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I'll believe it when I see it. I heard signatures were going away years ago and yet I keep getting asked for signatures.

kuroguro 5y ago
Haven't had to sign anything for 15+ years, newer cards don't even have the space for signatures (Europe/MasterCard). I do have to do the mag-swipe maybe once a year, if the chip reader is acting up (still no signature, it asks for the PIN).
- ollien 5y ago
  I just got a new credit card recently. There definitely still is the space for signatures in the US. I actually once had a store turn me away because I didn't sign it.
- lrem 5y ago
  Got a new Mastercard in Europe this year, still with signature space. Same for Visa from two banks.
  - kuroguro 5y ago
    Couldn't find the exact card, but here's an example from my neighbors if anyone's interested. I guess it's not a thing everywhere yet. https://www.swedbank.lt/img/private/d2d/cards/3dSecure/816x246-3dsecure-example-LT.png https://www.swedbank.lt/img/private/d2d/cards/3dSecure/816x2... _edit_ They dropped the requirement in 2018 https://www.mastercard.com/news/press/2018/signing-off-mastercard-moves-beyond-signatures-worldwide/ https://www.mastercard.com/news/press/2018/signing-off-maste...
    - w3ll_w3ll_w3ll 5y ago
      Nice video!
  - kzrdude 5y ago
    Got a new mastercard (debit) without signature field and a mastercard (credit) with embossed numbers and signature field. It makes sense with the debit/credit split.
- fastball 5y ago
  My Apple Card doesn't have a space for a signature but it also doesn't have a PIN. Does have a chip though, a combination I find routinely frustrating. Just let me use a PIN if the card has a chip!
tyingq 5y ago
I think some of it is just them not marketing features. I was unaware that my card would do the NFC/no-pin-needed thing until I paid attention to someone in front of me in line one day.
swiley 5y ago
Signatures are for you, not the card company. This is why I sign with a nonce.
- modeless 5y ago
  No, they're for the merchant. They don't benefit me at all. But merchants were supposed to stop requiring them by now.
  - swiley 5y ago
    They're supposed to help you locate fraudulent transactions after your card is stolen. I guess that benefits the merchant because it makes you less likely to mark legitimate transactions as fraudulent.
    - modeless 5y ago
      No, you can't see the signatures, so they don't help you locate fraudulent transactions. What they do is provide a defense for the merchant against you. If you try to say you didn't authorize the charge, then the merchant can produce the signature as proof that you did. The signature is never evidence that you weren't there. Even if it is someone else's name, that doesn't prove anything, so it never benefits you.
    - derefr 5y ago
      In a world where that was actually the goal, you'd presumably be able to see a little image of the signature used, beside each card-provided charge in on your credit card in your online banking portal.
- drawfloat 5y ago
  What’s his name?
bryanthompson 5y ago
There are some reasons it still exists, however, it is no longer required and merchants/POS systems ought to start phasing it out. In the US, the way we do tip on receipt is a lot more natural if you're asking for a signature. Without a signature, you're just handing someone a tip option, which is awkward with our current way of doing things. Some merchants opt to keep signature enabled because it gives them a fuzzy feeling and it's a point of closure to a transaction.
- djhworld 5y ago
  When I was over there I constantly got confused around the tipping system and how some bars keep a tab open for you (by take your card and putting it in a little book at the back and then you pay/tip at the end) I didn't trust that so I ended up just signing the receipt and adding the tip to the bottom and keeping my card in my wallet. Needless to say I think the bar staff got a lot of tips that night!
  - learc83 5y ago
    >Needless to say I think the bar staff got a lot of tips that night! You generally tip based on percentage or the number of drinks, so it shouldn't matter too much unless you're doing it by percentage and rounding up the nearest dollar.
- anakaine 5y ago
  For those abroad, even the notion of tipping can be absurd. Using that notion as a point of support for a payment system the levies fraud responsibilities onto the merchant and is very easy to circumvent, and the reason most other places moved to chip+pin, or contactless a long time ago is even more amusing. I understand what you're saying, and how its locally relevant, but from the outside looking in the US is a long way behind on keeping up with the tech in this space.
- nicoburns 5y ago
  Lot's of payment terminals in the UK allow the customer to input the service charge themselves before they enter their PIN. Otherwise the waiter/waitress typically asks you how much you want to pay before typing in the amount. If you're splitting the bill then they need to do that anyway.
tiffanyh 5y ago
Signature requirement has gone away in the US (and Mastercard was also the first to do that was well). Just so many merchants are accomplished to asking for it (or haven't updated their terminals to code for not asking for it) - which is why you still encounter it.

