Do you show your ID when using your credit card? Should you write See ID or CID on the back of your credit card? No! Never! Don’t do it! Not ever!
I’ve refused to show my ID each time a cashier has asked for it. Why, you ask? Because according to my credit card agreement (yes, I’ve actually read it), all I need to do in order to make a purchase is to present my signed card. A retailer can ask you for ID but they cannot refuse to charge your card solely on the fact that you do not show them additional ID.
An argument could be made that it’s not that big of a deal to show a retailer your ID. And besides, you don’t want to look bad to those people in line behind you by getting into an argument with the cashier, right? Not in my opinion. Let’s say I’m the cashier at an electronics store. If you give me your credit card, then all I have for information on you is your credit card number. If you give me your ID, such as a driver’s license, not only do I have your credit card number, but also your driver’s license number, your address and your birth date. Why would you help me get more of your information than I need to process your sale?
You could say that I don’t have your social security number and that’s what hinges on true identity theft. True, however, now that I know where you live, I could just rummage around in your mailbox to find more identifying information. And since I work at an electronics store, and you just bought the coolest car stereo and a few CDs, I could just come over to your house in a day or two and steal them out of your car. This is a stretch, in our area especially, but you get my point.
In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of retailers are now going to the swipe-it-yourself machines. They obviously don’t check your ID. Do you know why? Because they’re not suppose to check your ID. Furthermore, if someone steals your actual credit card, U.S. federal law limits your liability to $50 if you report it within 60 days of getting your statement. (Note: most credit card companies will waive this $50 in the name of customer service). If it’s just your credit card number that is stolen (rather than the actual card), you have $0 liability. So, if someone stole your credit card, just call up your credit card company and contest the charge. Yes, it can get time consuming rejecting a fraudulent charge but wouldn’t you rather do that than have your entire identity stolen?
For those who don’t feel like just a signature on the back of your credit card is enough to prevent a thief from stealing it, the fact is, it isn’t up to retailers to prevent fraud on your behalf. It’s up to you. The privilege of using a credit card is not the relationship between you and a retailer, it’s between you and your credit card company. If you don’t sign the card, you’re indicating that you haven’t accepted the agreement with your credit card company. Why would a retailer accept your unsigned credit card, which indicates you don’t want to abide by your credit card company’s rules? And, if you do sign the card, then there’s no reason to show your ID.
Visa’s web site on See ID is here: http://usa.visa.com/merchants/risk_management/card_present.html
Mastercard’s rule 5.8.4 on additional cardholder identification is here:
http://www.mastercard.com/us/merchant/pdf/BM-Entire_Manual_public.pdf
