Last week I had lunch with Hardy, a Get Rich Slowly reader here in Portland. We chatted about life (and personal finance) over burgers and fries. He generously offered to pay the bill. When the waitress returned with the credit card slip, she asked to see his driver license.
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“Asking for my ID?” said Hardy. I nodded. He flipped over his credit card and showed it to me. He’d written SEE ID where his signature ought to be.
“Does that work?” I asked.
“Some of the time,” he said. “It gives you an idea of which places are paying attention. But not every place will accept it. It’s technically against the rules because the card has to be signed. Plus, businesses aren’t really allowed to ask to see your ID.”
“What do you do if they refuse to take your card?” I asked.
“I carry a backup,” said Hardy. “This is my main card. My back-up card has my signature, but I rarely have to use it. The only place that I know will refuse the main card every time is the post office. I have to use a signed card there.”
I was intrigued by this attempt to thwart identity theft, so when I got home I asked my Twitter followers:
My lunch companion doesn’t sign credit cards, but writes “SEE ID” on the back instead. Have you ever seen this?
I was shocked by the number of replies. Apparently, I’ve been living under a rock. Over 100 Twitter users replied to share their experiences with this tactic. Here’s what I learned:
- Though many people write some form of “SEE ID” on their cards, it doesn’t seem to matter. @khaibit2763 writes that only about a quarter of merchants actually check ID. Others write that almost nobody checks.
- Many tweeters correctly noted that most credit cards clearly state that they are “not valid unless signed”. Technically, writing “SEE ID” invalidates the card and voids the contract with the issuer. Still, not all issuers seem to be aware of this. I found this ID-theft awareness brochure [PDF] from Capital One which notes that one way to protect your cards is to “write that the merchant must check ID on the back of the card”.
- @lildebbie77 made me laugh with her reply: “When I waited tables I saw it once or twice a month. The craziness? Some people get mad when you ask to see their ID.” If you choose to do this, don’t get upset when people comply with your request!
- @katekashman uses a slightly different tactic. She leaves the “call to activate” sticker on the card. “Maybe a thief will think it isn’t activated,” she writes. “It isn’t much, but it’s something.”
- @lizweston noted that this is one of her 9 big credit card myths at MSN Money. In her article, she writes, “You’ll certainly deter use of your card, because merchants aren’t supposed to accept one that’s not signed on the back, and that could affect you as much as any thief.” (Sidenote: Liz will be our guest on The Personal Finance Hour in two weeks!)
- If you want to cover your bases, consider the advice from @aslaughter: sign the card and write SEE ID. And thank the people who actually ask to see your identification.
So, is writing “SEE ID” instead of signing your credit cards a good idea? It’s hard to say. Technically, it’s against the rules, and few merchants seem to notice, but it gives many folks a warm, fuzzy feeling. Plus, if you’re worried about your card being rejected, you can always do what Hardy does: carry a back-up to use at the Post Office.
Here’s a final word of caution: Jake Billo notes that if you present both your credit card and driver license to a skilled criminal, you’re just giving them more ammunition to destroy your life. He warns that this practice may actually increase your risk of identity theft.
For more tips on protecting your ID, check out my post on how to prevent identity theft. You might also be entertained by the credit-card prank over at Zug. Photo by szlea. If you’d like to help with future GRS posts, follow me on Twitter!
This article is about Credit Cards, Money Hacks, Odds and Ends
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i used to only write “See ID” on my cards, but stopped when i learned it’s against card issuer rules to ask. now, i write both…and applaud those employees who do actually read the signature strip.
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I sign the card, then, with a little space left write, “Ask for ID.” This works everywhere, Post Office included.
It is signed as required, but also notifies the reviewer to check me out.
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Is there any reason not to both sign and write “SEE ID” on the back of the card? At worst, I suppose you’d have to sign the credit receipt with both your name and the tag “SEE ID” if you ran into an ultra-picky merchant (like the post office).
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Signing your card is asinine as it means when someone steals your card they also have a signature to copy when they sign.
I don’t care that the card says it has to be signed. I never sign mine. I leave them blank.
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I think I’ve been living under a rock too. In the UK, I’ve never come across this, although signing receipts is now somewhat outdated as almost every card is being issued with a chip to use in a chip & pin reader. My question however is thus: if you write SEE ID on your card and they don’t ask to see it, then does this not make you more susceptible to fraud because they’re not checking your identity in any way… that’s just my 2¢.
