To #2: Every time I use one. Instead of signing the card, I write in “Ask 4 ID”.
If I'm not mistaken, this is the kind of situation, with a credit card, where they can refuse to take it, if it's not signed. That's one where the credit card companies say to not take it.
Now, having said that, I've had my card not signed for a while, until someone "catches it" and then says that they can't take it. So, you will "get away with it" depending on how vigilant a store is. But, the rules are, if it's not signed, then the store is not supposed to take it.
Furthermore, you can't sign it "on the spot" either, you see... to "make it signed". They're still supposed to refuse it.
But, as I say, most employees don't care, it seems, so you could have a girls name and be a boy and they would take it anyway. In fact, you can sign any name you want on the slip and most of the time they'll take it, too.
I'm not saying how this sort of thing "works out in practice" -- what I'm saying is that if it's not signed, by the rules from the Credit Card companies, they are supposed to refuse it. But, heck, if you can sign Donald Duck and get the card through (which you can)... then it won't make too much difference for not having it signed, either.
On top of that, I'm willing to bet that even after they were to ask for I.D. they would still process the charge, even if it were a different name. (Believe it or not, I've done that myself, and it still went through -- I was using someone else's card and I showed them my I.D. and signed it my name, none of which matched the card... LOL...).
Bottom line -- most of the time, it makes absolutely no difference (in practice and in real life) what you do with the credit card.... :-)
That is governed only by store policy. They can refuse a signed card but they will lose a customer.
Of course it does. If you're a thief, it makes you less likely to try to use the stolen card at a retail outlet. That's the whole point.