Are you sure you're not talking about GWB?

According to one federal identity theft advice line, a SS# is for use by the IRS only and may NOT be required as ID by private businesses. I have successfully opened a cell phone account as well as other commercial relationships where they strenuously insisted they HAD to have my SS#, but eventually caved when I stood my ground. Good credit rating helps.

How persistent is your kitty?

i would love to hear how you deal with the likes of citibank and amex who will all refuse to open accounts online or over the phone without ss number or accept any IRS tax numbers.

How did those business verify you had good credit ratings without your SSN? Are you sure they knew about your good rating via going by your name alone?

I believe Cat Bidkat has persistent purr.

#3 has never been required by any of the cards I've received, though some sort of income and emloyment information is.

#4 is definitely not required. I have never signed the back of a credit card. I always write "SEE ID" on it with a big Sharpie. The only place that won't accept it that way is in person at the Post Office.

That used to be true (based on the original Social Security Act), but has not been enforced in many years.

I don't recall I gave any 2nd ID info in cc applications years back either. However, in the last year (or last couple of months?), the state-issued ID/driver license has consistently been required in the online applications (At least for Citi and Chase).
As far as signature goes, during the online application, I recall they ask for some clicks (or initials or something) in lieu of pen-based signatures.

It's always my understanding that the verification of legit cc usage, i.e. fraud prevention, is to check both ID and signature for in-store purchases (even though in practice, not every merchant checks ID, let alone signature on the back panel ). For the newer cards with chips or transmitters (Chase Blink...), the requirements may be different. I am not sure if the terms on the cc have specified the signature requirement. However, all the recordings I hear after activating a new cc over the phone keep telling me to remove the stickers and sign the cards. I have no idea you can get away with signatures.

Of course, for the "lucky" cats and dogs, who get to be the authorized/additional users, they never have to worry about any of of these "procedures".

Has your cat gotten any quotes for life insurance?

I wonder how that would work...what with its nine lives and all... lol

This is a very funny thread.

My Eddie does not want credit cards. He says he's a cash only Cat!

I thought of signing up Eddie for United Mileage Plus and Starwood... but maybe Cats can't earn miles and points.

I sign up Eddie for Cat food and litter coupons and he gets college applications and even an invite to join the Army! (I put in his age as 19)

This is an oversimplification of a complex topic. See, for example, this discussion published by the Department of Justice ...

http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/1974ssnu.htm

you are being too serious

~~~~
I have heard many stories of such things and sometimes, when we do NOT like it, someone gets our info causes havock.

There have even been sad stories of people getting cards where someone's 3 year old now has bad credit before they even would have been able to legitiamtely GET credit! And it's the parents of that 3 year old who have to fix it.

Nonetheless, if you were able to get a card for your cat--and somehow the cat's application process circumvented the need for an SSN, then that's great! I would think it would be relatively easy to just claim the cat died and then ask to have the miles transferred as the executor of a will might. Or, maybe do a transfer in the airline. My question is, if you needed to get an award ticket from say, United miles that the cat holds, and it was to fly on a partner airline like US Air, then how would the airline handle the "bluey?" I mean, would the cat have to go to the airport, show ID and sign it over to you or what?

What bluey? Didn't you just pronouce the death of that say cat?

Seriously funny, isn't it?

Don't know about cats getting miles/points since they don't get their own tickets when flying. (Do they?) However, I heard at least one cello has elite status on AA. I guess that cello did earn it, in a butt-in-seat way. I recall there are more threads about cello with status. Can't seem to locate them right now.

According the the FT posts, to get a frequent flyer account for an unborn baby, a cello, or a pet, is more feasible than getting a credit card in their own names. But that's a different issue from this thread.

Stupid question...what's a bluey?!? (seriously, don't go for the obvious)

I manage three sets of FF acounts (mine, my dead mothers, and an exes), have used the accounts that are not in my name for rewards without ever having to do any "in-person" authorization. Have I just been lucky or not used the right (wrong) progtam yet for a reward?!?

Mike

sorry about that...
Um, well, in United, yes, you can use your miles to get an award for anyone... and yes, you can give them awards on UA's partners, BUT...

The airline makes it hard to do this if the ticket cannot be purchased online. As we know, some cannot be.

The owner of said miles can call in (pay the $15 fee too) to reserve the ticket for I think 48hrs max but then he needs to--get this--Go to an actual UA desk (normally just found at airports these days, which means it's not always convenient to do it) and sign a blue card--hence the name--which authorizes the use of his own miles for and award ticket in someone else's name. That is, unless it's I think the same last name or something (not hyphenated ones, and probably not pets but who knows)

Big pain in the ars.

The owner of said miles needs to show ID and unless you choose to wait some horrid length of time to have them mail you the tickets (now paper tickets though, and no longer E tickets) this is your ONLY choice!

There are threads on it in UAs forum.

The cat, therefore, would need to have more ID available for examination by a defunct airline than to just get a freakin credit card!

I won't trust my cat with her own cc or be my card's secondary owner. I'm' already suspecting her surfing online while I'm not home.

A merchant may NOT ask for ID as long as the card is signed. If the card is not signed, the merchant should ask for an ID, verify the name and ID match, have the customer sign the card, then accept the transaction. The retailer for which I work has drilled this into our heads a lot recently.

We used to ask for ID on things >$500, but that is apparently not allowed under Visa/MC/AMEX rules.