How do you sign your credit cards so that it won't smudge?
Jul 22, 2015, 4:30 pm
#31
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: on the path to perdition
Programs: Delta, United
Posts: 4,786
Do you put a line through the signature area?? I would at least do that so if the card is lost someone does not sign it and go shopping.
Last edited by FlyingUnderTheRadar; Jul 22, 2015 at 4:37 pm
Jul 22, 2015, 6:19 pm
#32
Join Date: May 2005
Location: SAN
Posts: 56
Jul 22, 2015, 7:00 pm
#33
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist, *A Silver
Posts: 4,896
I never sign mine. I actually had a Chase bank agent ask me to sign my debit card because I wanted to withdraw foreign currency. I just left, went to the ATM outside, withdrew cash, and asked him to convert that.
Jul 22, 2015, 7:13 pm
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Plat, Nat'l Exec Elite, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 16,276
Not that most merchants ever care, but credit card companies require that you sign your card and that you not write "Ask for ID". Sounds like you found the one clerk that actually followed the acceptance criteria.
Jul 23, 2015, 2:36 am
#36
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
Nothing. Since by definition your signature is your unique interpretation of the characters of your name, there's no reason it can't be something odd. I don't see how you could be challenged on a signature not looking like the characters of your name.
Jul 23, 2015, 2:36 pm
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: GE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,508
Re: chip and ____ -- if you have a lot of time on your hands, there's this thread with way more info than you probably ever wanted to know 
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...signature.html
It's not quite that simple. MasterCard requires a PIN on the card but doesn't require it to be preferred over signature. A lot of cards that are supposedly "chip and PIN" like the Arrival+ still prefer signature over PIN when possible. There's only a couple of issuers who will actually prefer PIN over signature for their credit products (UNFCU, Diners Club and First Tech) and a few more who will prefer it for debit cards (BMO Harris and Capital One 360).
I was actually reading the Visa rules this morning and the clerk's supposed to make you sign the card with your correct signature if he/she sees that phrase or if there's nothing in the signature block. Of course, that doesn't really make anything better security-wise.
For what it's worth I don't put anything on most of my cards and I haven't run into problems in the US. They're a lot more picky about that sort of thing abroad though, especially considering most of my cards have no PIN. Frankly I'm not sure why we're even allowed to swipe our own cards in the US if the signature's supposed to be checked.
Anyway, what does everyone think about putting tape over the signature block to keep it from smudging later on? Of course, after letting it dry a bit first.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...signature.html
I was actually reading the Visa rules this morning and the clerk's supposed to make you sign the card with your correct signature if he/she sees that phrase or if there's nothing in the signature block. Of course, that doesn't really make anything better security-wise.
For what it's worth I don't put anything on most of my cards and I haven't run into problems in the US. They're a lot more picky about that sort of thing abroad though, especially considering most of my cards have no PIN. Frankly I'm not sure why we're even allowed to swipe our own cards in the US if the signature's supposed to be checked.
Anyway, what does everyone think about putting tape over the signature block to keep it from smudging later on? Of course, after letting it dry a bit first.