Just got back from 10 days in France. Used a new Chip & Pin card, but was concerned about possible RFID theft. Before the trip I purchased a Travelon bag with RFID shield. Two added bonuses: (1) wallet contents went in bag to minimize concerns with pickpockets, (2) at some museums backpacks had to be left at the bag check, but my "man bag" was OK.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Interesting approach.
Travelon should thank you.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
Nothing wrong with using the bag as a secure means of keeping your wallet and passport safe from pickpockets. But you and others reading this should know that RFID is NOT the same technology used in chip&PIN cards. Protecting those cards from RFID does nothing.
RFID is a technology that allows a card to be scanned remotely. It is most often used for gas cards (swipe the card past the sensor at the pump), transit cards, and some merchant cards (I think Starbucks may have a card that you just swipe past the reader). For a thief to "scan" your card, they have to put their reader just inches away from your wallet.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33985 posts
RFID pops up every few months when somebody wants somebody to buy something, or if somebody has been sold something.
Many threads on this have come and gone - it is a solution looking for a problem.
Glad the bag gave you some confidence.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32363 posts
As Douglas mentioned, Chip & PIN cards have nothing to do with RFID. The Chip has to be in physical contact with the reader for a transaction to be processed. However, if the card also has "PayPass" technology (which is indicated by a small "signal strength" logo on the front of the card), it can be read using an RFID reader. If the card doesn't have RFID capability, it won't matter what you carry it in.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10671 posts
Millions of Europeans are walking around with chip and pin credit cards, as well as chipped healthcare cards but aren't concerned about RFID shields. Could someone explain why this would be needed? Wasn't there some concern about the biometric chipped passports?
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
The passport chip has to be up against the machine. The passport card can be read from a few feet since it's used from cars without having to hand it to the border dude.
Neither contain anything other than what's on the document, so who cares ? Once the document mates up with the data base(s) is when the good scoop shows up.