Bank: do you have to put your signature on your bank card? – Boursorama

On the back of each bank card there is a box dedicated to the holder’s signature. In fact, this is rarely fulfilled. Can this neglect have consequences, and which ones?

By MoneyVox,

The back of a Bank card is supposed to be signed by its holder. However, this formality is rarely accomplished for lack of information on its usefulness, or even on its existence. What is the signature for? Can a transaction be refused in the absence of this mention? What about the risk of fraud?

The signature of a bank card, a mandatory formality

Signing your bank card is not a simple possibility, but an obligation imposed by the banks. Proof of this is the wording on the back of the card: “signature of the holder required”. This obligation may also appear in the conditions of use given when subscribing to a credit card. This is the case with LCL, for example, whose account agreement stipulates that this formality must be completed upon receipt or delivery of the bearer card: “the card is strictly personal, its holder having to affix it upon receipt. his signature must be “.

In fact, few bank card holders are aware of this obligation. The dedicated box is therefore often blank, without having visible repercussions for the user. Thierry Prod’homme, director of an LCL agency, confirms this: “The signature is something that has become a little obsolete”. Indeed, entering the 4-digit secret code alone makes it possible to verify that the person making the payment is indeed the holder of the credit card. Other payment systems, such as mobile payment, quite simply make it possible to do without a bank card, and therefore to be exempt from this obligation.

Absence of signature: what are the risks?

If so many bank cards remain blank, it is because most users have no problem keeping them that way. The risk of refusal of a transaction during a payment or a withdrawal is almost non-existent. However, certain specific operations may be subject to verification of the signature of the bank card. This is for example the case of payments exceeding 1,500 euros, for which the signature of the receipt by the customer is compulsory. The seller is then normally required to verify that this signature matches the one on the card used. In fact, the verification of the identity of the buyer is rather done through an identity card or passport.

Another scenario: payments abroad. Indeed, in some countries, the insertion of the bank card is replaced by the passage of the magnetic strip in the electronic payment terminal. In this case, the customer may be required to sign the card ticket, and the seller can verify that the card is similar to that of the card. Floa Bank (formerly Banque Casino) analyzes this situation: “If the space reserved for the signature is empty, your transaction may be refused”. Signing your bank card is above all a means of protecting yourself against fraud, since in the event of theft, the swindler will not be able to affix his own signature and use it in France or abroad. The police headquarters itself urges bank card holders to take a few seconds to sign their bank card upon receipt, and thus avoid possible fraud attempts.