Can Your Cell Phone "Wipe" Your Magnetic Room Card?
#1
Original Member
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Niceville, FL, USA
Posts: 2,793
Can Your Cell Phone "Wipe" Your Magnetic Room Card?
I had an interesting experience the other week. I went to my hotel room and inserted the card, and nothing happened. I did it repeatedly with no success in getting the lock to disengage, so I finally went downstairs to get the problem fixed.
The clerk at the desk whipped me up a new one right away, then asked me if I kept the card near my cell phone.
Well, yes, I did. The phone is clipped to my belt on my left side and I habitually keep my room "key" in my left pocket in its paper sleeve.
She said that it is very common in her experience that when the cell phone goes off, it somehow tends to mess up the magnetic stripe on the room card on occasion. She said that it very seldom happens unless the two are in close proximity.
While I have had this happen to me a few times in the past, and it certainly sounds reasonable, I am also thinking of the hundreds of stays where the room card did NOT get wiped.
What do you think? Is this plausible?
The clerk at the desk whipped me up a new one right away, then asked me if I kept the card near my cell phone.
Well, yes, I did. The phone is clipped to my belt on my left side and I habitually keep my room "key" in my left pocket in its paper sleeve.
She said that it is very common in her experience that when the cell phone goes off, it somehow tends to mess up the magnetic stripe on the room card on occasion. She said that it very seldom happens unless the two are in close proximity.
While I have had this happen to me a few times in the past, and it certainly sounds reasonable, I am also thinking of the hundreds of stays where the room card did NOT get wiped.
What do you think? Is this plausible?
#3
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,419
Wow learn something every day. I always keep my cell in same pocket as keycard and had no problems. Hmm when I'm home I have magnetic keys for work and home - I dont have enough pockets to keep them all separate and separate from cell.
#6
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 214
The main reason for this happening is that hotel room key cards hold very little information on their magnetic strip (around 2% or so), whereas other cards (credit cards, DLs, etc.) hold more information on them. Something about what's encoded on them has to do with how "durable" it is, thus making your permanent cards less likely to be decoded or damaged. If you swiped a credit card for all its data in a card swiper, lots of information comes up. Swiping a room key card pulls nothing off the strip.
#7
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: AUS/DCA
Programs: Nothing fits in my travelling wallet any more...
Posts: 314
Cell phone speakers can definitely demag credit cards, card keys, computer discs, etc. An analog speaker is basically a little inductor, a little electromagnet.
Some cell phones are much worse than others. The Treo 650 is particularly nasty to card keys in the pocket.
Some cell phones are much worse than others. The Treo 650 is particularly nasty to card keys in the pocket.
#9
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Orange AU
Posts: 274
My Motorola RAZR wipes my hotel room key if they are next to one another AND the phone rings. Never had the problem with my old Ericsson R320s, and I kept hotel key cards next to it. Maybe it's some phones only?
Glenn
Glenn
#10
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The road less traveled
Programs: UA Gold MM, AA EXP, Delta Platinum, Marriott Titanium, HHonors Diamond, Natl EE, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 5,118
Had this happen to me this weekend! I found out trying to get into the parking garage with the key. ARGH!! It was a bit of a pain to back out and get to the front of the hotel.
Fool me once...
Fool me once...
#11
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Posts: 3,796
Credit cards are meant to be recorded once only, so they're deliberately difficult (though not impossible) to demagnatize. Hotel room keys, on the other hand, are routinely erased and reused so they're more vulnerable to accidental erasure.
#12
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Florida
Programs: HH Diamond, MR Platinum, Choice Diamond, Priority Club Plat, DL Silver
Posts: 344
Has anyone actually had their credit card wiped out by a cell phone?
I recently bought a new cell phone (Sanyo 200) and with my previous phone I got in the habit of propping the phone up on my wallet so I could hear it if it rang. The next time I went to use my credit card (about 4 days after getting the phone) it wouldn't swipe in the gas pump. I went to 2 other stations and also tried another card, which also wouldn't swipe.
I contacted one of the card companies and they said there is nothing wrong with my account. So a new card is on its way to me. However, I have discovered that gas stations (at least the 3 I stopped at) are not allowed to manually input the card number, if it can not be swiped they can not accept it. Luckily last nights hotel could manually input the number, hopefully the next 2 hotels can also.
So does anyone know for sure (not just internet rumor) if cell phones can wipe out credit cards? Or should I be looking for another cause that would make 2 cards go bad?
I recently bought a new cell phone (Sanyo 200) and with my previous phone I got in the habit of propping the phone up on my wallet so I could hear it if it rang. The next time I went to use my credit card (about 4 days after getting the phone) it wouldn't swipe in the gas pump. I went to 2 other stations and also tried another card, which also wouldn't swipe.
I contacted one of the card companies and they said there is nothing wrong with my account. So a new card is on its way to me. However, I have discovered that gas stations (at least the 3 I stopped at) are not allowed to manually input the card number, if it can not be swiped they can not accept it. Luckily last nights hotel could manually input the number, hopefully the next 2 hotels can also.
So does anyone know for sure (not just internet rumor) if cell phones can wipe out credit cards? Or should I be looking for another cause that would make 2 cards go bad?
#14
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: IAD
Programs: UA-1K, MR-PP, *wood Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 104
I have had my key erased while in my wallet several times (plain leather not the alligator stuff that was erasing cards in the 90s). Now I keep it in my pocket with cell phone and have not had any problems...yet. Guess I'll switch pockets.
#15
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 186
Originally Posted by jsporing
I have had my key erased while in my wallet several times (plain leather not the alligator stuff that was erasing cards in the 90s). Now I keep it in my pocket with cell phone and have not had any problems...yet. Guess I'll switch pockets.