Caring For Black Strips & Chips On Credit & Debit Cards

Many of the new design embedded chip credit cards have been rolled out around the world. The cards still have a black magnetic strip which can be used either when the machine is not able to accept chip cards or when the chip doesn't work. Of course it's a good idea to keep your chip safe. Here are some tips:

•  Try to avoid bending or rubbing the chip.
•  If you're a male, make sure that the press stud on your wallet isn't digging into the chip when you sit down with your wallet in your back pocket.

It's important to keep all your cards safe and undamaged so they work properly - they are like cash, after all. Here are some tips to make sure they stay safe:

•  Store each card separately in your wallet or purse so they don't rub against each other.
•  Keep cards away from magnetic objects such as car stereos to stop them being de-magnetised.
•  Don't bend or sit on your purse/wallet.
•  Don't force or jam cards into anything.

Cards with black magnetic stripes are still an important part of day to day business. Even cards that have chips on them still have the black stripe as a back up. Of course older cards can be worn and may not always register information when you're attempting to pay for something. Here are two tips to make them work:

•  Wrap the card in a thin plastic bag and then swipe it through the machine.
•  Cover the black stripe in a piece of sticky tape then swipe. Please note that if you're using this method, you should remove the sticky tape within a few days, otherwise the tape can pull off the information on the magnetic strip when you need to remove it.

Older cards can easily get worn or damaged even when you give them the best care possible. There are some easy tricks to make sure your card works when you're at the register next time:

• Swipe the card up, instead of down.
• Swipe the card straight and fast. Slow swipes often don't work as well.
• Wipe the card gently on a non-static material before use.