ID to buy groceries?

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Ridgerunner said:
Regardless, I have, in my life, been asked for a credit card as an additional form of ID. It has my name on it, like my driver’s license does. Tends to verify who I am.
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I’ve been asked to show a other Government issued ID as a second form (passport, US Borders and Security card, so on). While a credit card has been used to search for previous transactions that were done on the card I’ve never encountered it being used as an ID. Blank magnetic strip cards are only about $0.15 (more if you want a chip on it) and are available in forms that allow designs to be printed on them. As my credit cards can and have been duplicated (without my consent of course) I personally don’t think my cards identify me.

Now I have encountered being asked to show a government issued ID to use a card. While not impossible to duplicate it is a lot more difficult to duplicate features such as the hologram on it and more challenging to fake it when the ID is being checked against a system with a SSoT scheme.
 
Ridgerunner said:
I realize it’s not what often comes to mind when one says “ID”, but that’s certainly what a credit card does
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In NJ when you renew your drivers license you need to provide “6 points” of ID, an ATM card showing your name and signiture on the back can be used for 1 point of ID.
 
sallybutler said:
Many sellers do not ask for ID that will match the face of the person presenting the card to the name on the card. Many don’t check the signature on the card to the one used at purchase time.
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I wrote “See ID” on the back of my card. I don’t get asked for one. I tried writing it with a Sharpie on the front of my card. But that didn’t change things much. Cashiers, especially during busy times, don’t read them. Like many people I imagine they are just trying to get through their day.
 
I have a friend who pays cash for almost everything, mainly because he doesn’t want to show id and wants to remain private. The home improvement contractors he uses must love him.
 
I was in Seattle last week and I found a USA issued ID to a 20 year old kid born in Mexico. The ID was from USA Immigration and was marked as both an ID and proof of permission to work in the USA. It took a while, but I was able to find the kid’s friends in social media and work my way to direct contact with him.

Turns out his ID was in a bag that was stolen from him. I found the ID in an area he said he hadn’t been in. While he was able to get his credit cards replaced easily getting a replacement of this card was not so easy and could cost $500 to replace. I imagine in today’s climate being a non-citizen without that card could cause a lot of anxiety. I could not meet with him as I was scheduled to be on a plane back to the opposite corner of the country, but I asked for his address to mail it to him. He wanted me to send it to a friend of his instead. With the permission of my employer I put the ID in the corporate mail pile on Thursday. He got his ID back on Monday.

I can’t imagine what it’s like to go without my ID that long. Especially since you can’t buy groceries without an ID.
 
ThinkingSapien said:
I wrote “See ID” on the back of my card. I don’t get asked for one. I tried writing it with a Sharpie on the front of my card. But that didn’t change things much. Cashiers, especially during busy times, don’t read them. Like many people I imagine they are just trying to get through their day.
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Especially since so many store clerks never even touch the cards any more. You put it into a reader, it asks for a signature, purchase approved.
 
It’s an American topic which I would normally avoid but don’t you just tap the terminal with your bank card or point your smartphone at it?
 
Kaninchen said:
It’s an American topic which I would normally avoid but don’t you just tap the terminal with your bank card or point your smartphone at it?
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Yep, that is what many people do. Even coke machines that just dispense cans of coca-cola have that functionality. I know people who use a in-house card they pre-load to pay for a 10 cent cup of ice where I work.
 
For the most part, yes.

This is what you would see in the USA:

The contactless payments you see used in the USA is with phones. You will almost never see someone tap their card. But with a card it is either swiped or inserted. While the USA originally had an October 2015 for EMV chip+pin and chip+signature cards many retailers still use the magnetic strip (many retailers didnt want the expense of the new hardware).

In the USA a PIN is rarely used with a credit card. PIN is used with a debit card.

Consumers most often use checks to pay bills while using cash and cards for most other things. Some retailers do not accept checks.

When purchasing big ticket items there is a good chance you might be asked to provide ID.

Speaking only for myself, I had some checkbooks that were so old they still had 19 pre-printed in the date area for the century. I did recently replace those. I imagine I will have these even longer as the many methods of moving money around make them mostly unnecessary. I only use them now days as an additional paper trail for transactions involving attorneys.
 
Our normal limit for contactless-only is the equivalent of $40 but since my exercise regimen includes a walk to the shops every day after work, I rarely spend more than that on groceries. The biggest of our Supermarket chains allows you to spend up to the equivalent of $300 with your phone but that requires a pin or fingerprint for security.

I far prefer using my phone to using my card for small items because you get a ‘receipt’ on the phone itself.
 
Ugh, did you have to remind me of this?
 
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Side question , how many points is the actual license worth?
 
I don’t smoke or drink anymore, but the alcohol and tobacco would be in the same transaction as the groceries I was buying.
 
signit said:
Well, obviously, he meant that you may need a photo ID to buy groceries under the SNAP program
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Speaking for Illinois Chicagoland and cashiering, that’s not my experience. (It could for other parts if the country, but not my area.)
 
Grocery stores also sell firewood, toys, books, greeting cards, patio furniture, outdoor bbq grills, umbrellas. Along with tobacco and alcohol.
 
I’ve never seen it either.

Someone stole my credit card and spent $700 at a grocery store once.
 
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Not really. No one thinks he’s under 21.

Carding isn’t universal.
 
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