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I’ve found the post office to be the only place that cares or even asks to see my card when making a purchase.
I’ve started drawing smiley faces and other silly things. No one checks anymore.
I remember when it used to take an extra 30 seconds (or longer) for a cashier to inspect a signature and ID when someone paid with a check. I was always scared they’d reject it because I parted my hair differently.
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I do this on all my cards, I don’t carry and signed backups, the way I see it, if you don’t want to accept my card, you don’t want my business, I can go elsewhere just the same. I’ve never had my cards rejected, not even at the post office, even though they used to post that everywhere (they don’t seem to anymore around here…). I’ve actually noticed more merchants asking for ID lately, which I think is great, I always thank them for doing so, I never get annoyed (well, other than when they’ve already seen your ID, like to get into a liquor store, or other places where you have to show your ID to pick something up etc… ok, you’ve already seen it, why ask again?).
I think they should put your picture on the back of the card like they do on some cards already… a few years ago I had a debit/credit card from a German bank that was like that, it was great, I wish this would take of more.
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You’re not alone under your rock, JD, because I have not heard of this before either.
I also like the idea of having a picture on the card. So many CC companies let you “personalize” your card with a picture, so why not one of you.
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I have been doing this for a few years, and unfortunately almost no one checks my ID. I usually only get checked a few times per year. So, while I think that this is a great idea, I also feel that the majority of cashiers are indifferent when it comes to our security.
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I’ve never signed any of my cards. I don’t intend to give a would be thief my signature to copy. I leave all my cards blank and about 1/2rd of the merchants I deal with ask to see my ID. Most of the time, I’m shopping at locations where you swipe your own card, so the cashier never actually sees if there is a signature or not.
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When I use my credit card in a store or shop, the vendor rarely even takes it anymore. At the register, I am required to slide it through the reader and then hit either “Debit” or “Credit”.
Sometimes I actually sign a paper receipt with ink, but more often, I actually sign the screen with a stylus. In either case, the cashier never even looks at my card.
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I’ve been doing this for 6 years. I use my credit card nearly every day*, and maybe once a month someone notices and asks to see my ID.
* – yeah, yeah I know, cash is better. FWIW, I do pay the balance in full every month.
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Here’s a funny website related to credit card signatures and what great lengths you must go to in order to have merchants take a look:
http://www.zug.com/pranks/credit_card/
On a serious note, it’s probably best not to sweat over this too much. All major credit cards (Visa and Mastercard, at least) don’t hold you liable at all for fraudulent transactions.
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“Technically, it’s against the rules, and few merchants seem to notice, but it gives many folks a warm, fuzzy feeling”
Oh, no, the cashier certainly notices. They are either not allowed to request ID, or have tried in the past and gave up.
When I was a cashier, we used to hate the people who wrote SEE ID instead of signing (people who wrote SEE ID as well as signing were fine) because we had sooooo many people get really upset and start yelling if we asked to see their ID. Finally, the manager said we were not allowed to ask to see their ID, even if their card requested we do so (technically, merchant’s aren’t allowed to ask for ID anyway).
So yes, the merchants notice. We’re just usually not allowed to ask, or find it too much of a bother to ask. It gets very wearying to try and protect someone’s identity (by complying with their own request to check their ID) when you get yelled at for your efforts. Eventually, you just give up and don’t care anymore if that person has their credit card stolen. For $6.90 an hour, as a high school student, it just wasn’t worth it to me to get yelled at for trying to help.
I’m not sure if it’s true anymore, in these days of no-signature-required credit card purchases, but in the past people who don’t sign their cards or write SEE ID were at the most risk. If a thief stole your card, they can simply sign it themselves – and then their signature will match “yours” for sure!
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I have see ID written in bold black ink on the back of each of my cards. I get asked 75 or 80% of the time to see my ID. I always thank them for checking. I use my cards every day and all over the country.
As has been said, the Post Office is the ONLY place that has ever given me a hard time about using a card that has not been signed and says SEE ID. Those guys crack me up.
