Personal Finance

Retailers asking for ID

  • Last Updated:
  • Oct 6th, 2009 11:33 pm
Tags:
None
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 12, 2007
1823 posts
10 upvotes
aidan24 wrote: Yesterday I made a purchase at a major retailer for about $500. I handed over my Visa and I was asked for ID.

I mentioned that it is against their Merchant Agreement to request ID, but the cashier just shrugged. I obliged as I was in a hurry, but WTF?

Do Visa/AMEX/MC have it in there agreements to not request ID?
You are incorrect. It is not against the merchant agreement. I believed it was until I was asked for ID. I initially refused, thinking it was against the merchant agreement, and the refused to sell me the item. I then called Visa on my cell, and the CSR said that the store can ask for my ID as a condition of sale on my Visa if they wanted. I was wrong. Why don't you call Visa yourself to verify?
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Aug 19, 2001
5171 posts
116 upvotes
Vancouver
boyoflondon wrote: The same individuals who are whining about being ID'd at POS (Point of sale) are going to be the first who are going to be bashing their CC issuer once their card gets skimmed, and they get fraudulent transactions on their account.
Who exactly are these "same individuals"? Please show us evidence of them "bashing their CC issuer"
Member
Aug 7, 2009
251 posts
11 upvotes
I've never had a problem with using my TCard as ID :P
Deal Addict
May 11, 2005
2182 posts
218 upvotes
Ajax, ON, Canada
I wonder if retailers have a policy in regards to gift cards that are not embossed (in layman's terms: credit card gift cards that you often see at stores or electronic prepaid credit cards), does those apply too?
Deal Addict
User avatar
Dec 12, 2003
2894 posts
334 upvotes
GTA
YYZFA wrote: You are incorrect. It is not against the merchant agreement. I believed it was until I was asked for ID. I initially refused, thinking it was against the merchant agreement, and the refused to sell me the item. I then called Visa on my cell, and the CSR said that the store can ask for my ID as a condition of sale on my Visa if they wanted. I was wrong. Why don't you call Visa yourself to verify?
did you call the bank or VISA?

the VISA and Mastercard Merchant agreement both states that for use of their services, a signature matching the signature on the back of the card is sufficient ID for the company looking to get funds. asking for addition ID is against their policy and can lead to termination of the companies contract to utilize VISA/Mastercard services

this also goes the same for stores that will not process a VISA or Mastercard transaction unless you meet a minimum... Minimum purchase is fine according to interac policy as long as the minimum is clearly posted for all customers to see. VISA and Mastercard however have a strict policy on no minimum purchase required
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 12, 2007
1823 posts
10 upvotes
gq_fuzion wrote: did you call the bank or VISA?

the VISA and Mastercard Merchant agreement both states that for use of their services, a signature matching the signature on the back of the card is sufficient ID for the company looking to get funds. asking for addition ID is against their policy and can lead to termination of the companies contract to utilize VISA/Mastercard services

this also goes the same for stores that will not process a VISA or Mastercard transaction unless you meet a minimum... Minimum purchase is fine according to interac policy as long as the minimum is clearly posted for all customers to see. VISA and Mastercard however have a strict policy on no minimum purchase required
I called the 800 number on the back of my TD Visa card. This is what the CSR told me. I had no choice but to show my ID if I wanted to purchase my item with a credit card at that store.
Sr. Member
Oct 8, 2008
722 posts
70 upvotes
YYZFA wrote: I called the 800 number on the back of my TD Visa card. This is what the CSR told me. I had no choice but to show my ID if I wanted to purchase my item with a credit card at that store.
I would not expect TD Visa India customer service to know the merchant rules.

You have to call Visa themselves (not TD Visa or CIBC Visa etc). The rules set down by Visa International which apply to all merchants that accept Visa cards everywhere do not allow a merchant to ask for ID as a condition of card acceptance, unless the card is not signed.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 12, 2006
3713 posts
51 upvotes
D582 wrote: I would not expect TD Visa India customer service to know the merchant rules.

You have to call Visa themselves (not TD Visa or CIBC Visa etc). The rules set down by Visa International which apply to all merchants that accept Visa cards everywhere do not allow a merchant to ask for ID as a condition of card acceptance, unless the card is not signed.
YYZFA is correct. Even Privacy commissioner says they have right to ask ID.
Only difference is they can not write all the details like, Drivers license number, Birth Date etc. I have not seen any VISA links about this ID.
Ban Steve Downie from NHL
Self Proclaimed PYwner Late Miss. Masco:My Gramma is gooder than your typos Says GrammerNazi.
smitty9999 on saving power: nooB Powers on the PC just to post stfu.
board123:when challenged runs away as fast as it can, hide behind mommy.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Dec 11, 2005
20136 posts
2964 upvotes
YYZFA wrote: You are incorrect. It is not against the merchant agreement. I believed it was until I was asked for ID. I initially refused, thinking it was against the merchant agreement, and the refused to sell me the item. I then called Visa on my cell, and the CSR said that the store can ask for my ID as a condition of sale on my Visa if they wanted. I was wrong. Why don't you call Visa yourself to verify?
FYI it used to be agains the merchant agreement, but they changed it about 6 months - 1 year ago.

