I was just reading George's tag line about his driver's license being to operate a car (or something like that) and that his ID was the signature on the back of his card.

I'm curious to know how many people give cashiers a hard time when they ask to see ID, and what kind of reaction you get from cashiers when you refuse.

I'm more of a go along to get along type person when it comes to credit card transactions, except when they have a minimum charge requirement. I've turned into a pit bull on a few occasions over that.

I usually yell at them, leave my stuff on the counter and leave.

Ok not really. But that drives me freaking crazy.

I don't mind it. I welcome any added security measures as long as they're within reason.

Time is money, so i go along even though it does absolutely nothing to increase security on the transaction. A few small localy owned places have signs up that they will always check ID for CCs but they never check mine.... and firestone always accepts my firestone credit card when DH uses it so i hope they never check ID. (The car is in their system under my name, so that is apparently good enough for them.)

I went to a smaller "kitchen shop" downtown Savannah.. I do not mind showing my ID there b/c the area is always full of out of town people Esp this weekend St pat weekend. They have cute stuff and the sign says they check all id. But places like wally world, I say no, Just like I no longer show my receipt when I leave.

I was at the post office, used my Schwab Visa, said he would not accept it since it wasn't signed. I gave him my ID. He said unless it's signed he could not take it. I gave him my US Passport, again, he said he wouldn't accept an unsigned card, but I could use my ATM card. WTF? Of course I gave him a hard time.

I dont mind anymore. I got more important things to stress about IDs isnt one of them.

as a minority they always ask me but its visible in my wallet anyway so theres no hassle in showing them

CREDIT CARD SIGNATURE IS ALL THE ID NEEDED

When you pay for merchandise with a Visa card, MasterCard, or American Express any store that accepts these cards should accept yours too, no questions asked. It's part of the deal that merchants agree to when they become participating members.

They must check your signature and the card - electronically or by telephone - to be sure it's valid. Once the answer comes up yes, they can go ahead and charge. They can't ask you for any further identification - not a license plate number, Social Security number, proof of address, phone number or photo ID.

Your personal ID isn't needed because Visa, MasterCard, and American Express all guarantee payment on cards that have been properly checked. If the issuer mistakenly authorizes a sale on a bad card, it should make good. MasterCard says that merchants receive instant settlement. The contract MasterCard merchants sign specifically prevents them from asking for personal ID.

Unfortunately, not all merchants play by the rules. Some, apparently, haven't read them.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

MasterCard wants to hear about merchants who break their rules. Send the name and address and an account of what happened to MasterCard WorldWide 2000 Purchase St. Purchase, NY 10577 or call 1-800-300-3069. The merchant's bank will get a stiff letter, ordering it to investigate and bring the offending store into line - or pay a $2,000 fine. You may also report violations online:

http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/c...violations.html

Visa enforces the same rules as MasterCard. "When we hear about a violation, we ask the bank that signed the merchant to get together with the merchant and see that the practice is stopped," Visa representative states. To report a merchant, send a letter to the bank that that issued your Visa card or call 1-800-VISA-911.

American Express also prohibits merchants from asking for IDs. "All a merchant is supposed to do is take an imprint, make sure the signature matches and swipe the card through the terminal, to get authorization."

I really don't mind them asking - having been a victim of identity theft, I really feel more comfortable that they DO ask. Believe me, the small inconvenience to you is nothing compared to the damage it can do to your life when someone takes your identity.

The only grind I have, is that my DL is in a window in my wallet....and in most cases that's fine for people who want to see it. It's the ones with the attitude that insist your remove it from your wallet to inspect it. If there's a chance it could be fake, I'd accept it, but the holograms are perfectly obvious through the window.

I've got up and left a restaurant once, when the waitress who had a cactus up her a** insisted I remove my DL from my wallet for her to inspect. Yes, I made a scene - but she asked for it....if she had something better to do than her job, she should go and do it, not take her frustrations out on the people paying her wages.

Baggy

He was doing it right. If your card isn't signed, it's not valid.

To answer the OP: I have given up arguing with the untrained ID thieves, and just show a non-gov ID with nothing but my name and a picture on it.

I take out my college photo ID (which only has my name, my picture and a completely useless number at the front, that is never used by anyone at the college) and it usually flies for the few morons who actually think that checking ID will do both themselves and the shopper an ounce of good (it does, but only for the most opportunistic and dumbest of crooks).

They ask for a driver license, I just say "No," drop everything and leave.

Time is important to me, but from experience, it takes less time to shop at another establishment than to rebuild a stolen identity, thanks to the information lifted off from the voluntarily provided driver license (as it happened to my mother unfortunately).

