How to Know You Have RFID Chip in Your Debit/Credit Cards and Protect Them against Theft

Credit and debit cards are going through technological changes. The latest one we have is embedded RFID chip.  Majority of the cards have them. What this means is that we no longer needs to experience the hassle of sliding them.

A cashier with an electronic scanner can simply use it to scan them and get the required amount we are to pay for whatever we are buying from them. In our lazy mind, this is quite a convenience. A little thought, however, would turn us to the direction of pickpocket.

Yes, a thief who has an electronic scanner can steal our information from those cards. He does not need to use what the cashier has. His partner in crime can be Acer Cloud Mobile, Blackberry Bold or Asus Vivo Tab RT.  Don’t you think stealing is now much easier? That is why, we need to take precautions. The first step, of course, is to find out whether we truly have the RFID chip within our cards. There are three methods to doing this:

1. Look for radio signal icon: All cards carrying RFID chip will proudly present radio frequency signal icon. See the picture below. This is what Wells Fargo debit card has.

3. Look for Pay Pass or Pay Wave term: If the signal icon is not present you will find the pay pass or pay wave statement written somewhere on the card.

4. Read the letter that comes with your new card: The letter usually states how to use the new card. If it boasts about how it needs no sliding then it means it contains the chip. The Wells Fargo letters, however, are far clearer about it.

What can you do to protect your card?

1. Keeping the card wrapped in aluminum foil is said to be an effective method to prevent theft. But with that might come the issue of embarrassment. This is true especially for men who have to carry smaller wallets and that is also in pocket. Women should have lesser trouble because their wallets are usually in big purses where removing of the foil can be done without garnering attention.

2. The second method is to use aluminum wallets.  They are very affordable. In fact, majority of them are available under $10. Being wise during shopping is still necessary. We bought a few couple of months ago. Mine is falling apart. It was not at all a good buy. The cards accidentally sometimes slip.  

The wallet has no space for cash for which I am forced to include my traditional one in the purse. if you wish to buy this kind of aluminum wallet go for the brand called SHARK. It has got better reviews from users.

3. The third method is to disable the chip by making hole in its specific area. This is quite dangerous and thus I will not recommend anyone to try it out. Apparently, some people found the method preventing them from using the cards at ATM machines.