EDIT: The latest is only Name and address can be recorded.

I don't think that's correct practice.

If for any reason the merchant is suspicious about the card or its owner they have the right to call the VISA or MC merchant centre for authorization. It normally doesn't take 15 minutes but maybe their system was down.

I received call from SP last week confirming that checking ID is OK but writing on receipt is illegal. They will inform the that store about this.

AFAIK the merchant is not required by the card company to check ID. The card itself, with its signature and now chip & PIN, is supposed to do that for them. If the merchant is still suspicious they can also call the merchant centre. But they're not supposed to ask for additional ID or to write info about that ID down on the receipt. The latter leads to various privacy issues and should be pursued by the federal Privacy Commissioner (you know, the folks who made Facebook change their policies.)

Mister said:

If anyone is still interested in this issue, last time I used my Visa at a 7-11, it took roughly 15 minutes because apparently now transactions greater than $50 I think require a voice confirmation from Visa that the purchaser is OK. The clerk was on the phone the entire time waiting for a confirmation code...

That 15 minutes could've been used to run to the bank and get the cash, with 5 minutes to spare. No more Visa purchases for me at 7-11.

I don't think that's correct practice.
You should complain to Speakout. Also complain to VISA
As far as I know Visa don't have any policy like this.
With this practice 7-11 achieved their one target that bring Cash customers. No more paying to VISA and no more fraud checking.

I received call from SP last week confirming that checking ID is OK but writing on receipt is illegal. They will inform the that store about this.

That 15 minutes could've been used to run to the bank and get the cash, with 5 minutes to spare. No more Visa purchases for me at 7-11.

I always buy on CC and rarely use cash. Have not used my Bank card at any store in years.

It depends on whether you want an easy solution or you want to spend a lot of time proving a point. If the former, use cash. If the latter, argue with the sales clerk then escalate to 7-11 HQ, your MP, Ellen Roseman,...

Does anyone have a REAL solution/compromise for this 7-11 problem?

Simple. Go to an ATM. Withdraw cash. Use it to pay for phone and/or airtime. No ID required.

The fact is that these 7-11 employees are probably paid minimum wage and do what they're told. They would probably prefer to not sell you the phone instead of disobeying their manager and taking a credit card payment without writing down your id.

The 7-11 managers are probably only doing this cause 7-11 got burned in the past.

Anyone have a solution for 7-11 so they can stop asking to write down your id while still protecting them somewhat?

Ask for his name and phone number and arrange to meet at the store.

Why should a customer have to waste their time, gasoline, etc. to educate a 7-11 supervisor? If it happened to me and the local store wouldn't budge I'd start with VISA/MC, my bank, federal privacy commissioner, etc. Unlike some anonymous supervisor they're all available to me by phone or e-mail. Also, unlike a supervisor, they're more likely to ensure that this illegal practice ends at all 7-11 stores from coast to coast.

It's always better to deal face-to-face if you can.

If they refuse, get the name of the store clerk, document the date and time. Write a brief letter to the provincial privacy commissioner and send a copy to 7-11's head office with a cover letter asking how the corporation is going to compensate you.

My guess is that the reason 7-11 employees want to write down your DL or something is because they've been burned in the past. Some guy probably stole a credit card, bought some prepaid/no id required/already activated and ready to go cellphones (drug dealer special!), and then the 7-11 owner was stuck with the loss once the credit card charge bounced back. This is probably a teeny tiny fraction of Speakout users who are probably like me - honest and don't use stolen credit cards.

Unfortunately, the 'solution' that they came up with hurts the law-abiding Speakout users. There has to be a happy medium somewhere.

Perhaps there can be a way to put the Speakout sim card # or airtime top-up serial number on the credit card receipt? That way if the credit card charge bounces back, then the speakout service to that phone can be shut off. Not the perfect situation for the store owners, but perhaps that will discourage some of the stolen credit card use. Plus it doesn't put the honest people's personal info at risk.

Anyone else have any ideas?

BTW the best way to buy a SO cellphone and airtime completely anonymously is with cold, hard cash. If you value your privacy it's worth the extra trip to your bank or an ATM.

Anybody else had problems like this? Whoever face such problem please complain to store and 7-Eleven HQ.