smartphones damaging bank cards
 

Hi,

read today in a dutch newspaper that the radiation fom a smartphone could damage the magnetic strip and/or chip on a bankpass or creditcard.

On the other4 hand, I like the idea of carrying creditcard and n900 in the same pouch.

Would it help to carry the creditcard in a metal sleeve?

Paai

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

http://www.smartcaze.se/index2.htm

e: I'd be more concerned about n900's screen than credit cards chip when those two would be side by side in my pocket....

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

Honestly, the only 2 things that's ever stopped my bank cards from working are a. snapping them, or b. salt water (not good for the chip).

I'm sure some giant electro-magnet wouldn't do it any good, but a phone? Please!

Anyway I'd be more worried about what it can do to your brain if it can destroy bank cards

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

Eh, I seriously doubt it. You can stick a magnetic-stripped card in the microwave for a few seconds without frying it and that's a few thousand times stronger than anything your phone could ever put out.

A RFID chip however could be damaged, but probably not by a cellphone - Three seconds in the microwave however will turn it into a nice char spot on your card.

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

I haven't had a credit card fry on me from a phone and I have been using both and close to each other for more than a decade.

I have had hotel cards get deprogrammed though from a phone when kept together (I am talking same bag here not really close as in a pocket or case).
I guess it depends from the quality of the card.

A bank card is designed to last anywhere from 1 to 4 years of abuse in wallets, pockets, atm's, teller machines etc.
A hotel card is probably the cheapest available quality and pretty much disposable.

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

My credit cards suffers a lot due to my wife's shopping when compared to the radiation of 50 smartphones.

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

My stupid local bank keeps sending me cards made of some self-disintegrating plastic, that last only 6 months in my wallet... When I ask for a replacement they just send the next card with extended validity date, so now I have a cracked card that is valid until 2016. Idiots.

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

Dunno about radiation, but devices containing magnets (such as the N900) are a definite concern for the cards' magnetic strips. Best to keep them at a reasonable distance.

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

Agreed! Or you could you your credit card to pay for yourN900 screen replacement :p

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

I remember seeing on Mythusters they trying to mess up the data on magnetic strips on cards with all sorts of magnets, and only on very extreme cases anything happened at all

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

Any time you read this kind of page filler, it is utterly safe to ignore.

Every moment of our existence we are being bombarded with electromagnetic radiation from right across the spectrum, some of this is significantly more 'powerful' than what is radiated from a cellphone antenna.

You need a fairly strong magnetic field to modify the card stripe - you wont get that, ever, from your bog standard cell phone.

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

I would imagine that the sort of radiation needed to upset your bank cards would not be something you wanted anywhere near your body, certainly not in your hip pocket. If it ain't going to hurt me, I doubt it will harm my cards. Besides, cards are replaceable.

Re: smartphones damaging bank cards
 

I wouldn't worry too much as well, this should happen in very rare cases (and if it does, then I would worry for my own health as well !)