i see your picture, and no, it's still not a valid id

[chainedbarista]

i've been more proactive about checking cc's/debit/credit cards as of late; most people are quite happy with that, and i joke with them over that 'charge for a trip to jamaica on the card' which gets more smiles. (yay, happy!)

the only ones who get pissy are those who...*breathes deeply* have pictures on the cc and INSIST it's a form of id.

um, no; yes, i see the fabulous picture, and no, it's still not a form of id. can i see your id please?

*insert cbf/cursing my 'stupidity'/tantrum/argument of choice*

i am ever so SORRY i'm showing concern over who uses your card; excuse me for doing my job in a manner that protects you.

gah...

[tropicsgoddess]

Just because you have a picture of you on the card doesn't always mean that it's you and that it can deter fraud or be used as legal ID. Chainedbarista, you were doing your job, some of the SC's were being big babies about it. Yaaay! my 200th post!!

[CorDarei]

i disagree...

why have the pic on the CC at all then if you can't use that as visually ID'ing someone? After all, if the pic on the cc looks like the person using it, IMO that should be enough to validate the correct person is using it. I think i'd get pissy too if people were asking for a different form of photo ID after i showed them one (the cc with the pic).

[draftermatt]

I thought the whole purpose of those cards was so people didn't have to show ID...

I wouldn't consider it ID either, but it seems a little excessive to ask for ID in that case

Especially since someone who steals a card then would have to replace the picture, make it look like it hadn't been tampered with, etc.

[ravenrose]

The reason people react that way is because the banks indirectly promote that it can be used to identify the owner of the card. Which people interpret that they don't need to show a valid form of ID, because the picture on the card proves it's them.

I get less of them now in my current job than when I was a retail cashier, most of my guests now are foreigners or out-of-towners using their actual credit cards. I would get screamed at, called names, and asked if I was accusing them of stealing the card, just for asking for ID.

The picture on the cards is small and grainy. It's a great AID to the ID, but I personally still would rather be ID than not.

[Raieth]

And more often than not the picture is so bad you can only see a grainy blob on it!

[CorDarei]

And more often than not the picture is so bad you can only see a grainy blob on it!

ah, in that case... what's the point of the photo? is that why those didn't take off like they should have?

[sirwired]

Technically, you cannot make the verification of ID a condition of completing the transaction, according to the Visa/MC merchant agreement. I know of some stores that have gotten in trouble with Visa/MC when some SC ratted them out.

That said, I appreciate merchants that request ID, and Visa/MC can stick their policy where the sun don't shine...

SirWired

[Simply Amazed]

i disagree...

why have the pic on the CC at all then if you can't use that as visually ID'ing someone? After all, if the pic on the cc looks like the person using it, IMO that should be enough to validate the correct person is using it. I think i'd get pissy too if people were asking for a different form of photo ID after i showed them one (the cc with the pic).

FWIW, when I was younger a friend of mines younger brother stole my drivers license. Years later he admitted it and said that he'd used it for over a year and never was turned away from buying alcohol.

We don't even look alike. No thanks on a CC being accepted as proof of ID for my money. I don't have one but I certainly would NOT have one if it counted as ID. I know how effective that is.

[ravenrose]

Technically, you cannot make the verification of ID a condition of completing the transaction, according to the Visa/MC merchant agreement. I know of some stores that have gotten in trouble with Visa/MC when some SC ratted them out.

That said, I appreciate merchants that request ID, and Visa/MC can stick their policy where the sun don't shine...

SirWired

When I worked as a server for a well-known chain restaurant, there was a notice on the bulletin board, stating that we were never to, under [B]ANY[B] circumstances, ask for ID for a Discover card if there was anything written on the back, or else we were fined $10,000 by Discover for violating their customers' privacy.

I ask our manager what the penalties for not checking, and the card having turned out to be stolen. His reply was that that was a chance we had to take.

(Oh, yeah, and Discover's company is going under. My "day" job for a very well-known national company, we no longer accept Discover, and from what I've seen and heard, a lot of other companies are following suit.)

[kjcaton]

Technically, you cannot make the verification of ID a condition of completing the transaction, according to the Visa/MC merchant agreement. I know of some stores that have gotten in trouble with Visa/MC when some SC ratted them out.

That said, I appreciate merchants that request ID, and Visa/MC can stick their policy where the sun don't shine...

SirWired

Visa does require that merchants cannot require ID as part of the regular transaction process; however, Visa also requires that if a card is not signed, ID must be provided and the card must be signed in the presence of the merchant and the signature checked against the ID (this includes "See ID" "signatures").

At work, we are required to check ID on all non-signed cards, and, more often than not, people "left their ID in their cars." That or they get irate that we require ID for that. I tell people that the back of the card says clearly (I even show them) "Not Valid Unless Signed." Another cashier tells them if the card is unsigned, a thief can just sign it however he wants and then use the card without question.

It's a wonder why Identity Theft is so rampant in the US </sarcasm>

[tollbaby]

why have the pic on the CC at all then if you can't use that as visually ID'ing someone?

Ever met twins? Or people who look enough alike to pass on first glance?

[Andara Bledin]

I've got a photo bank card. The picture on the card is nearly as good as the one on my license, only without as high color saturation. My expression is identical.

I've had some cashiers notice the picture after asking for ID and then tell me not to bother with my license. I've had others glance at it and just charge me. I've had some who don't look and just ID me. And I've never signed any of my bank cards. Not one, and I've never been asked to, either.

I know that the card companies don't want merchants asking for ID and that it's against most of the TOS, but I still show my ID any time I'm asked. After all, I had to pull my bank card out of the same exact slot in my wallet, pulling out my license (which is the next card over) is just as easy.

^-.-^

[Primer]

(Oh, yeah, and Discover's company is going under. My "day" job for a very well-known national company, we no longer accept Discover, and from what I've seen and heard, a lot of other companies are following suit.)

I'm not too surprised to hear that. I rarely use my Discover Card because of that pesky 24+% interest rate.

I generally pay of my credit cards every month, but the past few years have been exceptionally expensive (medical, and home appliances--central air conditioner, washer, and refrigerator in the past year) And I've had to carry a balance on several occasions. I just got MC paid off last month, so that means it's time for something else (or me) to break again.

[Rivulatus]

Here in Australia, it is not normal to check ID for credit cards. We are supposed to verify the signature, but a lot of stores don't even do that I occasionally do fill-in cashiering, and if I find a signature that doesn't match, then i'll ask for ID.

Most people thank me for my diligence, but there are the odd ones who will argue the point and refuse. Normally defuses them when you tell them that since I can't verify your identity I'll have to call card services.

On one occasion I had a young guy who left the card, and the goods, and did a runner as soon as he was challenged over ID. Called card services, sure enough it was stolen, police got our security footage, and recognised him.