In reponse to similar moves from American Express and MasterCard, Visa eliminates signature for credit, and interestingly, debit transactions under $25 for certain (17) merchant categories.

Visa Waives Signatures on Small Purchases: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance

NEW YORK (AP) — Visa USA on Monday said it will waive the signature requirements for purchases under $25 in a bid to speed up customer time spent at on the checkout line and increase use of its credit and debit cards.

Customers previously were allowed to pay without a signature at only certain retailers, such as Starbucks. The San Francisco-based credit card brand is expanding that concept across 17 merchant categories, including drug stores, taxis, newsstands and fast-food restaurants.

Relevance to Bankwatch:
This will maintain competitiveness, and align with move toward Visa debit.