is it legal to ask for ID when using a CC?

[akshatp]

THIS!

I don't know how it happened, but my wife and I both had our CCs compromised in the same week. Accounts were frozen and we were off the hook for the amount due.

One card was used at Wal-Mart. And I did feel violated. I literally would have murdered the person that did this to me if you put them in front of me when it happened. People that sue stolen CCs are a virus that needs elimination.

SO let me get this straight. You would have committed a first degree felony crime and faced up to life in jail because someone used your card and bought stuff that you werent even held accountable for paying for?

Dumbass.

The CC companies want to make it as easy as possible for you to use your cc, hence the rule about not allowing merchants to check your id. They make money everytime you swipe. Yes, even if you pay your bill in full every month. They are taking all of the risk, they dont expect the customer to pay for fraudulent charges, its something they take care of. So whats the big deal to you that you would want to "literally murder" the person that "did this to you"

 

[manlymatt83]

SO let me get this straight. You would have committed a first degree felony crime and faced up to life in jail because someone used your card and bought stuff that you werent even held accountable for paying for?

Dumbass.

The CC companies want to make it as easy as possible for you to use your cc, hence the rule about not allowing merchants to check your id. They make money everytime you swipe. Yes, even if you pay your bill in full every month. They are taking all of the risk, they dont expect the customer to pay for fraudulent charges, its something they take care of. So whats the big deal to you that you would want to "literally murder" the person that "did this to you"

Although he was probably being dramatic, I agree with you. I've had fraudulent charges on my credit card 3 times now. At no point have I ever been angry... I call, 5 minutes later something is in the mail, I sign it and sent it back. They send me a new card. I forget about it the next day.

I get very pissed anytime someone:

* Asks me for my ID when I'm swiping
* Won't accept my card because the signature is fading
* Sets a minimum on credit card use. Then don't accept credit cards.

Yes, I know the fees are high. I'm a small business owner myself. If you want to put up a sign that says "$5 minimum recommended", that's fine. Don't require it. It's against your agreement anyway, unless all you accept is Discover and American Express (which allow minimums as long as you have the same minimum LEGALLY set on other cards).

 

[Phoenix86]

Last time I made a cameo appearance at the pizza shop for a few hours, I encountered about 6 people who hadn't signed the backs of their cards. Been there, done that enough times that I know it's just not worth the hassle with indignant idiots. Who's going to use a stolen credit/debit card to purchase $10 of pizza?

When my CC was stolen it was used to buy ~20 $10-20 pizzas. The person was ordering them over the phone for their neighbors and charging them 1/2 for cash. ^_^

 

[sourceninja]

This is one of those things I absolutely do not give a shit to fight about. My ID is right next to my credit card. As long as they don't expect me to take it out of my wallet, I'm fine with flashing it to them.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

i don't sign the back of my cards... i write "please see id" in sharpie.

maybe twice a year, someone actually reads it and asks for my id...

I always ask politely when I see that. It helps for tips.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Assuming the credit card is signed and a MasterCard (or Visa)...

is it legal to refuse the use of that card assuming ID can't be provided?

I don't see how that is any different than like asking, "Can I see your phone??" or something else unrelated...

YES, it is very legal!

 

[BoomerD]

Legal, yes. Against their merchant service agreement, yes.

Agreed. There's no law against asking for ID, but in most cases, it is in violation of their merchant agreement with Visa or Mastercard.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

What I loved when I worked at a gas station for a few months is people that write see ID on the back and then get pissed when you ask to see it since they're used to not having to bother.

 

[geno]

Yes, I know the fees are high. I'm a small business owner myself. If you want to put up a sign that says "$5 minimum recommended", that's fine. Don't require it. It's against your agreement anyway, unless all you accept is Discover and American Express (which allow minimums as long as you have the same minimum LEGALLY set on other cards).

I just wish CC companies took the complains more seriously. It's not like they go so far as to revoke their service or anything. The CC companies are still getting their money and they just ignore any complaints of a merchant setting lower limits.

 

[SunnyD]

lulz at all the responses.

It's ultimately at the discretion of the merchant to accept the card or not. The merchant agreement states that a valid signature must be on the card, however after a couple years of use I've seen sig-strips absolutely unreadable in the past. It is perfectly acceptable, within merchant rules of course, to ask for some form of ID to validate the card and/or signature in the event that the signature on the card isn't usable. It is not acceptable to mandate alternate ID in order to complete a transaction using a card according to the merchant agreement. It is also completely acceptable for a merchant to deny service/sale for any reason except protected class discrimination, so there is obviously a contradiction of sorts as well.

