Do Creditcards/debit Cards/ Bank Cards Get Damaged When In Contact With Magnets?

[fivos]

info needed for research.
Thnaks to evryone who answers.

[Mamyalynne]

Seems so, yes.


http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/video-magnets-make-credit-card-mag-stripe-not-work-1457.php

[EDDIE51]

Yes, they have the data on a coded magnetic strip so close contact with a strong magnet will disable it.

[vascop]

Presumably the machines that read the magnetic strip do it by using a magnet, albeit a weak one, and so eventually, after thousands of swipes, it will stop working?

[Hopkirk]

I doubt it affects the chip though, and the magnetic strip is rarely used now.

[EDDIE51]

I believe it's the magnetic strip that actually reads the ID information as a card is put into a cash point, then the chip holds the financial information. May be wrong though.

[murraymints]

yes they can and the contact cards can be read by mistake also when you stand near a reader..I have small aluminium type wallets to keep mine in prevents cards being read and scanned when you don't want it....new scam ..folk with readers scanning bags and cloning cards ... get from amazon ..credit card protectors

[Hopkirk]

You could be right Eddie. In a shop card reader though, the card only goes a little way in.

[EDDIE51]

murrymints you mean the 'contactless' cards. I will never have one of those, too easy to get scammed. Luckily my bank offers an option to have chip and pin or contactless.

[murraymints]

eddie ..you are right..that's what I meant...Barclays did not give me a choice....which is why I use these wallets

[catswhiskas]

I was advised recently to put a piece of tin foil in my purse where my debit cards are, so if anybody is using a scanning machine illegally, they can then not withdraw money from your card.

[hc4361]

I keep my contactless cards in a metal card holder.

[Hopkirk]

I heard that this risk of contactless cards is massively overstated.

I'm not bothering to get special metallic card holders, I'm just doing my usual thing of not letting anyone near my wallet.