Bank card: do you know what objects can demagnetize it?

In 2018, 67% of French people preferred to pay by credit card rather than pay for their purchases in cash, according to Statista. It must be said that this little piece of PVC and plastic can be practical in many ways, and today, few merchants do not have an electronic payment terminal. So much so that we are increasingly abandoning other means of payment. In 2021, credit card payments have thus increased by 10% in France according to the Observatory of bank cards.

But depending too much on your credit card to make your purchases and pay your bills can be treacherous the day it decides to stop working. Sometimes, we can try again, rub it in all directions and redo its code, nothing helps: the card has become mute.

Very often, this is a degaussing problem with magnetic stripe cards, which differ from newer EMV chip models. If sometimes it is due to wear, it can also be the result of unwanted interference.

When the intensity of the magnetic induction of an object or a device near your CB is less than 400 microteslas, the latter can therefore demagnetize your card.

This is the case, in particular, of permanent magnets, present on fridge magnets, magnetic badges or certain phone cases and other key rings.

Your smartphone may be magnetic, but there is little risk that it will demagnetize your bank card, contrary to popular belief.

“The risk of the magnetic strips being damaged by rubbing against each other is also very low,” specifies the immofeed.fr website.

In short, keep your credit card away from all magnets!

For more security, the CNIL recommends that you slip your credit card into a special case, which will protect it from external magnetic interference, whether by chance or a malicious act…

If your card seems degaussed though, try rubbing it against a smooth cloth for several seconds. And if the problem persists, contact your bank, who will provide you with a new model.