Are you following the steps to properly dispose of old IDs and other cards for your business and daily life? Your identification and payment cards can be dangerous in the wrong hands, so you always want to make sure that you dispose of them properly. Learn the different methods you can employ to safely dispose of your old cards once you cease using them.
Send the Cards Back
Some cards, such as specialty metallic membership cards, are difficult for the average person to destroy on their own. When you need to get rid of these cards, your bank or membership service may have a mail-in shipping option for card disposal. However, if sending your information through the mail concerns you, this may not be the best option. Check for trustworthy local services that offer high-security card disposal for specialty cards like these.
Disable the Magnetic Strips and Chips
Some credit cards may have multiple ways to process your purchases, such as a traditional magnetic strip, an insertable chip, or touchless payment compatibility. Before destroying your credit card, make sure that you have these things disabled. You can do this manually by breaking the chip in the PIN card and demagnetizing the magnetic strip. This process is called degaussing. The most effective way to disable these functions is to demagnetize the strip and run the card through a media disintegrator. The machine will adequately destroy the chip, the magnetic strip, and the information on your card to make them all unreadable.
Use Shredders and Disintegrators
ID cards and credit cards can be difficult to safely dispose of on your own. As mentioned above, many credit cards and ID cards contain magnetic strips for their basic functionality. Simply cutting them up with a pair of scissors may not be enough to render them useless. The safest way to dispose of these cards on your own is to utilize a high-security shredder or media disintegrator. These shredders will ensure that no one will be able to piece your cards back together.
If your business handles key cards, IDs, and other cards for employees and patrons, it’s a good idea to have a card-compatible shredder. This is the safest way to dispose of your employees’ and customers’ IDs and other cards when necessary. You can browse our selection of high-security optical media shredders here at Capital Shredder to ensure you’re following the steps to properly dispose of old IDs and other cards.
