RFID Protection Test Results for Trayvax Wallets

Did you know that all Trayvax wallets offer RFID protection against high-tech thieves? “Why use an RFID blocking wallet,” you may ask? Because RFID skimming is a technique used by criminals to steal information that is embedded in credit cards, driver’s licenses, entrance cards and more. Anyone with an RFID reader can access your sensitive information, unless you are able to impede your cards’ RFID signals.

But just how effective are RFID blocking wallets? It really depends on the wallet. We’ve even found some slight variations among Trayvax wallets. Luckily, our friends the P.O.S. Guys stopped by for a fun day of proximity testing using high-powered scanners to help provide answers to some of your questions.

Q: What is an RFID card?

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification Card. It has a chip or tag, and an antenna which sends out a signal that activates the chip, and that information is then transmitted back to the reader. RFID cards are commonly referred to as “smart cards” because you do not have to swipe them to use them. All you do is brush them up next to a credit card reader, and it processes your payment request. This convenience comes at a cost, however, since the cards can be easily compromised.

Q: When should I worry about my information being secure?

Not all credit cards have RFID. If you are unsure, we recommend contacting your bank, but common RFID credit cards include names like, PayPass, Blink, PayWave and Express Pay. If you have an entrance key card to your apartment, home, or business or if you have a high-security job with an entrance key card, it would be important to protect that information.

Q: Does it matter how you orient the card in your wallet?

RFID technology makes it fairly easy for someone with a handheld reader to brush up next to you and steal your card information. One way to make it harder for thieves to steal your information is by stacking RFID cards, like you would in any Trayvax wallet. This makes it harder for a scanner to read any one particular chip. As far as how the card should be orientated, it really depends on where the antenna is pointed in the card. Since you can never really tell, your best option is to protect the cards from being read.

Q: Does the leather offer any legitimate protection?

Steel and aluminum plating provides far better protection than the leather. The leather does help to add another protective barrier, however, shielded metallic sleeves or shielded wallets will offer the best RFID-protection.

Q: Which Trayvax Wallets offer the best RFID-Resistance?

Our wallets offer varying degrees of protection. You can always enhance RFID-protection by using a Trayvax Armor Plate. The chart below illustrates the protection offered. The Control Test shows that a high-powered RFID reader can pick up an unobstructed RFID signal between 10.5” to 11.5”. The remainder of the chart illustrates the level of protection that specific wallets provide.

Q: How was the test conducted? 

Check out the video below to see the P.O.S. Guys in action!