Originally Posted by
lhrsfo
Agreed - it's the most basic no-no of credit card security if the card is taken out of the cardholder's sight. I'm amazed that, in the US, it's not only permitted but regarded as normal.
We used to have the same system in Canada until a few years ago and it seemed normal at the time. But now that I'm used to chip and pin at home, it seems strange when traveling in the US that waiters still take your card away to process out of sight.