Travelambo RFID Blocking Wallet
If you are afraid of getting your credit cards skimmed and your personal information stolen, you should be looking to use the best rfid wallet. Rfid theft is also known as wireless identity theft and involves the use of radio frequencies to confiscating people’s personal information through their clothes and wallets.
Anyone with the right equipment can access and use your credit card without even touching you. They just have to be in you vicinity for the RFID read to be effective and just like that, all of your information can be stolen. There have been numerous reports of wireless identity theft on the mainstream media and has promoted wallet manufacturers to start producing RFID blocking wallets. These RFID wallets are designed to prevent wireless pickpockets from accessing your credit cards via radio frequencies. So RFID wallets aren’t just some silly joke you only read about in on flight magazine shops.
They are real products that people will buy to prevent wireless identity theft. Now the chances of your card actually getting skimmed over the air is pretty small. However, for just a few bucks, it is such a cheap insurance plan against such attacks from occurring in the future. Plus most people carry a wallet with themselves anyways. Not all RFID wallets are created the same. Some do a better job blocking RFID readers than other. And obviously some have better designs, more pockets, and better quality. We took these things into consideration and evaluated a few dozen of the most popular RFID wallets on the market. Please see below for our top picks.
Best RFID Wallet Reviews
- Travelambo Genuine Leather RFID Blocking Wallet (Top Pick)
- Hammer Anvil RFID Blocking Minimalist Wallet
- D-Armor RFID Wallet Blocking Card Protector
Travelambo Genuine Leather RFID Blocking Wallet
The Travelambo wallet is the best RFID wallet if you want a nice bifold wallet made from genuine leather. This wallet has been tested and approved by independent labs to block 13.56 Mhz frequency, which is the one found on credit cards, driver’s license, ID, and passports. It does not block other frequencies so you can still use hotel cards and access cards.
We really like the Travelambo because it is very functional. It has a cool access ID window, 9 card slots, and one long slot for money and receipts. The slot is long enough to fit all currencies from every country. This is a very nice detail that hopefully you can appreciate. We have come across so many wallets that are too short and end up with money sticking out.
Also, the wallet is made of genuine leather, so it is quality and won’t fall apart in your pockets after some wear and tear. We really like the fact that this wallet fits really slim in your pockets and is lightweight. We absolutely hate wallets that are fat and feel uncomfortable when you sit down. The Travelambo comes with 30 day full refund if you are not satisfied with the product. You don’t even have to give any reasons. Best of all, we tested the RFID blocking ability ability against a variety of different credit cards and IDs. This wallet blocked all of them from being accessed by a RFID reader.
Hammer Anvil RFID Blocking Minimalist Wallet
If you are looking for the best rfid wallet that is ultra-thin, you should get the Hammer Anvil RFID blocking wallet. Hammer Anvil makes some of the original slim front pocket wallets. Their designed are copied around the world. With the Hammer Anvil, you get 6 card slots and one money slot. The money slot is just long enough so that your bills aren’t sticking out.
This is a great RFID wallet for those who just have a few bills and cards to carry with them. The most annoying thing about wallets is their size and with the Hammer Anvil, you won’t really have to worry much. The Hammer Anvil does a great job blocking all readers from accessing information on credit and debit cards as well as passports and IDs.
Our biggest complaint is that it sometimes blocks access cards, which is a bit annoying to have to take out of your wallet to swipe into your hotel room. We tested this product against a variety of different credit cards and none of them sent signal through to the RFID reader. Well done Hammer Anvil! Overall, besides the security aspect, we really like the Hammer Anvil for its compact design. IT is very lightweight and fits exactly what you need in the least amount of space possible.
D-Armor RFID Wallet Blocking Card Protector
If you just can’t deal with the fact of parting with your favorite wallet or moneybag, the D-Armor RFID blocking cards maybe the best RFID wallet for you. While this is technically not a wallet, it pretty much works like one. All you need to do is stick one of these cards on both ends of all of your cards inside a wallet. The two cards should block up to 6 cards on both sides.
This is a great concept for those who like their stylish wallets and don’t want to change. Women are in luck too because you can simply put these cards in your purse or handbag without having to carry around a separate RFID wallet. These RFID blocking cards are super durable, water- resistant, and the blocking technology doesn’t really wear down with time spent in the wallet.
These RFID blocking cards are made pretty thin so they pretty much fit into any card slot in any wallet. They even make a great gift for your friends and family. These cards work great in blocking RFID readers from accessing your credit/debit cards and passports/IDs. When compared with other RFID blocking cards, the D-Armor holds up the best in water tests and tear tests. If you are committing to getting a RFID blocking card, you definitely need to go with the D-Armor.
What is RFID?
RFID stands from radio-frequency identification and is a method for AIDC (Automatic Identification and Data Capture). It uses electromagnetic fields to identify and track items that are tagged. These tags contain electronic information about the item. The tag does not need to be visible for it to be picked up by a RFID reader so many items have RFID tags embedded inside.
RFID tags are not just used in credit and debit cards to store electronic information. They are attached to cars during production so its progress can be tracked. They are used in drugs as they are transferred from the manufacturer to the retailers. They are used in clothing lines and even in livestock.
The RFID market is actually quite huge at nearly $10 billion US Dollars of revenues per year in 2016. RFID tags are extremely useful in many industries and in particular software and services. It continues to grow and is projected to double its market value in ten years.
How Does a RFID System Work?
A RFID system consists of a tag and a reader. All items being tracked are tagged with a tiny tag chip or an integrated circuit that is attached to an antenna. The RFID antennas provide the link between reader and tags and moves data back and forth. The most common RFID antennas are not self- powered but instead turn on when a signal from the transceiver wakes them up.
These tags can be etched, printed, stamped, or vapor deposited on any item being tags. RFID tags can even be embedded on liquids and metals. The tag chip has memory that contains the electronic product code of the item and other information that can be read by a RFID reader. The RFID reader can be broken down into a transceiver and an antenna. The transceiver itself will generate a weak radio signal with a range of a few meters. This weak radio signal is used to wake up tags.
The antenna has a transponder that converts radio frequencies into useful energy. Once the transponder on the RFID tag is woken up, it starts to immediately transmit data stored on it. This really only take a few milliseconds. This data is then picked up by the RFID reader and translated into text that is readable. RFID readers are readily available anywhere and not just some government secret. Therefore, anyone with a RFID reader can potentially get information about you from your items with RFID tags, such as credit cards.
How do RFID Wallets Work?
All cards and passports have some sort of RFID tag on them. In order to protect this information from leaking out, you can either attempt to destroy the RFID tag without destroying anything else on these items or use the best RFID wallet. We recommend that you just use a RFID-blocking wallet because trying to destroy the RFID tags can do more harm to your credit cards than good. RFID readers can scan an item with an RFID tag from several feet away, so it is best to protect your important information in a RFID-blocking wallet.
RFID wallets usually work by blocking certain radio frequencies from penetrating through. Since most credit cards, IDs, and passports operate at a frequency of between 13 and 14 Mhz, these RFID wallets are designed to block these frequencies. It is leave out RFID signals from ID badges, hotel room keys, and access cards since they normally operate at a different frequency. If you like your wallet and don’t want to change it out for some reason, there is even a special card you can buy that works just like a RFID blocker. For an extra few bucks, you should equip yourself with anti RFID reading technology, since your personal information is at risk.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-frequency_identification
