5 ms·

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?