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I agree with Chad. I used to write “See ID” on my credit cards and sometimes people would ask. But then I realized most people don’t even look at the back at all. So now I write “Smile” or “Thank you” on the back of my cards, so that way if people even take the time to look they get some immediate recognition. It has lead to several smiles and several “WTF?”s, which are both good for me.
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Your reader you ate with may be missing one big thing. If an id theif takes his card, it’s probably because he took his entire wallet. If I see two cars in a wallet and one only has the sig, I’m just going to use that one. Perhaps I’d use the seeID one online or something.
Most ID theft does not happen at the physical credit card level. It happens when someone hacks into a sales server and takes thousands of card numbers at once. Putting “see ID” on a card to protect from ID theft is akin to putting sunscreen on one shoulder and spending 10 hours at the beach.
I for one sign my cards but it makes no difference. You know how it says “not valid unless signed”? My fiance has never once signed any credit or debit card, she leaves it blank. Never had a single person question it.
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Jennifer – leaving the line blank really won’t help you. A theif would simply sign your name in their own handwriting!
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I don’t sign my cards and actually get asked often for my ID, which is my goal. I have also seen employees looked at the back, see it unsigned, and just hand it back to me. One thing I have been told, not sure if it’s true or not, is that a thief using an unsigned card can be charged with that offense, but if you have it signed and they sign for the purchase, its forgery. As with an unsigned card, they aren’t technically forging your name, just making an unauhorized purchase. Anyone know if this is true? My preferred option, shopping at places that allow me to always keep possession of my card. I have one card that I used when wait staff needs to take the card out of my site.
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some clarification: per VISA rules (dunno about others), a merchant is allowed to ask for ID (regardless of if the card is signed or not or says “SEE ID”), but the merchant can’t make seeing an ID a requirement of completing the sale (if the card is signed). i sign my cards. and i don’t show id. i don’t need a stranger having access to my credit card number, exp date, special 3-digit number on the back, my name, my date of birth, my driver’s license number, AND my address. from my point of view, giving all that information away will make me more susceptible to identity theft than just my card and signature. besides, if someone gets my card, they ain’t going to use it at the dollar store. they’re going to best buy where u scan it yourself and don’t even hand it over. and it’s not like signatures are ever checked, i usually just scribble nonsense anyway. fraud is stopped by visa, etc. when their sophisticated algorithms see fraudulent looking behavior on the card.
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To Jennifer, and those who don’t bother signing your card at all, aren’t you just making it easier for the thief to just make up a signature? Thus, it makes it easier for them to use your card and in the event that the cashier checks the signature, it will be identical and there will be no delay for them to use your card multiple times before you’ve noticed your card has gone missing and get it cancelled.
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This was one of my biggest pet peeves when I was working at a register job. These people always handed me their credit card without their ID, and then acted shocked if I asked them for their ID. Then they actually had the nerve to scold me if I didn’t check their ID!
It is NOT the merchant’s responsibility to protect you from identity theft. Keep track of your own credit card!
I have seen a lot of people with credit cards that have a little picture of them on the front. At Bank of America it is called Photo Security, and CitiBank has a Photocard too. This is less intrusive, because it’s built into the card, and you’re still signing the back like you’re supposed to. But, just like no one is going to get out a magnifying glass and inspect your signature, no one is really going to take a long look at that picture. It’s not their job.
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I personally wouldn’t like to not sign my card. For me, if it says “Not valid unless signed”, that’s a potential problem if there’s a problem with goods and a savvy seller tries to refuse to give me a refund. Anyway, with all the chip&pin technology, who actually asks people to sign any more?
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Hello JD,
I just wanted to let you know that I am (sadly) unsubscribing from your blog. Though there is a lot of excellent material here, your feed format changed to delivering summaries to bloglines. Even though I have bloglines set to receive your full posts I don’t get them. If I wanted to read directly from your site, I wouldn’t be subscribed through a reader! I just wanted you to know that this behavior in bloglines is irritating enough that I just won’t read your site anymore. I realize there is probably some beneficial trade off for you, and you can’t always please everyone. I just wanted to provide my viewpoint. Thanks for inspiring me to better manage my money.
J.D.’s response: From what I can tell, GRS should still be serving full feeds via RSS. Is anyone else experiencing this problem? Are you receiving partial feeds when you want full feeds?
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Man, reading these and the twitter comments from ex-cashiers and waiters makes me feel quite bad for them in this situation. Another headache they have to deal with. Be nice to cashiers, people!
