Need to show ID to pay with CA$H ??

If someone would please help me wrap my head around this I would be most appreciative....

Here's the story:

My Wife, Cousin and I went to breakfast at a local Dunkin Doughnuts. I was treating everyone since we were going to paint my new office. When I first payed for everyone's food I used my credit card. This credit card is not signed on the back and I was not asked to show any identification as is usually required. The girl at the register did flip over my card to check for signature.

A few minutes after we sat down with our coffee and breakfast sandwiches my Wife decides that she also wants some orange juice. Not wanting to charge such a small amount to my credit card I handed my wife a $50 bill which happened to be the smallest (and only) bill I had at that moment. When she went up front to pay, the girl behind the register asked her for ID. Since we were going to paint my Wife left her pocketbook and wallet at home. The girl behind the register absolutely refused to take the bill so I was called over by the Wife. The girl told me the same thing. As did the manager that I asked to come over.

So to prove a point I took back my $50 bill and whipped out my unsigned credit card again. She took it without giving it a seconds thought and swiped immediately without asking me for ID right in front of the manager! I was on the verge of losing my temper at this point. I pointed out to the manager that they just took my unsigned card twice without checking ID and this was ludicrous. The manager replied with a scowl on his face and walked away without explaining to me why they would do this.

After a quick internet search I found that any business can refuse a form of payment. But I cannot find anything that says you can be asked for ID to pay with cash.

Anyone know about these things???

Thoughts.....?


PS This is my first thread. WOO HOO!!

It sounds like this bussiness has gotten tired of taking counterfiet 50s. They don't really care about counterfiet credit cards, as long as they get their money.

Simple they just want their money. They are going to get the money from the credit card company, if you hand them a "fake" $50 and they turn it into the bank, they lose money. This is why they do this. If you give out large bills at places like that they want your ID incase you give them a fake one. It's insane believe me. I had a place refuse cash and only want a credit card.

Typically (at least in Canada), places have a counterfeit detector they use for higher forms of currency (I even think Tim Horton's checks each bill but I am not sure). It is also the law to make sure that the signature on the back of your credit card is identical to the signature placed on the receipt (chip cards pretty much bypass this).

I have never heard of ID for cash? Did they give you any reason at all why they need it?

never heard of anything like this before? if it was a vodka and orange then yeah.
its probably the duncan doughnuts staff being a bunch of d1ckheads.

But I did see that they had the counterfeit pen. The one that turns color if its a fake. I would understand if they said they don't accept large bills. It was the ID part that set me off.

reply to post by Whatsreal


America the greedy? I too have encountered this situation, and I too was appalled.
But you did have a large bill. Not like it was a five.

Thats pretty crazy, but hey next time don't take your cards either, try to pay with the cash and when they refuse it say fine and walk out. They call the cops you tell them that you tried to pay with legal tender, it was refused on the grounds you didnt have any ID with you and there was nothing you could do so you left.

reply to post by Whatsreal


Just for the heck of it, why not contact the DD district office or regional office and complain. They have the right to refuse cash, but you as a loyal customer has the right to raise a stink too!

my take it is they have a few things up side down or on lock down mode,

debit/credit card activity over 50 bucks require identification

cash is cash ,

on a side note , to the op , you just commitet to a breach in contract with your card supplier by not having your card signed and you used it for "fraudulent" transactions,..

Crazy, I have paid for a single coffee at DD with a 100 dollar bill on more than one occasion without incident, so I'm guessing this is probably an issue specific to this DD or a limited number. Had that happened to me, I would have kept my mouth shut, paid with the credit card and signed Daffy Duck and the refute the charge.

I'm not sure about your state, but I know that mine no longer requires cc companies to pay for transactions where the signatures clearly do not match, or are different names all together. I know that it is not right, but sometimes you just have to do what you have to.

reply to post by Whatsreal


Welcome newbie...I only got half a brain but still would like to post a comment on something I read a while back.

Seems besides the imagery on all US currency, there is this printed statement:

THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

So, your fellow manager may have committed treason...(perhaps my bad half brain is thinking here on this one) ... Please accept my apologies if you find this post offensive...

reply to post by Whatsreal


That is absurd , and the only justification I can see for it has already been mentioned , as far as the counterfeit issue . Still , they could have easily swiped it with the pen to ascertain if it was fake .

I too , have seen places that refuse cash and only accept other forms of payment . In my opinion , this is just another step towards implementing a cashless society . You should post a review of DD here and see what kind of feedback you receive :

www.yelp.com...

reply to post by zerbot565


I don't have my card signed, I very clearly printed to ask for i.d., which is just fine and not a breach of contract as it was advised from my card company.

they are just trying to get the masses used to a chipped traceable police state, cash is looked down upon now and you mite be a terrorist if they cant track your every purchase!!

It only cascades from this point! LOL sorry to find humor in your frustrations.

For me, I wanted to go to an Ear Nose and Throat specialist because of the incessant "ringing" in my ears. I called the only one in our town to make an appointment and the girl on the phone asked who was the referring doctor. I told her there was no referring doctor that I would be paying cash because I am not insured. She immediately refused to give me an appointment without a referring doctor.

I had to call a general practice clinic to get the referral. No examination, nothing, I showed up and they took my blood pressure (which I guess is customary for ear problems--maybe because high blood pressure can cause this) and was given a referral for $150. I am serious, 10 minutes and I was bent over like a .....sorry, I am still angry about how silly this is.

So then I was able to go to the ENT Specialist and I still do not have insurance and paid cash. The ear examination was at least reasonable and I wrote a letter to the New Mexico Medical Fraud Reporting address that I was given by calling several places in Albuquerque. I never got a response.

So much for the trying to care for myself on my own! LOL I learned to just tough it on most things.

Ridiculous world!

OP - you should do this, provided that D.D. isn't out of your way... I probably would, just to make them as annoyed as they had made me, had I been in your shoes... It's petty, but so what? So is the treatment you received. Especially since (it seems, since you didn't note it, nor did the manager say anything to you) that there was NOT a policy of not accepting a large dollar bill...

Originally posted by maskfan

Thats pretty crazy, but hey next time don't take your cards either, try to pay with the cash and when they refuse it say fine and walk out. They call the cops you tell them that you tried to pay with legal tender, it was refused on the grounds you didnt have any ID with you and there was nothing you could do so you left.

Many places in my home state (Utah) now have signs about not accepting 50 or 100 dollar bills. Counterfitting is getting bigger. My brother (a federal marshal) says it's getting out of contol.

Yet nothing is ever said on the MSM.

Great 1st post, sir!

Originally posted by Whatsreal
But I did see that they had the counterfeit pen. The one that turns color if its a fake. I would understand if they said they don't accept large bills. It was the ID part that set me off.

The funny thing about those pens if the cap is left off for a period of time they will reject all bills, have seen it happen before. I gotta say it's probably something to do with the counterfeit than anything else. I know of a local store on the Indian Reservation that even checks 10's and 20's because of the problems with counterfeit money. The guy there says they run into it all the time especially the smaller bills.

reply to post by Greensage


Perhaps it is time ordinary people started an organization which keeps track of businesses that treat people unfairly given their power positions over us (ie. like your doctor experience because you had no other choice really) and start boycotting their businesses. It worked in the 60s, so why wouldn't it work now?