Signing your credit card and bank card: What you need to know

Many people wonder whether they need to sign their credit card or bank card (debit card) and what the benefits are. We tell you what you need to know.

Why you should sign your credit card and bank card

You should sign your credit card or debit card (formerly known as an “EC card”) as soon as you receive it – ideally with a waterproof pen. This personalizes the card and provides better protection against misuse.

• Every credit card and debit card has a signature field on the back. Even though many payments are now made with a PIN or contactless without a signature, banks still recommend signing your card.

• The most important protective measure today is entering your PIN or using contactless payment with a limit. The traditional signature on the receipt is hardly ever used in everyday life, but is still required for certain direct debit payments or when paying abroad.

• In the past, the signature on the receipt had to be compared with the one on the card at the checkout. Today, this procedure has become rare, but a missing or significantly different signature can still lead to queries.

• In the case of cards without a signature, a merchant can theoretically refuse payment. Banks therefore continue to advise against leaving the field blank.