RFID Protection Causing Mobile Phone Issues

[palandri]

While talking with an Orange mobile phone salesman in France, he mentioned one of the major problems they have experienced lately from regular customers and travelers is RFID protected bags and purses. People buy these RFID protected bags and purses to protect their chip & pin credit cards and passports from being scanned. When you stick your phone in one of these RFID protected bags or purses, you get no signal, your phone won't ring. Your phone is constantly searching for a signal and heats up and drains your battery. Here are some examples of RFID protected bags and purses:

Amazon.com: rfid bags: Clothing & Accessories

 

[HeyCori]

Technology, ain't it lovely? I never heard of RFID bags before. Are things really that bad that we need techno-bags?

 

[palandri]

Technology, ain't it lovely? I never heard of RFID bags before. Are things really that bad that we need techno-bags?

LOL! I guess we are going in that direction. My wife and I have a RFID wallet that we use in France for our passports (not sure if our passports are new enough for a RF chip) and we do have one Chip & Pin Credit card. Not many banks in the U.S. use Chip & Pin yet, but I suppose they will in the future.

 

[Dave Blake]

Yay more stuff to worry about and for thieves to target. Isn't this technology stuff supposed to make life easier? I can't wait till we can do it all from our phones no credit cards, passports, ID's just a phone. You lock it your way and then make sure you don't loose it.

 

[Muessig]

Wait, what!? You don't have Chip and Pin in the US? Do you still use signatures primarily then?

 

[palandri]

Wait, what!? You don't have Chip and Pin in the US? Do you still use signatures primarily then?

Yes on credit card transactions, but debit cards require a pin. We still use a magnetic strip, rather than a chip.