RFID Wallet or Sleeves?? Do I really need one?
Sep 22, 2015, 11:44 am
#16
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Somewhere in Florida
Posts: 2,622
Just slip a credit-card shaped piece of aluminum foil in your wallet and you'll be fine. Shouldn't be enough metal to piss off a metal detector at the airport yet will have the desired effect. Similarly, carrying one of the metal Chase cards in my wallet keeps my Wells-Fargo RFID credit card from working.
Sep 24, 2015, 12:09 am
#17
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,857
Like others have said, check to see if your cards are actually contactless before you start looking too hard. We currently have ~45 credit cards (thanks, FT) and not a single one of them is contactless. In fact, the only contactless card we've ever had (out of ~80 total) was an Amex that was contactless when I got it, but that functionality was removed when I got my first replacement card.
Sep 30, 2015, 9:27 am
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: QLA
Programs: SBUX Gold
Posts: 14,507
If you want free sleeves, hotels that use RFID key cards usually place them in RFID-blocking sleeves. If you stay at one, just ask for a few more (I noticed this at the Hyatt Regency Istanbul Atakoy, which may be inconvenient for some, but I'm sure you local Hyatt may have them too).
Sep 30, 2015, 10:01 am
#20
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,933
Sep 30, 2015, 10:14 am
#21
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 394
They are cards that use RFID technology to connect with a reader to allow payment by just waving the card close (about a half inch or less away). The most common ones are "Visa PayWave" and "Mastercard PayPass" -- a card that has this RFID technology will have a wave symbol
Apr 26, 2016, 5:42 pm
#23
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 57
I was looking at getting an RFID blocking sleeve or wallet, and all these products on amazon with hundreds or thousands of reviews, most accumulated from free products in exchange for a review - and each with only a handful of reviewers that were actually able to test the RFID - and of those it seems like half say it work, and half say it doesn't.
Even if it's encrypted, I don't want someone with a skimmer in a foreign country being able to pull anything from me.
Has anyone seen an officially tested list of options? I don't trust any of the products listed as bestsellers on Amazon.
Even if it's encrypted, I don't want someone with a skimmer in a foreign country being able to pull anything from me.
Has anyone seen an officially tested list of options? I don't trust any of the products listed as bestsellers on Amazon.
Apr 26, 2016, 7:05 pm
#24
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 394
I was looking at getting an RFID blocking sleeve or wallet, and all these products on amazon with hundreds or thousands of reviews, most accumulated from free products in exchange for a review - and each with only a handful of reviewers that were actually able to test the RFID - and of those it seems like half say it work, and half say it doesn't.
Even if it's encrypted, I don't want someone with a skimmer in a foreign country being able to pull anything from me.
Has anyone seen an officially tested list of options? I don't trust any of the products listed as bestsellers on Amazon.
Even if it's encrypted, I don't want someone with a skimmer in a foreign country being able to pull anything from me.
Has anyone seen an officially tested list of options? I don't trust any of the products listed as bestsellers on Amazon.
I think I bought mine off of ebay - 10 sleeves for about $5 (with free shipping). With repeated use of moving the card in and out, I find the edges start to fray after about a year.....but since they're only 50 cents each, I throw it out and get a new one from my pile.
Apr 26, 2016, 8:00 pm
#25
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BKK/SEL/YQG
Posts: 2,543
Since pretty much every card in my wallet is contactless, I can't make any purchase (or metro ride) by tapping my wallet any more, as the readers get confused. Surely the skimmers would have the same issue? Could a potential easier solution just to put all contactless cards next to each other?
Apr 26, 2016, 11:55 pm
#26
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
Programs: UA 1K/MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Something, IHG Gold, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 8,162
Apr 27, 2016, 5:04 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 394
Since pretty much every card in my wallet is contactless, I can't make any purchase (or metro ride) by tapping my wallet any more, as the readers get confused. Surely the skimmers would have the same issue? Could a potential easier solution just to put all contactless cards next to each other?
It's good to know about the options.
Sep 7, 2020, 9:45 am
#29
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: OSH
Programs: SWRR, HH, SM, TSA Pre
Posts: 758
I'm considering carrying an RFID blocking card like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VPGYTW2...v_ov_lig_dp_it in my wallet, prices vary from a couple dollars to more than 10 bucks. Any suggestions?
Sep 10, 2020, 9:08 pm
#30
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,992
I'm considering carrying an RFID blocking card like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VPGYTW2...v_ov_lig_dp_it in my wallet, prices vary from a couple dollars to more than 10 bucks. Any suggestions?