Today I attempted to board an airplane without presenting ID. This is your right, according to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but few airport workers know it, and even fewer flyers know it. No civilian has actually been able to look at this law. It's a secret law. You are governed by a law you are not allowed to see. These things actually exist in the United States!

( Here is what happened: )

I was refused my first credit card purchase today for not complying with a request to show additional ID. It was inconvenient, but also fun. I loathe Office Depot, but it's the only convenient office/computer supply store in the area. They've screwed me over multiple times. Now I get even.

The employees were actually kind of indignant that I would tell them they were breaching contract by refusing my purchase. I can see how someone would get touchy about that. Another customer in line for a different register even got into the argument! Amusing! It seems most people enjoy the feeling of security that comes from stores asking for additional ID.

Of course, I promptly reported the breach of contract (bylaw 9.11.2) to MasterCard using this form. I suggest you do the same, if you care at all. (I'm guessing you don't.)

Today I was asked, again, to present additional proof of identification when purchasing an item with a MasterCard. I had read this was a breach of contract between MasterCard and the merchant, but I hadn't read the primary source so I wasn't 100% sure. So I did.

MasterCard's Merchant Rules are available here. From the "Bylaws and Rules" on page 45:

9.11.2 Cardholder Identification

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, except as specifically permitted or required by the Standards. A merchant may require additional identification from the cardholder if the information is required to complete the transaction, such as for shipping purposes. A merchant in a country or region that supports use of the MasterCard Address Verification Service (AVS) may require the cardholder’s ZIP or postal code to complete a cardholder-activated terminal (CAT) transaction, or the cardholder’s address and ZIP or postal code to complete a mail order, phone order, or ecommerce transaction.

Such exceptions, I found, are detailed in the "Chargeback Guide" in sections 2.1.1.2 and 2.1.1.3. Official government documents can be requested for "unique transactions processed in a face-to-face environment" (pg 61) or "if the card is not signed" (pg 62).

Visa has almost identical rules which may be found here (PDF).

When should you ask a cardholder for an official government ID? In most cases, merchants may not ask for an ID as part of their regular card acceptance procedures, either when a valid card is first presented or to complete a sale. (pg 34)

And what are those exceptions? Only if the card is unsigned (pg 34) or if the signature on the receipt doesn't match the signature on the card (pg 80) (Ha! As if they ever look!)

Basically it's only a breach of contract to refuse a sale if the requested ID is not shown, not to actually request the ID.

In other words, the whole "requiring additional ID to protect against identity theft" is, like most public security measures, really just a charade, since people who steal credit cards for a living presumably know this rule.

Thus concludes this episode of spontaneous research.