You get to the checkout line and swip your card... Denied. But you know it's good. Is there a way to solve your purchasing predicament?
So there I was in the store the other day saving the economy by exercising my freedom to spend when I noticed something going on at the register. Trouble!
Apparently someone was trying to use a credit card that was well past its prime. You know what I’m talking about. The more you swipe that card the more it looks like financial skid mark. Let me say that again. The more you use that card the more it looks like somebody is putting the breaks on your spending. Sliding you into an uncertain financial future? We’ve all been there. Swiping and swiping and swiping. [Laughs] And it really stinks when the magic plastic fails to deliver. Poor guy, looks like his credit card has been canceled.
As I was standing there my eyes started to drift around looking for a shorter line. But before I could lane change, there was a magic plastic solution. Nope, not a new card. The cashier grabbed a plastic bag, stuck it on the card, and swiped again. Success! Credit catastrophe averted! And the line started moving again which is the part I really cared about.
But wait! How is it possible? How on earth can a plastic bag bring a dead credit card back to life? We were asking the same question so we poked around the internet and found two main schools of thought. One was that somehow repeated use causes “smearing” that effects the magnets in the strip. So you put the bag on top of it to create extra distance between the reader and magnet and it causes it to read correctly again. I just don’t get that one. Liek the magnet slips out of place so the plastic like causes it to slip differently so it’s back in place? Yeah, somebody needs to show me the math on that.
The other idea is that scratches on the surface of the magnetic strip cause the reader to inturpret the data wrong and the checksum fails. Coincidentally your checkout fails too. Putting a plastic bag over the card keeps the nicks and scratches from being read so your magnetic strip works.
We’re not sure if either of those is the way it really works or if there is another way out there which is the real way that it works but either way that it works, it works. That was not at all confusing.
Just a heads up for you guys, think twice before you tape the magnetic strip. ‘Cause Initially it works great but when it wears out and you need to re-apply some more tape, you can end up damaging the magnetic strip when you remove it, rendering your once temperamental card utterly and totally useless. As for me I’m gonna stick with the plastic bag method and order another card. You should order another card too, like me. Because new cards generally work, and you should do everything like me.
And speaking of ordering another card. One thing you should probably know about magnetic strips is uh… hold on let me get my wallet. It was in my pocket the whole time. No wait, it isn’t. Where did my wallet go? You know that cool wallet or purse you’ve got that snaps closed magnetically. Part cool, part geek. It’s like geek chique. But you might want to rethink taking it on your next trip with you. You see, while the magnet in there isn’t powerful enough to de-magnitize your permanent cards like your drivers license or your credit cards, it can alter weaker magnetic strips in say hotel key cards. No I swear this is my room. Oops. And trust me it is no fun to have to keep asking to get back into your own room.
So be good to your mag strip or else you’ll have nowhere to go and nothing to buy.
So picture this, you’re at the store and your spouse or stay at home adult child is gonna buy something you really don’t want them to. That’s why I always keep a neodymium magnet with me. You just slide it across the back of the card. No plastic back is going to fix that.
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24 Comments
Drecon [22]
hehe... swipe... Thanks for the advice. If anyone in physics or chemistry needs a research topic they know where to look now. Pretty interesting stuff.Meandering {207}
Never heard of this method before. Awesome. When I've had the reader fail to read my overly-used, even though there is surprisingly little funds to draw from card, the cashier just types in the number or something and never done the plastic bag trick. However, when my ... morepkw
Or..... You could use......cash and not worry about how your card slides.Kel [22]
You can also demagnetize hotel key cards by keeping them in the same pocket as a cell phone, interestingly enough.Antilitist
Keep up the good w0rd. Yes... w0rd, that isn't a typo.rossel [22]
"... and you should do everything like me." :)steph {207}
I always wondered why a plastic bag makes it work. I wonder if a thicker material wouldn't let it work. Probably... Maybe its not always the card but the scanner itself. Hmmmm.... That's a good thought. But you have a point. If your card looks like you've used it way ... moreNospinplease
I've always wondered why... the second one seems to make more sense. I'm seeing a new t-shirt idea too lolJesse’s Mom [22]
Geek chic...I'm thinking: NEW T-SHIRT!Pheonix_blu{207}
When I used to work at McD'S I renowned for my ability to get worn out cards to read, even if I was working a different station and they were having trouble with someones card up front or in the drive through they would call me out to fix it. ... moregrimhold
loved it, i can not tell you how many times i have had to do this but only at Wal-mart? go figure!!Dandapani [22]
My card fails to be read by only IBM cash registers. Every time. Failed at Denny's. Failed at Bob Evans. Failed at Starbucks. But it works everywhere else. Go figure.overlord
cool...i dont think it has anything much to do with the card i think it might be the reader filling up with oils and muck... the plastic bag takes it away without putting it straight on the card that its trying to readIngrid [22]
Cool show.. didn't know about the plastic thing, got to keep that in mind... And guys... It's 2010, but the copyright in the video stil says 2009 ;) ... (I'm having a dejavu right now)FanOfAr
I think the more important question we should all be asking ourselves is "How in the world did someone come up with the plastic bag solution??" If my card wasn't working, not in a million years would I consider swiping it again with a plastic bag. So I ... moremangboning
Having worked as a cashier, this is a problem I'm all too familiar with. I've never heard of this bag trick, but I have a speculation that may explain how it works. Your average credit card magstripe is made of a iron-based compound, typically Iron(III)Oxide (Fe2O3). Compounds such as these will typically hold a charge decently while only emitting a relatively narrow field. As a card is degraded from natural wear and tear, this field can become "fuzzy" as the magnetic field created by each individual molecule becomes even smaller. Fortunately, many card readers are strong enough to read even weakened ... lots morewx5aaa
I work on these everyday on atm machines and other devices. Chances are the reader needs to be cleaned with 90% or isoprop alchohol. The plastic bag can actually erase the info on the card. just clean the read the rest is up for you to figure out. Be careful ... moreCurtis [22]
Excellent info about the card swipe. That's a great idea to use a plastic bag. And it is so very important for the cardholder to get a new card. I'll try everything I can to get the customer's card to swipe. Often, swiping it fast, or backwards as stated by nick, works. Business owners who accept cards pay a percentage of that sale, usually around 2.5%, to the credit card companies. When the card doesn't swipe and the business types the card number in, that percentage jumps to about 3.5% or more. That ... lots morenick
I'm not really sure why it works either but I do know that it does work. Being a cashier I also know that sliding the card backwards sometimes makes it work so try that first. (it's easier) And about your comment at the end, at the store I work at ... moreOblivionWielder
Yay new episode! THX!The Informant
Woooohoooo!!!! New episodes always makes me happy! EqualsDSamuel
AND THIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!Samuel
YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've allways wanted to do that! FIRST AND SECOND!Samuel
FIRST!