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Visa to cut signature requirement for more credit card purchases

An assortment of Visa “chip” or “smart” cards. Home Depot is suing Visa and Mastercard, saying they’re charging too much for cards that are inadequate to thwart billions of dollars of credit card fraud. Photo Credit: Kristoffer Tripplaar/ Sipa USA
An assortment of Visa “chip” or “smart” cards. Home Depot is suing Visa and Mastercard, saying they’re charging too much for cards that are inadequate to thwart billions of dollars of credit card fraud. Photo Credit: Kristoffer Tripplaar/ Sipa USA
By Matt Kempner
Jan 12, 2018

More shoppers and diners will be able to skip signing for Visa credit card purchases.

Visa announced Friday that starting in April it will no longer require signatures at merchants in the U.S. and Canada, as long as they are set up to take cards with EMV chips.

Mastercard, American Express and Discover already announced plans to do away with signature requirements on all card purchases, not just those tied to EMV chips. Those changes go into place globally for American Express and in North America for Mastercard and Discover.

What does that say about the security of credit cards and the value of signatures? Find out more in my earlier Unofficial Business column on MyAJC.com.

About the Author

Matt Kempner is an award-winning journalist who seeks out intriguing twists about people and subjects beyond what the AJC might typically cover. A former columnist and editor, his past assignments have included business investigations, energy, the economy, entrepreneurs, big business, consumer spending, politics, government and the environment.

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