Well, can they ask for their driver’s license? The zip code is written on it, at least on mine. I hate it when they ask for my ID when using a credit card. They claim it is for my security. But I guess I like my privacy more.
It is for their security, they want to make sure you are not using a stolen card.
When they ask for my ID when I’m using a credit card I just tell them I don’t have any and I guess I won’t be buying all that stuff that they’ve already scanned and bagged, only one store has taken me up on my offer.
There is a reason you have to sign your credit card and that is so they can compare the signatures.
Why should you show your home address to a stranger? If you're using a Mastercard, it is specifically in the merchant agreement that they are not permitted to ask for ID. In many employee manuals, it even says specifically you may not ask for identification from a customer. It is probably the worse urban myth that asking for ID for credit card transactions protects anyone. The clerk is paying attention to identification they have no skill in determining if it is real or not, and at no point are they paying attention to the one important part - does the card number on the credit card match the one that was read by the system?
By far, the largest portion of fraud isn't with stolen cards, it is with tampered cards which are using someone else's card number to charge the transaction. And even then, likely the thief is using the same fake identification the clerk uses to get booze at a friendly bar.
The Mastercard merchant reporting form is an easy and quick way to report merchants that require ID. Visa prefers customers call the numbers on their card to report merchant violations, whereas AMEX has both web and phone reporting of merchant violations. NONE of them permit, at any time, any merchant to require anything but your card to make a transaction. They encourage merchants to check the signature on the card to the signature on the credit card slip, and in every merchant education distribution, stress that it is ensuring that the card numbers match that most helps a merchant stay protected.
Just say no when asked for ID.
I am all for privacy but one of the ways to protect from fradulent use of your card is for the salesperson to ask for ID. You would be amazed at how many times people are trying to use a card that doesn’t belong to them which is more often than not confirmed by asking for additional ID. ZIP code is often requested so that a store can maintain statistics on where their customers are from, in other cases it is a vital piece of information related to potential fradulent use of a credit card. If the ZIP code given doesn’t match that on the account address, additional ID should be necessary or the charge denied. If the merchant doesn’t maintain statistical information or use it for fraud pretention then it is usually unnecessary. A simple question of why they want this information should suffice.
I’ve often heard it’s illegal to ask for ID from a credit card customer. Or if not illegal, the cc company rules don’t allow the merchant to ask for ID.