4 ms·

I wonder if it's maybe time for banks to stop printing magstripe cards by default and offer a "world" version of their card as an option for people who travel t

by Leynos 12y ago

I wonder if it's maybe time for banks to stop printing magstripe cards by default and offer a "world" version of their card as an option for people who travel to places like the US?

jzwinck 12y ago
Some banks issue chip-and-pin cards which also have a magnetic stripe, but the magstripe is not activated unless you specifically ask for it. And you can do things like activate the magstripe for a specific country for a specific time frame.
- ddeck 12y ago
  That's similar to what was done (mandated by the government) last year where I live. Overseas withdrawals are disabled by default and customers must now opt-in to allow them. The customer can choose a validity period and per/day withdrawal limit, but I don't think it's possible to enable on a per country basis. http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/key-functions/banking-stability/security-controls-for-atm-services.shtml http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/key-functions/banking-stability/s...
annnnd 12y ago
I wonder if one could somehow temporarily disable the magnetic stripe? I wouldn't dare scratch it off completely, but I would love to cover it up as a precaution.
- sschueller 12y ago
  Banks in Switzerland will disable the magnetic stripe for you and some even do it per default. The magnetic stripe technically still works but no transactions are permitted with the magnetic stripe.
- troels 12y ago
  You could always get hold of a card reader/writer and do it your self. The magstripe is essentially just a small capacity magnetic disk. You can read the information off and store it, then proceed to wipe it clean. If you want to restore, just write the data back. Not sure if it's allowed though.
  - mschuster91 12y ago
    It's not that easy, there are High Coercivity and Low Coercivity magstripes. HiCo cards need special writers because they're more resistant to external magnetic fields.
  - Nursie 12y ago
    Can you wipe the commercially issued ones that easily? I've never tried....
  - ZoFreX 12y ago
    Could you not just do it with a magnet?

by Leynos 12y ago

I wonder if it's maybe time for banks to stop printing magstripe cards by default and offer a "world" version of their card as an option for people who travel to places like the US?

jzwinck 12y ago

Some banks issue chip-and-pin cards which also have a magnetic stripe, but the magstripe is not activated unless you specifically ask for it. And you can do things like activate the magstripe for a specific country for a specific time frame.

ddeck 12y ago
That's similar to what was done (mandated by the government) last year where I live. Overseas withdrawals are disabled by default and customers must now opt-in to allow them. The customer can choose a validity period and per/day withdrawal limit, but I don't think it's possible to enable on a per country basis. http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/key-functions/banking-stability/security-controls-for-atm-services.shtml http://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/key-functions/banking-stability/s...

annnnd 12y ago

I wonder if one could somehow temporarily disable the magnetic stripe? I wouldn't dare scratch it off completely, but I would love to cover it up as a precaution.

sschueller 12y ago
Banks in Switzerland will disable the magnetic stripe for you and some even do it per default. The magnetic stripe technically still works but no transactions are permitted with the magnetic stripe.
troels 12y ago
You could always get hold of a card reader/writer and do it your self. The magstripe is essentially just a small capacity magnetic disk. You can read the information off and store it, then proceed to wipe it clean. If you want to restore, just write the data back. Not sure if it's allowed though.
- mschuster91 12y ago
  It's not that easy, there are High Coercivity and Low Coercivity magstripes. HiCo cards need special writers because they're more resistant to external magnetic fields.
- Nursie 12y ago
  Can you wipe the commercially issued ones that easily? I've never tried....
- ZoFreX 12y ago
  Could you not just do it with a magnet?