Why do hotel key cards demagnetize?

The card becomes demagnetized. This can happen if the card gets too close to a strong magnet, such as an MRI machine. It can also happen if the card spends a moderate or long amount of time next to a weaker magnetic object, such as a cell phone or set of keys.



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The card becomes demagnetized. This can happen if the card gets too close to a strong magnet, such as an MRI machine. It can also happen if the card spends a moderate or long amount of time next to a weaker magnetic object, such as a cell phone or set of keys.

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Whether you have a key card you use regularly for work or you were issued one to get into a hotel room, more than likely, you've had the experience of trying to use an inoperable key card. While convenient and typically easy to issue, key cards are known to become demagnetized and stop working.

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One of the most frustrating issues with hotel key cards is when they become demagnetized. This can happen when the card is exposed to magnetic fields, such as those created by cell phones or other electronic devices, or when it comes in contact with magnets in a purse or wallet.

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As long as it's a plastic key card, you should be fine keeping the card as a souvenir. The cards are re-coded after each stay and they are very inexpensive for the hotel to replace. If you're staying somewhere with an actual key, please ask in advance.

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Experts say you also don't need to worry about turning your key card in at the end of your stay; the information expires so the hotels can reuse the cards.

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Not a good idea. In most cases, when you get to front desk, they will ask you to bring the key. Most hotels though no longer uses keys but they use key cards (which is controlled by front office), so where you have leave with it or not, when time for check out comes, you will no longer be able to use it.

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Do hotels care if you keep the room key? At most hotels it's not a major problem to not return your room key to the hotel. However, lots of hotels reuse or recycle room key cards so it's always a good practice to leave the key card in your hotel room or to return it to the front desk at the end of your stay.

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Hotel key cards work by using various technologies such as RFID and magnetic stripe. The information encodes inside the key card can only be read by RFID readers or magnetic readers.

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Phones do create a magnetic field, but thankfully, it isn't strong enough to demagnetize credit or debit cards. The small magnet in the phone's speaker is the main culprit of generatingthe magnetic field. This field, however, is too weak to cause sufficient damage to a credit card magnetic strip, with some exceptions.

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Two common reasons: A) Demagnetization. The iron oxide strip on the typical room key is not as high a quality as those used in credit cards. Contact with magnets can wipe out the card.

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As a rule of thumb, if you don't want this to happen, make sure that you don't place your electronic key card next to your credit cards. Their magnetic strips or chips make them lose their code. If your electronic room key card is demagnetized, be sure that hotel staff asks you for your photo I.D.

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No, you cannot copy your hotel card key. It is against the law to duplicate a hotel room key without permission from the management. Furthermore, it could be dangerous as someone else may gain access to your room and belongings if they have a copy of the same key.

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Fortunately, there are several ways to unlock a hotel room without a key card. One of the easiest ways is to simply contact the front desk. When a guest contacts the front desk to request a new key card, the hotel staff will typically ask for identification to verify that the guest is indeed staying in the room.

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