What does 'not valid unless signed' actually mean?

briskbeats

Deleted_User said:

Last time I worked in retail we just didn't accept signatures. It was chip&pin and contactless only. If you had a weird card it just would just decline or not do anything, no signature slip would come out.

There are some customers who have a sign for card. One man has a stamp with his signature. A couple of other customers have sign for cards. One lady used to come in every other day - not seen her for about 3 years. She must have passed away.

molerat

Deleted_User said:

Last time I worked in retail we just didn't accept signatures. It was chip&pin and contactless only. If you had a weird card it just would just decline or not do anything, no signature slip would come out.

Likely a breach of disability discrimination laws there.

WillPS

molerat said:

Deleted_User said:

Last time I worked in retail we just didn't accept signatures. It was chip&pin and contactless only. If you had a weird card it just would just decline or not do anything, no signature slip would come out.

Likely a breach of disability discrimination laws there.

This. Chip and Sign cards were relatively common when I still worked in retail 10+ years ago. As well as those who required it for accessibility reasons there was also a large population of Chinese students who's cards were chip & sign.

[Deleted User]

I got asked to sign in the states a lot, nobody ever checked the card.

Mnoee

I worked in a pub in the last few years before chip and pin - lots of Americans wrote 'CHECK ID' instead of a signature and seemed amazed that I actually read it and did. I mostly did check signatures properly as it was a great indicator of drunkenness - if you can't write your own name, you're too close to throwing up for my liking. 

aoleks

I haven't used cards in ages... ApplePay for the win. The occasional time when I need £10 for the car wash doesn't really require a signature, everything else is online.

Brie

I wish more retailers were good about checking signatures.  When I was burgled a few years back the thief used my card in a couple of shops and no questions were asked despite his signature looking nothing like mine and he didn't even write my name correctly - e.g. He very legibly wrote Brian instead of Brie.  Took me about a month to get the bank to accept that it was not my signature!

born_again

[Deleted User] said:

I got asked to sign in the states a lot, nobody ever checked the card.

Americans do not like Chip & Pin. Although they have not got much choice now... Guess they find it hard to remember 4 numbers 🤦‍♀️🤣

EssexExile

born_again said:

[Deleted User] said:

I got asked to sign in the states a lot, nobody ever checked the card.

Americans do not like Chip & Pin. Although they have not got much choice now... Guess they find it hard to remember 4 numbers 🤦‍♀️🤣

Americans have never cared about card security. In the days of the slider machines they'd swipe your card and give it back, then later ask you to sign.

I believe that with chip & pin the responsibility for any loss through fraud is with the retailer, whereas with signing it was with the card issuer. That's why American retailers are disinclined to change.

prowla

It's nigh-on impossible to do a correct signature on those narrow strips anyway.