Regarding SEE ID signatures - on all counts if the person's signature is not similar to that which is on the card, the card is not valid. It is accepted practice to check an ID as per above, but is technically against the merchant agreements for most processors.

To those that say a signature is hard to forge, it's not. Even low skill forgers get by quite easily, especially on many of the digital signature panels. Yes, as a kid I admit to having forged my mother's signature on my report card a couple times in order to hide a few bad grades. I believe this was in the 5th grade or so, and not even my parents questioned the signature when the next quarter came.

From personal experience, accurately signing the back of your card within that little strip is a pain in the ass in itself. Trying to adequately match signatures from multiple mediums is increasingly difficult.

Regarding SEE ID and signatures - it is far easier for someone to obtain a fake ID with a signature they themselves have written and thus are more likely to accurately match than a preexisting signature on the card itself.

Back in the day, I would accept cards per my manager's instruction that said SEE ID or similar, or weren't signed by using proper identification, but I would also inform the customer of the perils of using a card as such and the issues as detailed above of how much easier it is to use a stolen credit card as such, and also inform them that as per our merchant agreement I was technically not supposed to accept the card and the card was considered invalid.

Take it for what you will.

 

[KeithTalent]

I agree, it should be illegal for the OP to ask questions.

Fixed and I agree!

KT

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Signature on the back is all that's legally required, it's not hard to get a fake ID, but it's very hard to fake a persons signature. Any store that requires me to show my ID and ends up not letting me purchase, I call Visa directly and report them. I would much rather have them match up my signature then ask for an ID. I've worked retail and if a store gets 2-3 of these complaints from customers who were forced to show ID, Visa will get involved, as they should. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Visa knows much more about how to prevent fraud than a person working behind a register. They require a signature on the back over showing ID for a reason.

If you worked retail you'd understand why companies ask for ID. If a charge is fradulant and Visa reverses the charges so the real card holder isn't stuck with the bill, Visa isn't eating the cost, they just don't pay the merchant for the transaction, thus the merchant is now out the money.
Having had to deal with this from both ends, I'd much rather check someone's ID than get stuck with a $7000 transaction that I don't get re-imbursed for.

 

[mesthead21]

i don't sign the back of my cards... i write "please see id" in sharpie.

maybe twice a year, someone actually reads it and asks for my id...

yeah i do the same thing. I love it when they ask for my ID at a fast food restaurant when I'm ordering 6 dollars worth of food but won't ask when I buy something over 100 bucks at Frys electronics

 

[Deeko]

Have you ever heard of anyone getting their CC turned down at a merchant because they hadn't signed it? How about online? Guess they can't check a signature there, can they? The CC police aren't stopping any owners from using an unsigned CC.

It is good practice b/c it might... just might... catch a thief.

Actually yes, I've been to more than one store that has signs at the register saying they will not take a credit card that is not signed. They're following the rules.

 

[oogabooga]

If you worked retail you'd understand why companies ask for ID. If a charge is fradulant and Visa reverses the charges so the real card holder isn't stuck with the bill, Visa isn't eating the cost, they just don't pay the merchant for the transaction, thus the merchant is now out the money.
Having had to deal with this from both ends, I'd much rather check someone's ID than get stuck with a $7000 transaction that I don't get re-imbursed for.

It doesn't bug me when they ask to see my ID. It bugs me to no end when they refuse to complete the transaction cause I won't. Merchant's are entitled to ask - they just aren't entitled to see my ID to complete a credit card sale (unless it's required to complete the transaction regardless of payment type)

There are any number of reasons credit card companies don't allow it per the merchant agreement. One is that for the majority of people their address on the license will match whatever the card is.

When you display your ID, if someone snaps a picture of it, they will have (what's most likely) your billing address, your card number, and quite feasibly your CVV/CVC2 code from you card aka Everything you need for an online transaction.

The merchant can ask to see an ID if they would do this for a normal cash transaction - IE alcohol, store policy to verify ID on transactions over x amount of money, etc.

In theory : signing "check id" on the signature line is valid... assuming that's your actual signature.

