Do you HAVE to sign the back of a bank card?

davidlizard

It would help greatly if the strip to sign ones name was wider than 3/8ths of an inch, so I could put my proper signature on it, rather than some variant of it that I have to fudge to fit the space available.

kr15snw

When I worked in retail we were told not to accept cards without signatures (this was after chip and pin came in) but we could accept ID to prove it was their card.

SOME cards do still say 'not valid without a signature' still on.

Was a big pet peeve when cards would say this and customers would kick off that I wouldnt accept it.

redmandarin

Dave_C wrote: »

Shirley signing the back of your card is a reasonable precaution.

Dave

Don't call me Shirley!

alanq

pmduk wrote: »

Signing the card indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions for the issuance of the card, It isn't valid until you have signed it. Read your bank account's terms and conditions.

In my experience one has to agree to the Ts&Cs in order to apply for a card in the first place and one of those has always been that the card must be signed as soon as it is received.

vyle

My signature doesn't fit in the signature strip. It's too tall, meaning that whenever i sign something it doesn't look anything like the signature I have to squash into cards.

midgetessa

I've never signed a card in my life and never been asked to.

Zinger549

I don't really see why people don't want to sign the back of the card.

fluffnutter

vyle wrote: »

My signature doesn't fit in the signature strip. It's too tall, meaning that whenever i sign something it doesn't look anything like the signature I have to squash into cards.

Use a smaller font.

Dave_C_2

fluffnutter wrote: »

Use a smaller font.

But not comic sans

moonrakerz

As has already been pointed out the "signature" signifies the acceptance of the card's Ts & Cs - no more !

Your "signature" is whatever you wish it to be - it does not have to be a copperplate representation of you your full name - an "X" is entirely legal !!!!

"A mark is ordinarily a cross or X made in substitution for the signature ......................... A mark has the same binding effect upon the individual making it as does a signature."


All in all, it really is a bit pointless !!!