I will show my ID if they ask. They are just doing their job. Imagine given a cashier women a hard time that has to support her three kids and disable husband making $6 an hour just because she was doing what her boss asked her to do. Grow up people just show your id and go home

Obviously it a major security and identity theft risk, extreme invasion of privacy and a no-brainer to keep your ID to yourself. No reasonable adult would hand over their ID to some violating cashier on demand. The most important thing is making sure it never happens again, so if any violating merchant should ever pop-up in your community, make sure they are eliminated/brought back into line immediately - 1-800-VISA-911.

Never show ID for credit card purchases.

No ID required for credit card purchases. Merchants cannot require ID.

If a merchant tries to require ID, immediately call 1-800-VISA-911 to ensure they never do again.

VISA: 1-800-VISA-911
MasterCard: 1-800-300-3069


Also easily report merchant violations online:

http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/c...violations.html

Check the box that says "Merchant required ID"


Never show ID for credit card purchases.

No ID required for credit card purchases.

Make sure your community is 100% violation-free.

I have only been asked on a few occasions but yes, I routinely give them a hard time and cite credit card policy, lol. Usually I include something like, "I know you're doing what you've been told to do, but you are not allowed to. Technically, I could call and report you for this." Yeah, my mother always said I was an instigator when I was little... I guess I still am.

You must sign your card before you use it period. The guy was right and you were wrong not just for not signing your card but for giving him a hard time too. These are that kind of people I have no respect for

I totally and completely disagree on the principal of it. I'm a mother of four trying to take care of my family. What makes anyone so special that they can blatantly violate policy?!?!? It's people who don't care who let this become more and more of a problem. I understand about not ripping into the cashier (as I stated above) but I have no problem at all going to management about it. I DO NOT think it's ok to let someone violate policy. It has nothing to do with growing up. I teach my children that if something is not right, you SHOULD question it. If everyone just went along with what someone else told them or did, this would be a pretty crazy place to live. You should stand up for your rights.

There's so much more important things to do with my time. My ss# isn't on my dl, so I couldn't care less.

I don't care.

To report, simply call 1-800-VISA-911, press zero twice, and ask to file an “incident report” regarding a merchant violation/merchant who required ID. Crooked merchants shape-up quickly to avoid suspension. Make sure your community is 100% violation-free.

I think more states should allow ID's to be checked, just like Washington. Or, as a compromise, PIN numbers should be required with all transactions, just like with classic check and ATM cards.

nope, only cuz I never use CC's in stores. Out of habit I use mostly cash but I'm slowing starting to use my debit card more also.

Yes, it makes much more sense to give a potentially crooked cashier your ID so they can now have your address and date of birth to assist them in stealing not just your credit card number but now your entire identity.

I can't believe that people are so naive to think that requiring additional ID protects them, when it does exactly the opposite. The theft of one single credit card number is a hell of a lot easier to deal with than the theft of one's identity.

We have discussed this Continental. I have no idea about the state or municipality in which you live. The State of Washington BY LAW has voided that clause of the credit card contract.

This means that any Tom, Dick, or Harry who takes credit cards can require you to show them an ID and there is nothing the credit card companies can do about it. In all honesty, they probably don't even care. It is a public relation's stunt where they can't use the law as an excuse.

While the id adds no protection, it also does not increase your chances of id theft appreciably unless they write the info down. A busy cashier would need a photographic memory to remember the details of a DL in the 3 secs (or less) they view the DL and if the cashier had a photographic memory, they probably would not be working as a cashier.

My time is valuable and i'm not going to waste it complaining to merchants over minor things.

Why wasn't it signed? It says right on the card itself that it's not valid unless signed.

If people want to put 'See ID' in addition to their signature, that's fine, but it still needs to be signed.

Ok, my hand is out. Waiting for proof.

Just because it is legal to check ID doesn't mean agreements you've signed saying you won't are voided. It is legal to check ID in all states, but merchants are obligated to not do so as a requirement for CC usage.

No athens, that is not how it works. If I sign a contract, which is a legal agreement, with you, and Georgia then passes a law that says that contract is now void, it becomes unenforceable. It does not matter what we agreed to. Contract law is just that--LAW. If the law is changed, so is the contract or contracts that rely on those specific laws.

Washington has rendered all contract clauses prohibiting ID checking VOID.

Do not confuse a law allowing ID checking as being the same thing as mandating it. "Allowing" also does not void private agreements prohibiting ID checking. Until a law is passed directly contradicting the card company policies, the policy still dictates.

ETA: I was typing this at the same time the above post was posted. The quote seems a bit vague (which I think they do on purpose, but that's a whole 'nother topic ), but may indeed supersede card company policies regarding the matter. The policy-bots don't like it, but law does trump private policy, whatever that policy may be.

