retailers aren't supposed to accept unsigned cards though. And they can even force you to sign the card before they accept it. They are also not allowed to ask for Identification if your signature matches the back of the card (customer can complain to Visa/MC etc if they are asked). This is why the 'SEE ID' stuff is not really recommended. IT all comes back to fraud prevention though, and the point of the signature is not to protect you, but to protect the merchant in case you file a charge-back saying that you didn't actually authorize the purchase.
None of my cards are signed and the merchant never checks the back of the card or asks for ID after signing. In a lot of cases AMEX doesn't even require signatures for purchases.
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retailers aren't supposed to accept unsigned cards though. And they can even force you to sign the card before they accept it. They are also not allowed to ask for Identification if your signature matches the back of the card (customer can complain to Visa/MC etc if they are asked). This is why the 'SEE ID' stuff is not really recommended. IT all comes back to fraud prevention though, and the point of the signature is not to protect you, but to protect the merchant in case you file a charge-back saying that you didn't actually authorize the purchase.
None of my cards are signed and the merchant never checks the back of the card or asks for ID after signing. In a lot of cases AMEX doesn't even require signatures for purchases.