Does the sleeve that comes with the US Passport card block RFID? Is it needed?
Mar 27, 2017, 11:19 am
#1
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Does the sleeve that comes with the US Passport card block RFID? Is it needed?
Just got my US passport card. I mostly plan to use it as a federal ID w/o my address on it for bars and TSA + as proof of citizenship if my passport is lost overseas.
Normally I'd just throw it in my iPhone case with my credit and debit card, but the sleeve gave me pause... is it really that delicate? And does the sleeve provide any protection for the RFID? (if not I don't see why I shouldn't just carry it in my wallet, especially since I live far from land crossings)
Normally I'd just throw it in my iPhone case with my credit and debit card, but the sleeve gave me pause... is it really that delicate? And does the sleeve provide any protection for the RFID? (if not I don't see why I shouldn't just carry it in my wallet, especially since I live far from land crossings)
Mar 27, 2017, 12:02 pm
#2
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Just got my US passport card. I mostly plan to use it as a federal ID w/o my address on it for bars and TSA + as proof of citizenship if my passport is lost overseas.
Normally I'd just throw it in my iPhone case with my credit and debit card, but the sleeve gave me pause... is it really that delicate? And does the sleeve provide any protection for the RFID? (if not I don't see why I shouldn't just carry it in my wallet, especially since I live far from land crossings)
Normally I'd just throw it in my iPhone case with my credit and debit card, but the sleeve gave me pause... is it really that delicate? And does the sleeve provide any protection for the RFID? (if not I don't see why I shouldn't just carry it in my wallet, especially since I live far from land crossings)
Mar 27, 2017, 12:20 pm
#3
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The idea of the sleeve is not so much to protect the card as to protect the card holder (you). Without the sleeve, the card's chip can be read from a distance by an RFID reader. Whether this is a realistic concern or a tinfoil hat concern is a topic for another thread, but that's what the sleeve is intended for - to prevent the card's chip from being remotely read by an RFID reader.
Mar 27, 2017, 3:32 pm
#6
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And Federal trumps state regardless, even in Texas
Mar 27, 2017, 3:46 pm
#7
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Moderator's Note: Please let's get back on topic
Please let's get back on topic which is whether the sleeve that comes with the US Passport Card, or the Global Entry card for that matter, blocks RFID.
Please discuss states' ID requirements for proof of age for alcohol purchases in TravelBuzz or OMNI.
Thank you,
TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator
Please discuss states' ID requirements for proof of age for alcohol purchases in TravelBuzz or OMNI.
Thank you,
TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator
Mar 31, 2017, 1:14 am
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I'd take it as a sign of blocking the RFID in part but not entirely, if it does so.
Apr 1, 2017, 3:47 pm
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Apr 7, 2017, 10:44 am
#12
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RFID tech is much more common in ID and access devices than in credit and debit cards. RFID's days in the credit industry are numbered by phone payment systems like Apple Pay, but RFID security badges can be found everywhere these days. Still, I've never encountered a reader that could detect a chip from more than about six inches, and most are limited to about two or three inches.
With one glaring exception: car fobs. I've owned two keyless cars, and both were capable of detecting their fobs from as much as two feet from the lock, not to mention the ignition readers, which could detect the fobs pretty much anywhere in the front seats - driver or passenger side, on the dash, on the floor, in a jacket or pant pocket, almost anywhere.
I'm not really worried about RFID skimmers. I'm much more worried about careless employees of private companies or government agencies failing to secure my financial information from hackers and identity thieves.
Apr 10, 2017, 10:15 am
#13
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From what I've read over the years, RFID proximity is dependent on the reader's signal strength, not the chip. More powerful or sensitive readers can power chips from greater distances.
RFID tech is much more common in ID and access devices than in credit and debit cards. RFID's days in the credit industry are numbered by phone payment systems like Apple Pay, but RFID security badges can be found everywhere these days. Still, I've never encountered a reader that could detect a chip from more than about six inches, and most are limited to about two or three inches.
With one glaring exception: car fobs. I've owned two keyless cars, and both were capable of detecting their fobs from as much as two feet from the lock, not to mention the ignition readers, which could detect the fobs pretty much anywhere in the front seats - driver or passenger side, on the dash, on the floor, in a jacket or pant pocket, almost anywhere.
I'm not really worried about RFID skimmers. I'm much more worried about careless employees of private companies or government agencies failing to secure my financial information from hackers and identity thieves.
RFID tech is much more common in ID and access devices than in credit and debit cards. RFID's days in the credit industry are numbered by phone payment systems like Apple Pay, but RFID security badges can be found everywhere these days. Still, I've never encountered a reader that could detect a chip from more than about six inches, and most are limited to about two or three inches.
With one glaring exception: car fobs. I've owned two keyless cars, and both were capable of detecting their fobs from as much as two feet from the lock, not to mention the ignition readers, which could detect the fobs pretty much anywhere in the front seats - driver or passenger side, on the dash, on the floor, in a jacket or pant pocket, almost anywhere.
I'm not really worried about RFID skimmers. I'm much more worried about careless employees of private companies or government agencies failing to secure my financial information from hackers and identity thieves.