Remember When Signatures Mattered?
Do you remember the days when your parents or grandparents would put effort into their signatures? Maybe you still take the time to do that—but do most people?
A new poll asked, “When you’re prompted to sign after making a credit card purchase, what do you usually do?” Here’s what people said:
- 68% still sign with an actual signature
- 19% just draw a line or scribble
- 3% leave the space blank
- 2% do “something else”—whatever that means!
It’s not surprising that older generations are more likely to use a real signature. Some Boomers may say it’s because cursive isn’t taught much in schools anymore, but the real culprit might be those frustrating signature screens at checkout. No matter how carefully you sign, they always seem to make it look like a messy scribble!
This conversation is popping up now because there’s been chatter online about signatures disappearing completely. And if you’ve noticed, the number of times you’re asked to sign for purchases has dropped dramatically in recent years. That’s because, since 2018, credit card companies stopped requiring signatures. They don’t even check them anymore.
With technology improving fraud detection and immediate alerts on your phone, signatures have mostly become a formality to make you feel secure—or a way to get a tip.
Sure, official documents still need a signature, but even that feels less significant with the rise of digital services like DocuSign. Signatures just don’t hold the same importance they used to!