Is my student ID card de-magnitizing my ATM card?

Factual Questions
1

Hi. My school uses these cool little ID cards. I’m not sure what they are called, but instead of swiping through a card reader, you just hold the card a few inches from some sort of sensor, and the sensor beeps when the card is successfully read. The sensor is even able to read the card through clothing, etc.

Well, shortly after I got the card I noticed that my ATM card won’t work with many ATMs. I always keep my cards together in my pocket, the ATM card is in a little protective sleve it came with and the ID card is loose. I was wondering if those types of cards are known to do this or if it’s just a coincidence. Oh yeah, and anyone know how these IDc ards work and what they are called? Thanks :slight_smile:

2

if javaman hasn’t sterilized himself by carrying around uranium in his pockets, i doubt that a student id card is demagnitizing your atm card…

3

Lstrong1.

That happened to me my freshman year.

Started keeping them in separate pockets of my wallet and it stopped.

I think Cecil wrote a column on this…

4

Sorta. Do eelskin wallets demagnetize ATM cards?

5

I have had cards that demagnitize each other. Just put them all in facing the same way and you won’t have a problem.

6

Perhaps you are making hte same stupid mistake I kept making.

I went to my (free) ATm and it kept saying it was going to charge me a transaction fee. After a good amount of cussing and hitting the machine, I decided to accept the fee. It then claimed my PIN number was wrong. ALl the ATMs in town did this (even though my card worked just days ago). I was sure some terrible, terrible thing had occured.

Until I noticed that I was trying to use my credit card as an ATM card.