With the theft of credit card and other personal information rapidly becoming one of the most sought after items to steal, consumers need to be extremely careful when it becomes time to say goodbye to their trusty (or abused, as the case may be) old credit card.

In years past, credit cards required expiration dates because the magnetic strips had limited useful lives. If you have ever worked in retail, you are familiar with the customer excuse, “Oh, try this credit card instead, that one sometimes doesn’t swipe” (yeah, right). Until the card companies got a little smarter, old expired cards with still functioning strips could continue to be used without issue because the expiration date was not a part of the verification process. Nowadays, fortunately, that has changed, and an expired card may not be “swipeable”, but the information is definitely not something you want to get into an identity thief’s hands.

So when it is time to say goodbye to Mr. or Mrs. Card, you need to ensure that you disable and/or destroy the crucial parts of their “body”. This consists of the information embossed on the card front, the information encoded in the magnetic strip on the back of the card, and the RFID or smart chip potentially contained within the card. Also, you will want to ensure your signature and the CVV number (3 digit number on the back) cannot be identified. Here are some safe and effective ways to do this:

Cremation. Sure, incinerating the card will certainly render all information useless, but also may release toxic fumes from the polyvinyl chloride acetate (or plastic) into the environment. Of course, sending it (in multiple pieces) to the landfill may not be any better for future generations.

Hammertime. Unless you’ve chosen the cremation route, take the time to deactivate the RFID chip and magnetic strip prior to your shredding or cutting step. The chip can be destroyed with good swing of the hammer (more about RFID chips and where they are typically located on the card in this blog post) and the magnetic strip can be deactivated using a strong magnet run along its length.

The Chopping Block. Next, either use good old fashioned scissors or a cross-cutting shredder (be sure it has the ability to accomodate the more rigid credit card material – instruction manual should suffice to tell you) and cut or shred the card in such a fashion that you slice each set of numbers into six pieces or more. Use the same strategy in each of the key areas mentioned previously, and your personal information will be close to impossible to retrieve, especially if you supplement these steps with the last step.

Segregated Disposal. Take the plastic strips and pieces and disperse them into multiple trash receptacles or bags; this final step pretty much solidifies your safety, as even the most dedicated identity thief would be hard-pressed to collect and reconstruct your card using these measures.

Nearly 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft last year, and the numbers are on the increase. Use these methods when it is time to dispose of credit cards that are expired or no longer needed for various reasons, and you will reduce your chances of being a victim of identity theft or fraud. These measures really are quite simple and take a minimum of time, and even if they sound a bit redundant, worth the extra moment of your time for piece of mind.

Readers, do you have any other interesting methods for credit card destruction to share? If so, let us know by leaving a comment!

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