Have you caught wind of the great signature debate when it comes to credit cards? Doing a search online, you’ll find many different opinions regarding whether or not you should sign the back your credit card. In fact, you’ll find that some people are quite passionate about whether it’s a good idea to sign it or not. So, what are the pros and cons of signing your credit card, and what should you do?
Reasons to NOT Sign Your Credit Card
For those that are afraid of having their signature stolen and copied, they believe it’s better to write something along the lines of “See I.D.” on the back of the card rather than a signature. This way, the cashier should ask to see the person’s driver’s license and then compare the signature on the I.D. to the one on the receipt. This sounds completely logical on paper, but is it really the best move for you to make?
Reasons FOR Signing Your Card
While it may seem logical to put something like “See I.D.” on the back of your card rather than your signature, this is actually a bad idea. The reality is that card issuers require that their cards be signed in order for the card to be valid. Therefore, a merchant can technically refuse to complete your purchase if the card is not signed. In fact, companies such as Visa claim that merchants are specifically told not to complete the transaction until the card has actually been signed.
Even if you don’t run into problems with merchants refusing to accept your credit card, failure to sign it can cause other problems as well. If your card is stolen and someone uses it to make fraudulent purchases, your lack of signature can actually get you into a bit of hot water. Because signing your card is part of your user agreement with the card issuer, failure to sign the card represents failure to complete your end of the agreement. If your card is signed and it’s used to make fraudulent purchases, on the other hand, you’ll only be held responsible for up to $50 in charges.
So, what’s the final verdict? Although it seems logical to write “See I.D.” on your card instead of actually signing it, it’s really a pretty awful idea not to sign it. If you really want to encourage cashiers to check your I.D., you might want to add “See I.D.” alongside your signature. Most cashiers won’t even bother asking though. In fact, even those who do put “See I.D.” on their credit cards instead of their signature are still rarely asked for identification.
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