kuroguro 5y ago

Haven't had to sign anything for 15+ years, newer cards don't even have the space for signatures (Europe/MasterCard). I do have to do the mag-swipe maybe once a year, if the chip reader is acting up (still no signature, it asks for the PIN).

ollien 5y ago
I just got a new credit card recently. There definitely still is the space for signatures in the US. I actually once had a store turn me away because I didn't sign it.
lrem 5y ago
Got a new Mastercard in Europe this year, still with signature space. Same for Visa from two banks.
- kuroguro 5y ago
  Couldn't find the exact card, but here's an example from my neighbors if anyone's interested. I guess it's not a thing everywhere yet. https://www.swedbank.lt/img/private/d2d/cards/3dSecure/816x246-3dsecure-example-LT.png https://www.swedbank.lt/img/private/d2d/cards/3dSecure/816x2... _edit_ They dropped the requirement in 2018 https://www.mastercard.com/news/press/2018/signing-off-mastercard-moves-beyond-signatures-worldwide/ https://www.mastercard.com/news/press/2018/signing-off-maste...
  - w3ll_w3ll_w3ll 5y ago
    Nice video!
- kzrdude 5y ago
  Got a new mastercard (debit) without signature field and a mastercard (credit) with embossed numbers and signature field. It makes sense with the debit/credit split.
fastball 5y ago
My Apple Card doesn't have a space for a signature but it also doesn't have a PIN. Does have a chip though, a combination I find routinely frustrating. Just let me use a PIN if the card has a chip!

tyingq 5y ago

I think some of it is just them not marketing features. I was unaware that my card would do the NFC/no-pin-needed thing until I paid attention to someone in front of me in line one day.

swiley 5y ago

Signatures are for you, not the card company. This is why I sign with a nonce.

modeless 5y ago
No, they're for the merchant. They don't benefit me at all. But merchants were supposed to stop requiring them by now.
- swiley 5y ago
  They're supposed to help you locate fraudulent transactions after your card is stolen. I guess that benefits the merchant because it makes you less likely to mark legitimate transactions as fraudulent.
  - modeless 5y ago
    No, you can't see the signatures, so they don't help you locate fraudulent transactions. What they do is provide a defense for the merchant against you. If you try to say you didn't authorize the charge, then the merchant can produce the signature as proof that you did. The signature is never evidence that you weren't there. Even if it is someone else's name, that doesn't prove anything, so it never benefits you.
  - derefr 5y ago
    In a world where that was actually the goal, you'd presumably be able to see a little image of the signature used, beside each card-provided charge in on your credit card in your online banking portal.
drawfloat 5y ago
What’s his name?

bryanthompson 5y ago

There are some reasons it still exists, however, it is no longer required and merchants/POS systems ought to start phasing it out. In the US, the way we do tip on receipt is a lot more natural if you're asking for a signature. Without a signature, you're just handing someone a tip option, which is awkward with our current way of doing things. Some merchants opt to keep signature enabled because it gives them a fuzzy feeling and it's a point of closure to a transaction.

djhworld 5y ago
When I was over there I constantly got confused around the tipping system and how some bars keep a tab open for you (by take your card and putting it in a little book at the back and then you pay/tip at the end) I didn't trust that so I ended up just signing the receipt and adding the tip to the bottom and keeping my card in my wallet. Needless to say I think the bar staff got a lot of tips that night!
- learc83 5y ago
  >Needless to say I think the bar staff got a lot of tips that night! You generally tip based on percentage or the number of drinks, so it shouldn't matter too much unless you're doing it by percentage and rounding up the nearest dollar.
anakaine 5y ago
For those abroad, even the notion of tipping can be absurd. Using that notion as a point of support for a payment system the levies fraud responsibilities onto the merchant and is very easy to circumvent, and the reason most other places moved to chip+pin, or contactless a long time ago is even more amusing. I understand what you're saying, and how its locally relevant, but from the outside looking in the US is a long way behind on keeping up with the tech in this space.
nicoburns 5y ago
Lot's of payment terminals in the UK allow the customer to input the service charge themselves before they enter their PIN. Otherwise the waiter/waitress typically asks you how much you want to pay before typing in the amount. If you're splitting the bill then they need to do that anyway.

tiffanyh 5y ago

Signature requirement has gone away in the US (and Mastercard was also the first to do that was well). Just so many merchants are accomplished to asking for it (or haven't updated their terminals to code for not asking for it) - which is why you still encounter it.