The CID/Check ID Myth
We’ve all heard it about a million times. If you write “CID” or “Check ID” on the back of your credit cards, the person taking the card is supposed to check for a signature and see that then check your ID to verify it’s you.
In actuality, by doing so, you’ve made your credit card invalid. Take a close look at the back of your credit card. Any credit card will do. Actually, turns out you shouldn’t have to take that close of a look to see it. It’s almost always directly below the signature panel of the credit card. It reads “AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE - NOT VALID UNLESS SIGNED“.
By not signing the card, the card is invalid. By accepting the card with “CID” or “Check ID” instead of a signature, the merchant is actually violating their agreement with the credit card company. You are also violating your card agreement.
So, what should you do instead? Start by signing the card. The merchant agreement tells them that they must compare the signature on the card with the signature on the receipt. I know and you know that they don’t do that very often, but if they don’t look, what’s the point of “CID” anyways?
Keep a list of your credit cards somewhere safe with the contact phone numbers handy. If you lose the cards or they are stolen, it makes cancelling them quick and easy.
The best way to avoid credit card fraud is to not have a credit card at all!
Technorati Tags: credit card, cid, check id, agreement, card agreement, merchant agreement
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udandi said,
Wrote on August 17, 2006 @ 12:53 pm
I’m at the post office a lot for my biz and they are hardcore about not accepting credit or debit cards that are not signed. They will point to a notice that’s on the counter and stare at the person until he presents another form of payment regardless of having an ID with that unsigned card. I’ve watched this scene more times than I care to count since it tends to hold up the line even more!
Kira said,
Wrote on August 17, 2006 @ 2:08 pm
yeah, that happened to a friend of mine.. she had to use my card cause she had done that to all of hers, including adding a little smiley.
thatedeguy said,
Wrote on August 17, 2006 @ 2:41 pm
I’ve never personally had a card rejected because of it, but I did have a clerk at a c-store make me sign it before she would swipe it. Of course, I believe that is just as much against the agreement as taking it without the signature.
Now I sign all of them the second they are activated. For the above reasons in the post as well as not having one rejected anywhere because it’s unsigned.
Ertug Ekenler said,
Wrote on August 18, 2006 @ 2:50 am
Well in Turkey, where I live, there is a court decison that merchants are obliged to check the card holder’s ID. So even the Visa and Mastercard regulations are the same as anywhere in the world they are not above the local law.