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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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‘CID’ not valid credit card signature
Question: Why is it that the post office will not accept a credit card with "CID" or "See ID" in the signature section on the credit card? We have placed "CID" on all of our cards to prevent unauthorized use, and have not encountered any problems with it anywhere here or on the mainland (except recently at the post office). In fact, everyone says it is a good idea, as it forces the clerk to check IDs. Even the credit card companies like this.
Answer: We are assuming you were writing "CID" instead of signing the cards, which is a valid reason for rejection.
This is an example of one of those "true" stories that, thanks apparently to e-mail and the Internet, gets spread far and wide, snaring unsuspecting or gullible people.
We found a 2003 mention of someone not being able to use a credit card with "CID" or "See ID" at the post office on the Museum of Hoaxes Web site under the heading "The Great See ID Credit Card Hoax."
"CID" in the credit card industry stands for the card identification digits. The CID for American Express, for example, is a four-digit number on the front of the credit card, while the CID for Visa and Mastercard is a three-digit number on the back.
It does not translate into "see ID."
Some credit card companies will specifically state on the card "not valid unless signed," while others will say signing a card signifies accepting the terms of the cardholder agreement.
On the Visa Web site (usa.visa.com/business/ accepting_visa/ops_risk_ management/card_ present.html#anchor_5), there is a warning for businesses not to accept a card if it has "See ID" in place of a signature.
It says the cardholder should be asked to sign the card and provide a current government ID.
If you are still in doubt, ask your credit card company.
Q: I'm confused -- how long is the bus transfer ticket good for? What's the difference from the Circle Island pass?
A: We found an explanation of all TheBus passes on the Oahu Transit Services' Web site, www.the bus.org.
A transfer is good for two hours and expires at the time shown on the top. You can receive one free transfer when paying a cash fare, and it may be used only once.
By "Circle Island" pass we presume you are referring to is a "visitor pass," available for $20, that allows unlimited use for four consecutive days.
Blown away
I have really enjoyed "Kokua Line" for many years, but when I read an expert saying that a house should be made "airtight" during a hurricane ("Kokua Line," Oct. 6), I had to write. I grew up in Orlando, Fla., in the 1940s and 1950s and have been through more than a dozen hurricanes. What happens when houses are sealed tight is that they implode. It seems that, over the years, real information gets lost and forgotten. I think the so-called experts are mistaken. -- Paul Minczer
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Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com