Walmart's strange credit card demand
Filed under: Consumer Ally, Credit Cards
A frustrated shopper wrote into the blog Consumerist to complain about the runaround he got at a Wisconsin Walmart when he tried to make a relatively small purchase with his MasterCard. The consumer, "Matthew," says he bought around $26 worth of stuff and attempted to pay with a MasterCard. (His full account of the transaction is here.) The cashier told him he'd need a Wisconsin driver's license if he wanted to make the purchase. Matthew's obviously a sharp shopper; he stood his ground in the face of this peculiar "requirement." WalletPop got in touch with MasterCard, which confirms Matthew's take on the situation. "MasterCard does not have a rule requiring that an in-state driver's license be shown when making a purchase," a spokesperson says in an e-mail. What's more, the rep added, "A merchant must not refuse to complete a MasterCard card transaction solely because a cardholder who has complied with the conditions for presentment of a card refuses to provide additional identification information." In other words, if MasterCard deems you fit to have a card, that should be good enough for the retailer.
WalletPop reached out to Walmart to try and find some answers. A Walmart rep tells WalletPop that there are some legitimate reasons for a cashier to ask for ID - such as if the person's written "see ID" on the back of their card or if it's not signed with the holder's name -- but from Matthew's account, this doesn't seem to be the case. (He says his card was signed.) The rep also tells WalletPop a cashier can ask for an ID if they suspect fraud, which kind of turns the situation back around on Matthew. Maybe he looked shady, but that's a slippery slope; because there's no handy checklist for suspicious behavior, it raises the troubling prospect that a cashier could demand ID from anyone he or she deemed "suspicious."
In Matthew's case, things got even more bizarre because he'd just moved and didn't have a Wisconsin driver's license, which the cashier claimed he needed. Not only is this in violation of MasterCard's merchant agreement, it's just plain ridiculous. What about the millions of Americans who live in close proximity to a Walmart that just happens to be over the state line? We're still befuddled by this demand; Walmart didn't address it when they contacted us.
If you're wondering, the cashier eventually backed down and let Matthew buy his stuff, but made it sound like he was getting a special favor, which annoyed him so much he turned right around and returned the purchase. We can't say we blame him.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)
10-21-2010 @ 6:14AM
paul said...
If the card was lost or stolen then a signature on the back still proves nothing it's suppose to be used to compare signatures and if you have the card you can forge the signature. Especially on the electronic signature pad. Small amounts are expected to be overlooked. You see $26 at walmart no big deal, you $260 at walmart and a flag goes up. I get asked all the time because I don't sign the back so they can't forge it and I appreciate it. If he didn't have a wisconson I.D. He should have had another type of I.D.
Reply
10-21-2010 @ 7:31AM
Clara said...
Right. Showing some form of ID is no probem. I would think that most people woud be glad. But I think the issue was that it had to be a WI dl. What if he wasn't from there?
10-21-2010 @ 9:51AM
carl said...
its funny, walmart cashiers are required by walmart rules to card anyone who uses plastic wether it be debit or credit so for them to say they only card if they suspect fraud is false, i know i use to work for walmart and that has and always will be their policy, and i feel good when they ask to see an ID cause what if someone steals my card and i cant cancel it in time????
10-21-2010 @ 11:00AM
Fred Mertz said...
Good for WalMart. There are too many low life's committing credit card fraud and this raises the price of goods for everyone.
10-21-2010 @ 11:04AM
Adele H. said...
If you don't have signature on the back of your card, anyone can write your name anyway they like. I've never understood the concern about people "forging" a signature which is a lot harder than just signing it any which way. I feel every store should automatically ask for ID to compare signatures so the unpaid charges aren't later added on to honest comsumers' costs of a credit card. Also, the years it takes to clear up personal credit is a nightmare. Businesses using credit cards should take some of the responsibilty of protecting their costumers. I can't tell you how many times the cashier doesn't even bother to look at the card or what is written on back (my card has SEE ID) along with a signature. Now--wanting an in-state driver's license is silly. Too many people travel to have to deal with that. But PLEASE--sign your card. Unsigned cards make it too easy for a thief.
10-21-2010 @ 11:30AM
Jen said...
If you don't sign the signature space on the back of your card, and you lose the card, someone can pick it up and sign your name in their own handwriting and then any purchases they sign for with your card will match. If you feel like someone is going to forge your signature, at least write "Ask for ID" on the signature strip, don't leave it blank.
