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If you feel like you have to take more and more precautions with your sensitive information every year, your feelings are spot on. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, over 165 million people had their personal data compromised in the first half of 2025 alone.
These days, radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips are used in many credit cards for contactless payment. Instead of swiping or inserting your card into a reader, RFID-enabled cards just need to be within a few inches of the card reader for the payment to process, allowing for a more efficient transaction.
As the popularity of RFID-enabled credit cards as grown, so has concern over their vulnerability. If your credit card only needs be near the reader for it to process, what happens if a criminal holds a reader next to your RFID-enabled card while it's still in your wallet or bag?
What is RFID blocking?
An RFID chip is used to exchange information with an RFID reader using radio waves. Depending on the RFID chip — active or passive — these radio waves can broadcast from only a few inches to upwards of 1,500 feet.
The RFID chips used in all credit cards, thankfully, are passive RFID tags, so the chip has to be close enough — usually four to six inches — from the RFID reader to get activated and emit a signal. If you think the few seconds it takes to swipe your credit card or insert the chip into the reader is too long, RFID's contactless capabilities make the transaction even faster, allowing you to just tap and go.
So, what's to stop a thief with a scanner from bumping into you and swiping your data? That's where RFID blocking and RFID-blocking products come in.
RFID-blocking products
Everything from wallets and purses to backpacks and clothing are being sold and marketed as having RFID protection, meaning they'll block readers from activating your card. Whether they actually work is the question worth asking. You would need to know the exact materials being used and any tests that were performed for these products to be worth considering.
RFID blocking wallets and bags that claim to block RFID signals typically use what is called a Faraday cage, named after scientist Michael Faraday. Faraday cages are essentially metal cages that shield their contents by taking the electromagnetic radiation and distributing it around the exterior of the cage, instead of allowing it to penetrate. Bags and wallets lined with this material are said to block RFID signals, as well.
How criminals could steal your credit card information
If you're walking through Target, someone coming within six inches of you would be incredibly noticeable, but that proximity might not be as suspicious if you're crammed in a crowded train. In that scenario, someone just brushing against you might be enough for a criminal to potentially get your information.
While this might have you on guard the next time you leave your house, looking at anyone standing next to you in line or in a crowded place as a potential thief, signals coming from the RFID chip only emit the credit card number and expiration date; not the CVV code or cardholder's name.
While this can be enough for a thief to successfully duplicate your card for in-store purchases, online purchases typically require you to enter the CVV code and expiration date, which isn't transmitted through the RFID.
Furthermore, many RFID-enabled credit cards send out a unique serial code, which, according to both Visa and Mastercard, changes every time you use it, so if someone does get your information and is able to duplicate it, they'll likely only be able to use your information once — if at all.
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How do you know if your card has an RFID chip?
Not all credit cards come with an embedded RFID chip, but if your card has one, it's easy to spot. Credit cards that come with an embedded RFID chip have a WiFi-looking symbol on either the front or back of the card that's pretty hard to miss.
Here's an example of the image in the upper righthand corner of this card:
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You'll find many of the best credit cards tend to have RFID technology. If your card isn't RFID-enabled and you'd prefer to have it, you can call your credit card issuer and ask for a newer card that comes with an RFID chip embedded. If they use RFID, they should be able to issue you a new card that includes it.
The reality about identity theft and RFID blocking
If your information is stolen, the problem is that it's just about impossible to determine whether the theft was committed by someone using an RFID scanner or not. So without any real data, no one can determine if RFID blocking products are actually worth it or not.
Credit card fraud by RFID theft may also be considered a waste of time by a thief, as it will likely be obvious if someone is hovering around other people in the hopes they're carrying an RFID-enabled credit card. It's a lot less risky for criminals to go online and buy thousands of credit card numbers and security codes for just a couple hundred dollars.
Even simpler, and likely a much bigger threat, are telephone and email scams — where criminals simply call or email and ask people for their information, under the guise that they're your bank or the IRS. Unfortunately, too many people fall for this and willingly release their information.
Bottom line
If you're in the market to buy a new wallet, and it will help you sleep better, it can't hurt to consider an RFID-blocking wallet. But generally, buying an RFID-blockign product may not do much to secure your data.
Since there's no way to tell that RFID skimming actually results in credit card fraud, it really boils down to whether you think it's worth the money and not the risk. Just do your due diligence and shop for a product with trusted reviews and evidence that it does protect from RFID skimming.
Credit card fraud does happen, there's no conspiracy there. But there are better, more proactive steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft.
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