In times past, and still in some countries today, a photo ID was requested to verify identity. This was to help prevent the risk of an identity being falsified, ie someone using the credit card illicitly. Therefore, to limit the risk of someone unauthorized using the card, and secondary form of identification was often requested. If the name on the Photo ID card matched the name on the card, and if the photo on the card looked like the person standing there, then there was a relatively safe assumption that the card user was legitimate.
Now, signing a credit card may appear to some to be a relic of the past. First of all, credit cards are going “virtual”, as more and more they are stored in one’s phone. And the “signature” required is often replaced by a PIN code, or not requested at all. When was the last time you saw someone compare your signature with that which is on the back of the card?