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MY brother in law has “CID” in permanent marker on the front of his. I think he said someone at a liquor store did it for him, saying the writing on the back is useless. He gets asked a lot more now.
I like having the extra ID check when I use mine, but honestly it is pretty worthless. Most big name stores have self-swipes for using your card now. No one even sees the card.
Mine isn’t signed (I never think about it when I have a pen around) and that gets a lot of people to check, but I’ve never had it checked at a resturaunt like your friend.
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I wrote “See ID” on a past credit card. I only ever recall someone actually asking for my ID once or twice. Most of the time nobody even checks. I never had anyone refuse the card.
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I just wrote See ID on the front of my Visa. Thanks for the tip, Jon. I’ll see if it works.
The back of mine have both signature and See ID, I only get asked about half the time. Some places like Target don’t bother to ask for an ID or have you sign if it’s less than a certain amount.
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I’m from Europe and today 90% of our credit cards are authorized by PIN code so the risk of fraud is limited.
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I work part time at a local mall. Many people have not even signed their cards (Yikes!). One lady did sign it, managed to still write “see ID” on it and added “5’4″ brown eyes/hair, glasses”! A co-worker of mine used to work fraud at a bank card company and has lots of horror stories. He saw one of those cards with a photo on it – someone had stolen the card and attempted to glue their own photo over the one of the actual card holder. When someone gets grumpy over my asking for ID – I assure people I want to make sure they are the one having fun spending their hard earned money – not someone else
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Very clever idea, but that only works in real life (not online or “onphone”) and provided the person accepting it reads and takes the time . . .
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I write See Id on my credit card and virtually no one asks to see my ID- I offer it and they wave it away.
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I had my card completely unsigned for over a year. One day I used it on vacation in the island of Dumaguete in Philippines and I was forced to sign it.
These days I sign my credit card Aaron Burr.
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I haven’t worked retail since 1997, but I used to see “SEE ID” on peoples credit cards all the time. I always thought it was a good policy, and many of the folks that did it would tell me that no one ever checks. I also used to give people with unsigned cards a pen so that they could sign their cards. Many didn’t and would tell me that they didn’t sign their cards to keep thieves from stealing them… But then wouldn’t a thief just sign the card??
Others would just scribble instead of signing a real signature, saying that it was too hard to duplicate. I guess thieves can’t scribble?? In the end, a signature is a poor way of confirming identity in this day and age.
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I do this on my cards. Here is my thought on this. If my wallet is stolen or I lose it, and they look at the charge cards and see that on the card, the thief might possibly just throw them away instead of using the cards. Hopefully my wallet never gets lost or stolen!
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Golly, I thought I invented that many years ago
The thinking behind this is that when you sign the card, you give the thief exactly what he/she needs to pull of their scam, they know how to sign your name. Secondly, a photo ID is required so they can match the face (Much harder to forge).
It worked well for me as I have a signature which is not my complete name. (We only have a debit card now).
The idea came about 12 years ago when an aquaintence had her purse stolen. With minutes checks and credit charges were flowing. The thief knew just how to sign each slip or check.
It works well in Minnesota as the merchants are now much more concerned about the issue (Does not work at the Post office).
These days, a smart thief will simply buy gas and make purchases under $25 when no signature is required. Clerks don’t even look at the card anymore for these “small” purchases. Easy pickins.
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No point in having extra hassle of SEE ID on your card because a) as others have stated, merchants don’t care. b) If I lost my wallet, I’m calling up my CC companies and canceling my card before it can get used and disputing any charges that do get through, if any.
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I do this. I’ve never had anyone reject it, and it has resulted in a few more instances where my ID was checked. When they do check my license I make sure to thank them for doing their job. Then again, I also do this if a cashier checks my license when I’m buying alcohol.
I have a somewhat sloppy signature that probably wouldn’t be too difficult to fake. One thing that I don’t like about signing the back of the card is that it just gives the potential thief something to reference should you lose your card.
If I lose my card there will be an increased chance that someone will ask for ID and when the fraud signs they’ll have no reference — unless I lose my whole wallet, but I would notice that immediately. I don’t worry about someone taking my ID because I’ve never been asked to hand it over, just show it to prove that I’m the card holder. It doesn’t leave my sight.