10-21-2010 @ 12:21PM
ROGER said...
If you do not sign your card and lose it they can simply sign there name and that is all the merchants look for is a matching signature.
10-21-2010 @ 1:14PM
joe said...
Dumbest thing I ever heard.. if you dont sign the back they don't have to forge the signature they can sign it themselves and then they will match perfectly.
10-21-2010 @ 1:29PM
Sally said...
I work at a local Kmart...........We are now required to ask for I.d. if someone is using a credit card..........whether it is signed, or not.......they had received over $11,000 worth of stolen Credit Cards....so we now have to ask for I.d...........it is only for YOUR benefit...........Please don't argue when asked for I.d.....as for the Out of State, that's RETARDED...............Does walmart want us to believe, whenever any of their managers, employees, etc... travel for vacation, they are NOT ALLOWED to use THEIR credit cards if they are out of the state?????? I DON'T THINK SO...............
10-21-2010 @ 1:37PM
Al Schrader said...
New halo system I invented works like this: All of your items will have printed foil barcodes. You simpl;y pass your cart full of items through a big hoop. The computer rings it all up automatically. Then you swipe your card like at the gas pump & leave...Alfred-
10-21-2010 @ 1:51PM
sabrina said...
You should put something on the back of your card. If it is stolen then someone could sign your name on the back. Then the signatures will match.
10-21-2010 @ 1:50PM
Michael C. said...
By not signing the back of your card ... you make it easy for a " Bad - Guy " to steal it and become you . If you lose your card and it is found by someone who is NOT honest ... they can sign the back and have the signature match every time . On the back of your card ( in small print ) it says " not valid if unsigned " ... meaning that the vendor has the right to refuse aloowing you to use that card .
Showing I.D. is not that great an issue is it ? Or are you just to important to be bothered with the rules of ... " The Little People " ?
10-22-2010 @ 12:31AM
Terre said...
10-21-2010 @ 6:14AM
paul said......... I get asked all the time because I don't sign the back so they can't forge it and I appreciate it. If he didn't have a wisconson I.D. He should have had another type of I.D.
Why not signing the card is a bad idea. If you lose it and someone finds it before you know it's gone, they can sign the back and wipe out your credit worthiness in a hurry. It happened to a friend of mine who thought the same thing. She lost her card and didn't realize it for about an hour, someone found it, signed it and ran up over $20,000 on it in a very short period of time.
If it's stolen the same thing can happen. The crook can sign his/her name and use your card.
10-22-2010 @ 2:32AM
lemi said...
If they were following MC protocol that would mean we could never use a charge card on vacation as we don;t notmally get a local license for our vacation destinations. Absurd.
10-22-2010 @ 6:02PM
Lucy said...
As a business owner, your comment concerns me. If you leave the card unsigned, meaning blank on the signature line, and your card is stolen....what is to stop anyone from signing in their writting style Your Name. It is better to write See ID.
10-23-2010 @ 5:46PM
John said...
it raises the troubling prospect that a cashier could demand ID from anyone he or she deemed "suspicious."
No, this is not "troubling". What is "troubling" is the idea that anyone could potentially use my card without having to provie they were me.
A refusal to accept an out of state ID, however, would be "troubling"...
10-24-2010 @ 10:33AM
Vicky said...
When was the last time a cashier looked at any signature on the back of a card? They ring you up, you swipe your card, they ask for your zip code, you sign the screen and off you go. If the crook took your wallet with ID, they have your zip code. I completely appreciate being asked for picture ID. Credit fraud is out of control.
10-24-2010 @ 2:08PM
nana said...
How stupid!! By not signing the back, you've made it perfect for the person to forge. They sign your name on the back and when they make a purchase it matches.
10-21-2010 @ 6:26AM
M said...
Not surprising, some idiot with their I think, I feel, attitude making up their own rules instead of knowing what the card vendors policy is. but then again its Walmart, you get what they pay for.
Reply
10-21-2010 @ 9:35AM
Abraxus said...
I don't think we should be bad mouthing Walmart here - chances are if this person worked in Wegmans, Target, Shoprite, or anywhere, they would behave the same way. Sometimes cashiers get that little bit of power and try to wield it, but the guy should have demanded the manager be brought out and refused to back down on that. To everyone reading this, it doesn't matter where you are (bank, store, etc) demand a manage be brought out and refuse point blank to leave the check out until they get you one. It's worked every time for me and always resulted in the assistant in question having to apologize for being wrong!