It’s not because of Apple Pay, it’s mainly because of chip and PIN.
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Mastercard's Plans to Fully Eliminate Signature Requirement Next Year Will Speed Up Apple Pay
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Where did the article talk of chip and PIN in US? It sounds like all you will have is chip...a now anyone who steals my cards won't have anything preventing them from buying something.
I still get confused because chip is STILL not universal. There are several places I regularly shop that allow contactless payment (so have been updated fairly recently), but require a swipe if you’re using a card. Tell me what sense that makes?
Ohhh, is that what they are supposed to be checking against? I don't think I've never had someone cross check the signatures in my life.
Matter of fact, only one time have I ever had someone alert me that there was no signature on the back of my card (I don't even sign the backs of my cards, woops).
I was in Paris once (I'm a US citizen, for context), and after paying for something the receipt machine printed out a receipt with a signature line on it. The gal behind the counter handed it to me, puzzled. I signed it and handed it back and could tell she was even more puzzled. It was at that point I realized, "What is the point of this signature thing?"
Fair point.
I’m assuming my Mastercards will move from chip and sig to chip and PIN with this change, but you’re right that they didn’t specify.
That's because third world countries weren't saturated with preexisting magnetic stripe card technology for decades.
That being said, good to see America's financial system finally getting with the times.
I can tell you first-hand that the signature really serves no purpose for security.
I had an issue where my ex-wife decided to run up several of my credit cards during the middle of our divorce. I challenged the charges, as I *knew* I never signed for the transactions in question. (She wasn't an authorized user on these cards either.) At some point, they finally agreed to fax me "proof that I'd signed for them". The images they sent showed some crazy scribbles that were NOTHING like my signature, yet they insisted the fact it was signed at all made the charges my responsibility!
If they do anything at all with the signature? Its seems to simply be a way to confirm a real human being actually did the transaction in question. Anything scribbled down on the line counts as proof a pen or stylus was indeed used to indicate they did really want the merchant to run the card. That's about it.
I had an issue where my ex-wife decided to run up several of my credit cards during the middle of our divorce. I challenged the charges, as I *knew* I never signed for the transactions in question. (She wasn't an authorized user on these cards either.) At some point, they finally agreed to fax me "proof that I'd signed for them". The images they sent showed some crazy scribbles that were NOTHING like my signature, yet they insisted the fact it was signed at all made the charges my responsibility!
If they do anything at all with the signature? Its seems to simply be a way to confirm a real human being actually did the transaction in question. Anything scribbled down on the line counts as proof a pen or stylus was indeed used to indicate they did really want the merchant to run the card. That's about it.
I guess I will be buying hundreds of dollars of Italian EuroPass tickets from Philadelphia from that restaurant again while eating my Veal Parmigiana. And no, my credit card was never stolen either. I just had dinner, that's it.
What they need is more authenticity checks from foreign countries. Most of the places I go to now use digitized signatures that can more easily be checked without any human being involved.
Good Grief Charlie Brown!
What they need is more authenticity checks from foreign countries. Most of the places I go to now use digitized signatures that can more easily be checked without any human being involved.
Good Grief Charlie Brown!
I just write "See ID" on the back of the card, they still never check it
This is all correct. I know in the Visa merchant contract, they can fine merchants who accept unsigned cards. They occasionally do to make an example out of someone, but even in conversations with someone who used to work for Visa, it is rarely enforced.
The real issue is cardholder education. I still encounter people on a daily basis who refuse to use Apple Pay out of some unfounded fear that their PAN could be compromised "out of the phone" or because it's wireless. But they see no issue with sliding a magnetic stripe with their plaintext PAN on it through a terminal that's connected to a POS running Windows XP or some unpatched version of POSReady.
Rather than trying to sell Apple Pay and contactless payment as a convenience, the card brands really should have doubled down on all the benefits, selling it as faster, more convenient, and more secure at the same time.
It doesn't, I haven't seen that. The only major retailer I am aware of that still doesn't take Chip nor Contactless is Ikea.They still are mag-swipe. Meaning they're responsible for any charge-backs. But who steals a card and goes to Ikea and goes on a shopping spree? LOL
I see it all the time. It's because the certification the terminals and processors go through vary regarding payment method and encryption. It usually comes down to when and which configurations the processor applied to have certified. Some are only certified to do EMV and software encryption. Others only do contactless.
There are still plenty of mag stripe-only configurations on newer terminals out there (in the US). I see Verifone MX915 and 925s all over the place now with a cardboard insert (or piece of tape) over the EMV slot. Usually this happens because the merchant begins deploying the hardware while the certification is still underway. Good news is that these retailers should eventually have EMV (and likely contactless) because none of them spend the extra $$$ on the 915/925 gear unless they intend to use it. Ingenico makes hardware that does EMV and mag stripe with no NFC radio for hundreds of $ less per device.
Hmmm-don't know about this--I often use Apple Pay @ my grocery for over a $100 no problem no signature
I'd love to know what major retailers you shop at besides Ikea that don't accept chip cards... ? I don't know of any others.
Yep where I work we never check card signatures. Some older customers still show us their ID so we check in those cases just to play along.
I haven’t been to IKEA recently, but I could use a few more Billy bookshelves, and don’t they sell weird looking lamp/Qi chargers?
Also, I just remembered that my local Vons (a Safeway store) updated all their terminals last year, but the new ones are STILL mag-swipe, and STILL don’t accept contactless payment. I was quite annoyed at that, let me tell you. Supposedly, they’re going to start accepting contactless soon, which means they’ll have to replace them all again. Dummies.
Signatures are worthless. I remember way back in the early days of Internet blogging there was this guy who went around signing random names, nonsense scribbles, the letter "X", and even doodles of a penis... and all of the transactions went through.
The only time he was ever stopped by the cashier was while buying a multi-thousand dollar TV at Circuit City when he signed, very clearly, "Do Not Authorize".
The only time he was ever stopped by the cashier was while buying a multi-thousand dollar TV at Circuit City when he signed, very clearly, "Do Not Authorize".
Because we still don’t have chip and pin.
Sure. We have the chip. But no PIN. And now soon no signature?
The only form of security seems to be my bank occasionally texting me to ask
If I really bought those things.
I guess that counts?
What they need to do is remove the magnetic stripe and mandate the chip or NFC. Too many merchants just don't care and still use outdated swipe readers.
Wait, I've never had to sign anything for my credit card purchases in the last 7 years. Even with Apple Pay, I've never had to. I just tap and go. It works the same as tapping your credit card, which I've done for years too. Where do they make you sign? A sketchy gas station?
Mostly restaurants. There is a large regional grocer here who only takes mag stripe on their Ingenicos.
Honestly, the only places I go regularly that do accept EMV are Target and Walmart. And the only place that does contactless is Panera.