I can 100% confirm this used to be against the merchant agreement, and if you do old RFD searches on this topic you can find the copy/paste of the relevant portions - so it for sure USED TO BE against it.

But if you look at the agreements TODAY, that clause is not there anymore.

EDIT: Actually, it is stil there, in the US agreement. See page 29 of http://usa.visa.com/download/merchants/ ... chants.pdf
Requesting
Cardholder ID
When should you ask a cardholder for an official government ID? Although Visa
rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants
cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot
refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to
provide ID.
Visa believes merchants should not ask for ID as part of their
regular card acceptance procedures. Laws in several states also make it illegal
for merchants to write a cardholder
To be nobody but yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. -- E. E. Cummings
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 12, 2007
1823 posts
10 upvotes
D582 wrote: I would not expect TD Visa India customer service to know the merchant rules.

You have to call Visa themselves (not TD Visa or CIBC Visa etc). The rules set down by Visa International which apply to all merchants that accept Visa cards everywhere do not allow a merchant to ask for ID as a condition of card acceptance, unless the card is not signed.
I didn't get transferred to a call centre in India. I can't find the post that said I did. In fact, the CSR told me that asking for ID is an effective way of reducing credit card fraud at stores. From this, I gather that they are happy some retailers do this.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Oct 27, 2002
2065 posts
857 upvotes
Toronto
I get asked for ID when I go to a bar... what's the difference at the store? I see no problem with it, except for the time waster. This happened to me almost every single time when I was in the States, but not once yet in Canada.
Sr. Member
Oct 8, 2008
722 posts
70 upvotes
I sent an email to Visa Canada regarding this:
D582 wrote:
Hi there,

I would like to know what the official rules are for Visa merchants in regards to requesting ID in order to complete a Visa purchase. I was always under the impression that retailers were not allowed to ask for ID as a condition of acceptance when paying by Visa, unless the card is not signed. I found references to this on the Visa USA website, but I do not know if this applies in Canada as well.

If you could let me know of the official rules regarding this, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

D582
And I received this response:
Visa Canada wrote:
Thank you for your inquiry concerning regulations for Visa card acceptance. Visa has certain regulations that all merchants which accept Visa cards must follow. Visa merchants are not permitted to:

* Establish minimum or maximum transaction amounts, even on sale items.
* Submit a Visa sales draft for a dishonored check.
* Pass on the merchant's transaction fee to the cardholder as a Visa "service charge", "service fee" or "surcharge", even on sale items. A merchant may offer a discount for cash, however, the cardholder must be made aware of this prior to entering into the transaction.
* Require a Visa cardholder to sign a sales draft that does not have a specific amount indicated.
* Merchants may not refuse to honor a Visa card simply because the cardholder refuses a request for supplementary information/ID.

Please notify the disputes area at the financial institution that services the card account of any merchant practices that you feel are inappropriate. The card issuing bank has access to the appropriate Visa rules and regulations as well as to the Notification of Customer Complaint forms which should be used by your bank to document and file merchant complaints. It is not necessary for your bank to be the offending merchant's financial institution in order to file a complaint for you.

Thank you for writing.
Visa Canada
Well there you have it. It is still against the Visa Canada rules for a merchant to refuse to accept your Visa card because you do not want to show ID.
f00kie wrote: I get asked for ID when I go to a bar... what's the difference at the store? I see no problem with it, except for the time waster. This happened to me almost every single time when I was in the States, but not once yet in Canada.
That is different. At a bar, you need to show proof of age to purchase alcohol, regardless of your payment method. And that's the most important difference. If a store asks for everyone's ID to make a sale, regardless if that person is paying by cash, debit, or credit, then it is ok because the ID request is tied to the sale, not the payment method.
Deal Addict
Oct 9, 2005
1884 posts
230 upvotes
I find it ironic that Visa Canada does not spell "honour" the Canadian way.
Newbie
May 2, 2009
74 posts
Edmonton
I have a friend that actually wrote on the signature space of her VISA "Please Ask for ID." I thought that was quite wise, and would do the same on my next card.
Sr. Member
Jul 29, 2009
895 posts
14 upvotes
tcho wrote: I have a friend that actually wrote on the signature space of her VISA "Please Ask for ID." I thought that was quite wise, and would do the same on my next card.
The card isn't valid unless signed.
Deal Fanatic
Mar 6, 2005
5785 posts
810 upvotes
YYC27 wrote: The card isn't valid unless signed.
Yes, Ask for ID = Fail.

If you want to get technical on merchant agreements, a merchant is not to accept a card with "Ask For ID". In that case it is proper to ask for ID and get the cardholder to sign the card with his/her real signature (i.e. matches the ID). If the cardholder refuses, the transaction should be declined.

Top

Thread Information

There is currently 1 user viewing this thread. (0 members and 1 guest)