I’ve been curious as to why I have to sign a receipt when I use my VISA debit card to earn points in the Chase Extras program, versus keying in the PIN. This article explains it. The bank benefits.

When you sign a debit card receipt at a large retailer, the store pays your bank an average of 75 cents for every $100 spent, more than twice as much as when you punch in a four-digit code.

This also explains why many stores offer PIN only. I can’t say I blame them.