the card reader which it sits in front of you. You swipe your card then go.

 

Signature on the back was for in the past when they had no computerized POS systems. They don't need to check since we have today's technologies.

 

They ask you for your ID if you write them a check. I never use the check/checkbook since 90's.

[MikeChipshop Member]

Do you sign the back of your bank cards?

 

Nope, always completely forget.

 

AFAIK - in the UK, a retailed can reject your card if you haven't signed it so yes, I always do it.

 

True. I used to be an area manager for a fleet of urban sports shops in the late 90's early 2000's and if customers cards weren't signed, then we had the right to refuse sale.

This was at a time when you ran customers cards through the streamline machine and had them sign the slip so it was kind of necessary to have the card also signed. What i can tell you though is a large majority of folks didn't remember to sign their cards, so what we used to do is have them sign the card as well (but shhhh).

 

Now days, at least in the UK, it does seem kind of pointless.

[MikeChipshop Member]

You do realize the entire point of signing the back of the card is so that it is ALWAYS compared against a signed photo ID, where they match up the signatures and the photo to the person before them. 

 

Maybe where you're from, but not in the UK.