I think this needs to change, though. Instead the card companies should require that you check ID on purchases over a certain amount. The signature should be on file at the company and they should make an effort to build a signature database so that you can review the signatures on your purchases. This way there’s no reference for thieves and you can police things yourself. Of course, signatures are worthless when they’re on those low resolution digital pads. Can’t win.
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I used to do this, but I don’t think it makes a difference. I feel like most places I shop don’t even bother looking at the back any more. It’s better practice to have a list of numbers to call at home and keep an eye on your account from home.
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The only place I’ve worked I always checked ID was at Claire’s Boutique. The places I never checked included restaurants even when the tabs were huge. At popular retailers I ONLY checked cards that said “SEE ID” otherwise I just thought people with unsigned cards were silly to leave it blank for the criminal to sign in their own handwriting to make it easier to sign receipts. All the rest of the time I just checked the signature, and I’m an ameteur handwriting comparison specialist, not an expert!
Easiest solution? Sign the card and write in bold (over and over the top of the words) SEE ID, so that the person knows the card is valid but knows you want the person to check ID.
I have also customized my card to have my picture on the front. People don’t think I look like the picture but they certainly pay more attention to the picture than they ever did to the back of my card.
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Isn’t it against the store’s merchant agreement to ask for ID? I’m not sure if the card user writing “See ID” is enough to get around that or not.
Personally, I sign my cards, but no one looks at them anyway. My wife has used my card before and signed HER name with no questions asked. Most of the time the clerk doesn’t even check the card anyway – with the increasing number of electronic terminals to sign on, not to mention the under $25 rule.
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been doing this for years, nobody really checks and i can say that i even use it at the post office and they don’t ask to see it either
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My boyfriend has “See ID” written on his card. He doesn’t always get asked, but gives a sincere thank you when asked. I’ve never heard him mention being turned down anywhere. And he’s not surrendering his drivers license to anyone, just showing it from his wallet, so no one can really steal info from it that way.
My thought on it is that it probably doesn’t do much to deter theft because the same places that don’t check his id don’t check signatures, and I dont see him changing his purchase behavior based on who asks and doesn’t ask.
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My wife is a see IDer, I’m a signer. People rarely ask to see her ID, but when they do she smiles and thanks them.
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I’ve been doing this for about 8 or 9 years while living in Iowa, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis because of the risk of a thief forging my signature. The only time I have ever had a problem with it was at my former bank (Norwest at the time, somewhere around 2000) where the teller refused to perform a transaction until I signed the card, citing the “Not Valid Unless Signed” clause. However, once I signed it I was able to continue.
I would estimate that about 90% of merchants I frequent in Minneapolis turn the card over to look, and 100% of those merchants who turn the card over ask for my ID. I always have it showing from my wallet window and thank them. They look at it long enough to verify the name on the card matches the name on the ID and the photo on the ID matches my face. The entire process lasts no more than 5 seconds at most.
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When I worked as a cashier, I would frequently see “SEE ID.” I always checked, just because it makes people so happy and grateful.
But, I’m not sure I would have noticed if their ID didn’t match their card…
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I checked ID’s when I saw “See ID” on the back. I cringed when I saw “CID” on the back (it actually took me several times to figure out what in the heck this meant.)
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I started writing “Please Check ID” on the back of all my plastic cards after my debit card was stolen. Nearly a thousand dollars in charges were racked up, and the only charges my bank at the time didn’t reimburse were the ones where the thief forged my signature… copied from the back of my card.
I always smile and say “Thank you” when a cashier asks to see my ID. The only place I’ve had a problem is the post office, but not recently. And oversees I’ve gotten funny looks, but they accept it.
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When is the US going to move to micro-chipped cards like they use in Europe? Or does any company issue micro-chipped credit cards in the US at this time?
It would be a safety issue for us, and would certainly be more convenient for all of us travelers to the EU. My husband and I struggled to pay for things sometimes because our credit cards were not chipped. Most of the subway stations in Copenhagen only took cards, there was no way to pay with cash, and you had to have a chipped card to get the machine to work!
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I sign and write See ID on the back. That way I’m not violating the card policy and most vendors I give the card to actually check. The thing that worries me is the number of places you can go and actually not hand the cashier your card. You only deal with the little machine and I’m not so sure that thing is checking my signature.
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