If a credit-card holder has protective material protecting the front and back of the card, with the edges exposed, can its embedded RFID chip still be activated? Does the card need to be completely encased in order to protect the user’s personal information?
—Name withheld
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The card need not be encased. Any material that prevents RF energy from reaching the transponder antenna embedded in the card will do the trick. The antenna does not extend to the very edge of the card—and even if it did, there would still be insufficient energy for the transponder to reflect back information to the reader.
—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
