Can carrying a cell phone in a purse affect the magnetic strip on credit cards... rendering the card useless ?

A bank employee told me that people often come into the bank complaining of issues with their bank cards. They wonder why their card is not working because it looks like it is fine.


The bank employee told me that she explains to customers that cell phones can cause issues with the data strip on most credit cards.


Is this true and, if so, how does this happen? Is it the radiation, the waves emitted from the phone ? What ?

Can carrying a cell phone in a purse affect the magnetic strip on credit cards... rendering the card useless ?
Good question. It has to do with magnets. I'll explain the best I can...





The strip on your credit card contains data that is arranged by a series of magnetic charges. When you slide it through a credit card reader, it is able to decipher the pattern contained on the card and process your transaction.





If you were to expose the magnetic strip on your credit card to a magnet, it would re-arrange and/or erase the data contained on it, making it impossible to decipher by a credit card reader.





Cell phones DO contain magnets, which help to amplify sound into your ear. However, it's probably pretty unlikely for it to get close enough to your credit card to actually cause a problem while in your purse. If you took your cell phone apart, found the magnet and placed your credit card right on it, then it would have an effect, but short of that, probably not. It's not impossible though, just pretty unlikely.





People used to say that eel skin wallets would de-magnetize credit cards too (think: electric eel), but this has been proven untrue.
Reply:I don't think it is the phones fault. A lot of purse's now a days have a magnet under the fabric to help hold the flaps closed and they can be a problem if your card is kept to close
Reply:I would be inclined to not believe this.
Reply:it cant... it must be something else... the phone cant produce enough of a magnetic field to chainge the card...
Reply:I believe Myth Busters busted that myth. It's not radiation, but electromagnetic energy that could potentially hurt the credit strip. Cell phones do emit a very strong signal, but apparently not enough to mess up a credit card.
Reply:i carry my cell phone in my purse with my credit caed all the time and i have never had that happen
Reply:No that's not true. That was a myth that the myth busters did on a show. They not affected by magnents, x-rays, or even cell phones. When people don't know why something happens that should have a reasonable reason then something gets made up and becomes a myth!
Reply:No this is not true. I have kept my cellphone in my purse for years and never had anything happen to any of my cards.