Martin Lewis: Money saving expert reveals what to do if you find an unsigned credit card

The 45-year-old financial journalist enlightened Twitter followers when he found an unsigned credit card and decided to live Tweet the whole event. 

He asked followers what they would do in the scenario, and gave them four options to choose from.

On the social media site, he wrote: “Today’s Twitter poll: I’ve just got on an empty train & found someone’s credit card on the seat. If it was you what would you do?”

People chose from “hand it to the train guard”, “cut it up”, “try to call up bank” and “leave it”.

The most popular option by far was “hand it to the train guard”, which 58 per cent of people opted for.

More than 12,000 people replied to the tweet.

“I’ve called the card provider.  Reported that I’ve found it.  And as instructed by them I have now cut up the card & binned it,” Martin wrote to the site.

Evidently, Martin has given his example of how to act if you find an unsigned card, but what do the experts say?

Website Creditcards.com recommends calling the telephone number on the back of the card and reporting it as lost.

Surprisingly most people’s gut instinct on what to do when they find a card is wrong.

You should not hand the card to staff or supervisors wherever you are because they might use the card themselves – if they aren’t honest. 

Banks advise anyone who has lost their card to report it immediately, either online or over the phone. 

Natwest says you should report the card as soon as possible to avoid fraud and never tell your pin to anyone, as the bank will not ask for it. 

Barclays also recommends reporting the lost card as soon as you realise it has gone, and HSBC has the same advice.

Did you know that you should not have to show your boarding pass at airport shops?

If you’re visiting a duty-free shop, Martin said you do have to show your boarding pass.