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Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

nytimes.com

251–260 of 541 posts

Re: Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

#251

My apartment's leasing office accepts UPS/USPS/FedEx/etc. packages on my behalf when I'm not available. Whenever I go in to pick up a package, they ask me for both my ID and my signature on a tablet. Immediately after I tap the 'Confirm' button, I get an email with a PNG of the signature I just "signed". When I first moved into my apartment, I made some effort to give my regular signature. Nowadays, I just make a cou…

The point of a signature isn't identity proof, atleast not primarily. The primary purpose is conscious acknowledgement of whatever you signed.

Re: Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

#252
post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be happy if the text didn't change until it was done. Many of the machines I encounter change the "Wait, don't remove card" text location three or four times, each time you think it is done.

The problem is the text "Don't remove the card" contains the phrase "remove the card". I wish they just used a positive statement like "Keep card inserted" instead, and then changed to "Remove card". Just another one of those minor accessibility things that would be dead simple to fix if the people in charge gave a shit about usability.

Yep. Or "processing" -> "complete"/"declined"

Re: Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

#253
post #42

It turns out that a signature on a bank check means nothing. Neither does the payer name on the check. Not the amount in cursive. Nor does the check paper. The only things that are checked are the digits of the amount, and the account number. The rest of the check can be complete garbage, and the check will go through and the bank will pay it. Then the banks will blame you, the account holder. I learned this the hard…

It amazes me that cheques are still used. I'm 36 and I've never issued a cheque, I think I was issued a cheque book with my first account but never used it.

I'm 51 and the last time I used a cheque was 32 years ago, so go figure... direct debit bank cards became common here in about 1985.

Re: Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

#254
post #8

Signatures haven't been required for credit cards in many other countries for quite some time now. I have often wondered why the US has historically lagged behind for everyday banking. (e.g. email money transfers, chip enabled cards, pin number verification, tap to pay)

because legacy tech wants to be amortised over long time periods. If you start implementing things later you can pick the best tech. US banking was among the first to become digital and thus still has to maintain technical choices of the past

The UK were the first in the world to have ATMs, so there is plenty of ageing infrastructure in the UK. But the banks were forced (partly by the EU and partly by fraud) to move to chip and pin and they did relatively quickly.

Re: Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

#255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where do you put your non-investment money then?

In a savings or share* account. Checks can't be written against this as far as I know. * A share account is what they call it at a credit union.

You can still use ACH to pull money from savings account, but you’d need to get the number first.

Re: Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

#256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope. They have to give you proof of what you bought for the thousands of times a day across the country there is a quarrel with the order.

Use Apple Pay or Android Pay ... you see the charge right on your home screen and view your transactions whenever. The receipt needs and will go the way of the dodo bird, credit card signatures and etc...

Not every store or country supports Apple Pay and Android Pay.

Re: Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

#257
post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a savings or share* account. Checks can't be written against this as far as I know. * A share account is what they call it at a credit union.

You can still use ACH to pull money from savings account, but you’d need to get the number first.

That figures. Well at least the number isn’t floating around out there. But unfortunately many CUs have just a single digit difference between accounts.

Re: Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

#258

Also please make handing me a receipt extinct too or only if requested. Especially at drive thru(s) where the receipts become trash I later have to do work .. aka clean up this annoying trash in my car.

Some of us prefer getting receipts. Not only does it let us check that everything is correct, but also to record the information later or to get reimbursed if it's a business expense.

Re: Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S

#260

Can we also standardize the noise the machine makes when the transaction is a success? You know that sound "ENGHH ENGHH ENGHH" that is somehow a positive sound? It's like an alarm clock sound. Why is it not a positive "Ding!" And some will say well it's to remember your card. Well if that's the case, how about force the POS system not to print the receipt until the card is pulled? Or better yet, why does the card hav…

Visit Japan and you’ll hear ATMs play a little tune as they hand you money. The sound design everywhere you go is amazingly and thoughtful. America can be way too brutalist.

The Zojirushi rice cookers also play you a song after they are done making you rice.
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