Do credit card companies prohibit merchants from requesting IDs of people using their credit cards to make purchases?

Answer

No. Merchants are within their rights to request identification when a credit or debit card is used. They also have the right of refusal.

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The above answer is only partially correct. Merchants do not have the right of refusal. Credit card companies do not prohibit merchants from requesting IDs, but most credit card companies require the merchant to process the transaction if the customer refuses to show an ID. Based on the comments from the credit card companies (below), it is arguably better to refuse to show your ID.

Here are the relevant quotes from Visa and Mastercard. American Express and Discover have similar rules.

"Although Visa rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot refuse to complete a transaction because a cardholder refuses to provide ID. Visa believes merchants should not ask for ID as part of their regular card acceptance procedures."

"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 at the POI refuses to provide additional identification information."

If you have trouble with a merchant, pick up your cell phone and dial the customer service number on the back of your credit card. Also, Visa, Mastercard and American Express all have pages on their web sites to report merchants who require an ID.

Certain exceptions may apply, such as if the signature line on the credit card says "see ID."

First answer by Nikki. Last edit by Bluemoon1200. Contributor trust: 2 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 41 [recommend question]