To #2: Every time I use one. Instead of signing the card, I write in “Ask 4 ID”.
Same here. I put “See ID” on the back of mine and those who look always ask.
I don’t think it’s a matter of store policies, I think that some of the cashiers just get lazy and make assumptions that the card is yours.
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.... :-)
Mine says C I D
Me too. And if a waiter or waitress fails to ask for ID, I dock their tip.
Although lately, I get cash before going to restaurants. I don't trust them going in the back with my card. My parents recently had a bunch of charges on their card shortly after visiting some Crab Shack short of place in Fort Myers. It only got noticed by security because they were in another state using the real card at the time. Seems to be some card cloning operations going on.