What is RFID

RFID is a new technology based on radio waves and it is used to read information from different cards or chips without any physical contact. With this technology line of sight is also not important. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification.

The information is saved on special chips in the form of different tags that can be read by special devices. The electromagnetic field is used to read tags from the RFID enabled chips by using a special device and then these tags are translated into meaningful information.

Where RFID Technology is Used

There are various applications of RFID in our daily life. For example, RFID technology used in vehicles for collecting toll taxes. Usually, on a highway, there are long wait times at toll plazas. To avoid these long times, RFID chip is used and each vehicle needs to get enrolled in this program.

Once done, the car or other vehicle doesn’t need to stop at the toll station and the tax automatically deducted from the prepaid balance with the help of RFID chip.

RFID technology is also used on retail stores on item level to record each item and its total quantity. Practically it is not possible, or at least very difficult to track each and every item along with its quantity. But thanks to RFID, it tracks every item in a huge store without requiring to bring the bar code reader near each item.

RFID also used in credit cards or debit cards and payment can be deducted by the use of authorized devices that can read the information from the credit card without even taking it out of the pocket or wallet.  There are a lot more uses of RFID in our daily life, but here we like to list only the above 3.

How to Know My Card Has RFID Chip

If you can see the above symbol in the red circle then it means that your credit card is RFID enabled. If you see that your card says PayPass, Blink or PayWave then it is also RFID enabled. For more information, you can contact your card issuing bank or other authorities.

What is RFID Blocking Wallet and Why?

With all the advantages of RFID enabled cards, it has a big disadvantage as well. Anyone that has access to an RFID reader, he can hack the RFID enabled credit card without any problem. It is called RFID Skimming.

In RFID Skimming anyone can get access to the RFID reader and then bring it in a market to get the credit card’s information illegally. RFID wallet is a solution to this problem. These wallets are specially designed to block the electromagnetic field and then the reader can’t read the information from the RFID chip installed in the credit card.

This information can only be read when you bring your credit card out of the RFID wallet. When it is in the wallet, your RFID credit card is safe from skimming and any unauthorized transaction and fraud activities.