Amazing all the barracks lawyers we have on here. Sorry, but when the law VOIDS all contract provisions prohibiting ID checking, it does just that--VOIDS them:

You're out-of-line with the name calling. Read my ETA above.

After my complaints-

The local Circle K's are no longer asking for ID.

They are no longer performing the no sig transactions.

Funny- they are not checking sigs to see if they match-

That is the scary part. This is exactly why credit cards need PIN numbers.

Brilliant. Then the credit card issuers can throw the fraudulent charges back at us when one of their processors leaks a bunch of information.

The only difference you'd get with a pin, is the credit card theif would have to steal 4 more numbers transmitted with your card number. Think about it... in order for the pin to be confirmed, it has to be transmitted over the same networks as the card data. When the network's security is compromised, so is your pin.

PIN numbers are only efficient for in-person purchases. If a criminal is efficient enough to manufacture cards for which they have stolen the numbers, then they could change the names and sign all they want. The best security for online purchases would be what Europe has and what American Express tried for a while, as well as what the military uses on the CAC cards. This would be the smartchip. You would have to insert the card in a cheap reader that you can already buy and it verifies the data on the chip. It has nothing to do with what your card number is. PIN numbers are also needed with these. The physical card is required.

I find that remark somewhat insulting - I had a thief rack up over $20,000 on my credit cards - the cards themselves were stolen. Had someone asked for the DL of the person presenting the card they wouldn't have been able to - because the DL was with me, over 4000 miles away in the deserts of the middle east.

..and don't say, 'well the credit card company will not hold you liable' - Providian did hold me liable and refused to even acknowledge another person made the transactions, even with proof I was on the other side of the earth. I spend 2 months arguing, being bounced from person to person filing the same claim multiple times. I got aggressive letters in the mail asking me to pay for a debt I didn't make....ruining my credit history and destroying my personal life at the same time I was trying to fix all the other debts with other companies that had been created in my name.

So don't call me naive, or even claim that what I went through was easier to clean up than if the cashiers had asked for a DL. Because clearly the reverse would have been true.

Besides, when you hand over your DL, are you 'naive' enough to let them walk off with it to copy it, or write down information from it in front of you ?? I didn't think so.

Insulted

A good identity thief will be able to steal your identity after seeing your license for five seconds. The scam is relatively easy to pull off.

Never show ID for credit card purchases.

No ID required for credit card purchases.

Make sure your community is 100% violation-free.

I do not see it as my responsiblity to train the cashier on the "right" way to accept credit/debit card transactions.

I simply say I do not have my ID with me and ask if the transaction was approved. Usually, they just say "yes" and finish the transaction. If they have a problem, they usually get a manager. I always ask for the reason to see ID if the transaction was approved. The manager usually just tells me to have ID next time.

Of course, when I get home, I report the merchant for attempting to require ID after a transaction has been authorized. Fry's Electronics no longer "requires" ID in my area.

As for laws and merchant agreements, below is what is contained in the Card Acceptance Guide for one of the larger publicly traded merchant processors:

There is no more information on my DL than that on the window of the electricity bill that comes into my mail box each month. Do you have any idea how many people handle your mail ?....as opposed to the one individual you selectively choose and supervise to handle your driving license when requested for a financial transaction.

I agree - it is a breach of process. But just because a process exists, doesn't make it right, or ideal or even in the interests of one or more parties involved.

I'm sure there is a happy medium that can be achieved, but from experience, what you're suggesting exposes the individual to greater identity theft than you believe....and to simply quote procedure......isn't enough.....after someone has set you up for thousands of $ of debt you didn't create.

In short - what you promote is a result of identity theft.....not the cause......and does not in any way mitigate or limit the damage caused......can you not see that ? Did you not read my experience from people following the procedure you promote as perfect ? - it's flawed in the greatest way possible - and not in favor of the cardholder.

Wanted to clarify one thing:

My identity thieve, got into my mail, ordered new credit cards and replacement cards for my existing legitimate accounts.

He received the cards and signed them with a signature of his own that was my name.

In other words - the theory you quote would not work in the slightest for this form of identity theft. I hope you would see this as the flaw in the process you so adamantly promote.

Baggy

I PROTECT MYSELF BY KEEPING MY DRIVER'S LICENSE IN MY WALLET

NO ID ON A SIGNED CREDIT CARD

NO MINIMUM CHARGE ON A CREDIT CARD

NO MAXIMUM CHARGE ON A CREDIT CARD

NO FEE TO USE A CREDIT CARD

WHAT ADDED SECURITY???

AS IT SHOULD BE

FEEL FREE TO ASK TILL THE COWS COME HOME

I SAY NO...THE STORE BACKS OFF...I DON'T

What is MORE important than refusing to show ID

NO

BS...........

Ask all you want...I say NO...you back off

JUST SAY NO