[sjtgraham]

Requiring ID is against the rules of every major card network; so are things like adding surcharges, and having minimum transaction amounts. Think about it, anything that adds friction to using a card makes it more likely you might use cash, eating into the card network's revenues. Anything that does that is likely to be frowned upon or prohibited.

Report merchants that do that.

For Visa, call your card issuer.

For Amex, call them.

For MasterCard - http://www.mastercard.us/support/merchant-violations.html

[dangrossman]

None of that is true.

The card brands explicitly train merchants to check signatures against government-issued ID. [1] [2]

Card brands may not prohibit minimum charges per federal law. [3]

Visa and MasterCard agreed to allow credit surcharges in a settlement agreement for a long-standing class-action suit by retailers. [4]

1: http://usa.visa.com/merchants/risk_management/card_present.h...

2: http://www.mastercard.com/us/merchant/pdf/Unsigned_Credit_Ca...

3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodd%E2%80%93Frank_Wall_Street_...

4: http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/checkout_fees/

[sjtgraham]

No. You are wrong.

> The card brands explicitly train merchants to check signatures against government-issued ID.

When the card is unsigned. Every card I have is marked "NOT VALID UNLESS SIGNED". It absolutely is a merchant violation to demand government issued ID when presented with a valid signed card. A card signed "SEE ID" is clearly not valid.

As far as you're other points, the US is not the only legal jurisdiction or market in the world.

[dangrossman]

I'm not wrong.

It is a violation to make ID a condition of accepting Visa at all. It is not a violation to ask for ID from specific customers, regardless of whether the card is signed or not. It says this very clearly in the "Card Acceptance Guidelines for Visa Merchants" booklet. The closest they get to forbidding it is a recommendation that you don't make it part of your standard procedure as, and I quote, "it can slow down a sale and annoy the customer".

In the case of a suspicious transaction, the merchant is also supposed to call Visa for a "Code 10 Authorization". One of the things Visa may do is instruct you to check the customer's ID.

If a store asks you for your ID, calling up Visa to report a violation won't do you any good as they haven't violated anything. As far as your jurisdiction punt, we're talking about a product intended (and only really usable) for the US.

[silviogutierrez]

I believe that as of January 2013 you can now legally[1]:

1. Add a surcharge for credit card payments. 2. Have a minimum of up to $10 to use a credit card.

See: http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/27/pf/checkout-fee/

[1] Not that it was ever illegal, only against the CC company rules. But now the law explicitly forces CC companies to allow it.

[shoyer]

OK, but what says merchants are required to accept this "coin" card as your Visa?

Even if they aren't allowed to check ID, they certainly are allowed to check signatures.

Since merchants are held at least partially responsible for fraud, I would be surprised if most merchants accept the "coin" card. It doesn't look like a normal credit card.

[sjtgraham]

> OK, but what says merchants are required to accept this "coin" card as your Visa?

Nothing. Coin is not an authentic card. BTW that wasn't my point, it was that it's a merchant violation to demand ID when presented with an authentic signed card.