Card companies would rather put the merchant in a situation where they could get stuck with fraud than a customer. Has nothing to do with 'customer service' - if they can fuck over both at the same time they'd probably do it. But they already have a hand in the merchants bank accounts/funds - lot easier to take money from them (either pulling money or not paying for completed transactions in the future, then to have the customer owe them money.

Is it fair? When I'm a customer - yes. When I'm working with merchants... not at all, it sucks. But that doesn't entitle the merchant to ask for ID.

 

[ScottSwing]

If you accept VISA (and I believe all other major Cards) you are violating your merchant agreement with them

How so? Link to agreement?

 

[Genx87]

I go 1 step further. I write "See ID" on the back of my cards. Sadly only about 10% of merchants actually bother to ask me for my ID, even when the back of the card reminds\instructs them too.

 

[brblx]

pretty sure we've already had this thread.

and the answer is 'quit being a jackass and show them your ID, it's for both the store's and your protection. ass.'

 

[QueBert]

Have you ever heard of anyone getting their CC turned down at a merchant because they hadn't signed it? How about online? Guess they can't check a signature there, can they? The CC police aren't stopping any owners from using an unsigned CC.

It is good practice b/c it might... just might... catch a thief.

I turned down people who came in the store all the time because they didn't have a signature on the back of their card. Why? Because I use to ask for ID's due to my boss telling me, which resulted in a man calling and complain. Visa send somebody out to personally give me some schooling on the process. I don't care what people think or expect, VISA told me how to handle transactions so I stopped listening to my boss and idiot customers who think they know better than VISA how to make a transaction safe and went off the signature like VISA told me I had to. They also told me to stop asking for ID's or we could lose our merchant services if they got any more complaints saying I was asking for ID's.

 

[KeithTalent]

What is the reasoning behind not signing your card? I don't really understand why you wouldn't. :hmm:

Nobody up here has ever asked for my ID, but everywhere I go in the US they ask. No skin off my nose to show it. /shrug

KT

 

[gimmewhitecastles]

http://support.tabs3.com/main/R11249.htm

These are some messages that pop up on credit card terminals.

Notice message 1069 - Honor with identification.
In fact there other messages with tell the merchant to repo the card from you if the card has been flagged as stolen, etc.

Stop bitching about stores asking for identification. It's not like they asked you for your bank account number.

 

[Powermoloch]

Lol alot of whiny people who can't spend an ounce of energy to just show an innocent ID card. When I purchase stuff with my credit, i automatically just bring out my id card as well, simple amirite?

And besides, I used to work as a cashier and ID identification is important. Otherwise I can't make the sale. I rather save myself the heartache explaining why i made a purchase from a stolen CC w/o checking ID.

 

[killster1]

i dont ever carry ID. if they say ID please i pay with a 100$ bill. If they say no 100's i talk to manager. Alot of people dont like giving out ID because it has alot of info on it that people really dont need to see. Ive really never had problem with it only few times at gas stations and told them off and went across the street to a shell station instead.

I think its awesome that qbert was told off by VISA for asking for ID, that is great to know, Im going to start reporting asshole gas stations now that wont take a 100 and refuse service with No ID CC.

 

[mesthead21]

i dont ever carry ID. if they say ID please i pay with a 100$ bill. If they say no 100's i talk to manager. Alot of people dont like giving out ID because it has alot of info on it that people really dont need to see. Ive really never had problem with it only few times at gas stations and told them off and went across the street to a shell station instead.

I think its awesome that qbert was told off by VISA for asking for ID, that is great to know, Im going to start reporting asshole gas stations now that wont take a 100 and refuse service with No ID CC.

You dont carry ID? So you are saying you don't carry a drivers license with you when you drive?

 

[Adrenaline]

The gal I am dating recently switched to BoA and her CC has her photo on it, never seen a photo ID on the CC itself before.

I have had BofA for a few years now and got this done as well. I was accused at a gas station of stealing someone's card (when it has my picture on it). I looked at the woman and said "Oh really, well here is another card of theirs" (my BofA ATM card and CC have my picture on them) and then I pulled out my driver's license with the same picture and started to pull out all other cards in my wallet with my name on them. She felt like a dumbass.

I tend to have never had any issues personally showing id but I did once, someone asked for my id when I used my BofA card with my picture on it. I asked the lady what the problem was as the picture is right there on it, and she replied store policy. I haven't gone back, may be nitpicking, but I got that picture on there for theft and so I would not have to pull out my license when the card was used. Every place else that always will start to ask and then usually say, "Nevermind, your picture is right here."