Hotel Key Cards

Always take a small refrigerator magnet on your trip.  It will come in handy at the end of the trip.  If you never thought about key cards containing anything other than an access code for the room, think again.

 Ever wonder what is on your magnetic key card?

Answer:

a. Customer's name

b. Customer's partial home address

c. Hotel room number

d. Check-in date and out dates

e. Customer's credit card number and expiration date!

If you have a small magnet, pass it across the magnetic strip several times.  Then try it in the door, it will not work.  It erases everything on the card.

 If you forget to bring a magnet with you, take the card home with you and shred it. 

When you turn them in to the front desk, your personal information is there and can be scanned with a card reader.  Simply put, hotels do not erase the information on these cards until an employee reissues the card to the next hotel guest.  At that time, the new guest's information is electronically 'over-written' on the card and the previous guest's information is erased in the overwriting process.  But until the card is rewritten for the next guest, it usually is kept in a drawer at the front desk with your information on it!

Some websites say this is false, others true.  Be cautious, use the magnet.