Handing over your card to the waiters is standard in the US. You are basically trusting the waiter to not skim/copy the card. In the case that it is skimmed, th

Handing over your card to the waiters is standard in the US. You are basically trusting the waiter to not skim/copy the card. In the case that it is skimmed, the fraud policies I've experienced are very favorable to the consumer. I was surprised to see in Quebec City that all the stores/restaurants had portable card machines they brought to you. That does make a lot more sense to me.