Simple really - I can pretend to be my friend at the bank to withdraw cash at the counter with his card. I can't sneak into the gym with his card for there. And they are still MASSIVELY reliant on signatures.<p>Seems like it would be so simple to just take a photo of customers when they join.
There are camera all over banks. (Not just to watch for bank robbers, but to watch for tellers and other bank officers committing embezzlement.) Engaging in a fraudulent transaction inside a bank is a crime that leaves behind a lot of evidence with which you could be convicted of a felony.<p>P.S. Doesn't everyone know how to spot (some of) the positions of security cameras inside places of business? The trick is that there may be additional cameras in locations unknown to you as you enter the bank, besides the camera that you should be able to see. As far as I know, in most countries all automatic teller machines have cameras to record every transaction.
Some banks have. In the mid-90s, Bank of America used to take a photo, and put it on their debit and credit cards -- in fact, my (much newer) cards still have that same photo on them.<p>No idea if they still do that. I don't get the impression that it was a huge boost for security. Nobody pays all that much attention to the photo.
A local college partnered with a local bank for some time to offer a Debt Card/Student ID which I missed out on but would find extremely useful since I proffer my driver's license every time I hand over my card.<p>With that said, I have no answer to your question, although I might come Monday if I get the time to call and find out.