RFID Wallets: The Benefits Explained
Wallets have been a staple of a man’s wardrobe for as long as he has had reason to carry food, gold bullion, paper money, or credit cards. And while they might have changed in style and even color over the generations, very little else has changed about the traditional wallet even though other technologies continue to move forward at a dizzying pace. Business is now global. Big data attracts both corporations and criminals. Your high-performance lifestyle continues to evolve and grow every year. But the traditional bifold wallet remains the tried, true, but sadly outdated staple of most men’s lives.
Until now. The RFID wallet is the next generation of men’s accessory. Slim, strong, and fashionable, it is also technologically advanced to protect your personal data from cyber thieves and electronic pickpockets wherever they might lurk. Taking advantage of state-of-the-art materials and world-class design features, an RFID wallet is an elegant balance of form and function, designed to be slipped into your pocket with the full confidence that your privacy is safe, your money secure, and your mind free to focus on what is really important in your world: family, business, and enjoying the lifestyle you have worked hard for.
What is RFID?
Radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology has been around since the 1970s when it was used originally to track large items (think trucks, cows, and luggage as examples). As innovations reshaped the technology, RFID tags were designed to store vital data that essentially sits waiting to be read. The tag is powered into action when a reader is brought within range and is triggered to transmit radio frequencies to the nearby reader. The reader picks up the tags of radio waves and decodes them to unlock the stored data. Depending on the power and broadcast frequency of the tags, readers can collect data from up to 20 feet in some cases.
What this means in real terms is that the personal information contained in the RFID tag found on almost every major credit card can be accessed, without you knowing, by a cybercriminal with a reader programmed to the proper frequency and within receiving distance. So, as you are passing through the airport on your way to that ski weekend in Colorado there is a real possibility that you walk past a cyber thief with a scanner tuned perfectly to pick your electronic pocket from 20 or 30 feet away.
The Benefits of an RFID Wallet
One of the most effective ways to block RFID scanners from pickpocketing the information stored on your credit cards is an RFID wallet. These wallets have several important benefits in terms of both security and style, so here is a list of the top benefits of owning an RFID wallet:
Keeps your data secure. Most importantly, an RFID wallet can keep your personal information safe and secure. Very simply, an RFID wallet is built from material that resists data intrusion, most commonly either aluminum or carbon fiber but might also include mu-metal (an alloy that is mostly nickel in combination with iron, copper, chromium, and molybdenum) or copper. Known as high permeability materials, they push back against electric charges and make the radio waves sent from the reader to trigger the RFID tag “bend” as they try to pass through the RFID wallet. These bent waves are then spread out across the surface of the wallet where they are easily absorbed by the metal or carbon fiber fabric before they ever reach your credit cards.
Stays ahead of technology. As RFID technology advances its uses will continue to expand, including the ability to program the tag as a kind of personal GPS locator tracking when and where you move about your city, for instance. Because of its unique metal construction, an RFID wallet blocks all RFID frequency transmissions meaning that it stays ahead of the innovation curve. Your personal information and privacy are protected from any type of tracking or exposure as they sit snugly in your RFID wallet.
Balances security with style. Because both carbon fiber and aluminum have a high strength to thickness ratios (much higher than even steel), they can be made very thin without any impact on flexibility. What this means is that your RFID wallet is available in a full range of styles and designs. Built totally from metal or from elegant leather covering metal inserts. Available in a variety of colors and textures. There is an RFID wallet that will meet your exacting standards, whether that is a full boardroom, extreme sportsman, or something in between.
The bonus of lightweight durability. Built from materials that naturally absorb what is known as crash energy, an RFID wallet provides better-than-steel protection toy your credit cards and ID documents. And it does so while remaining unbelievably lightweight so even with the advanced security of an RFID wallet you will never have to deal with an accessory that is bulky and cumbersome.
Corrosion-resistant. A significant limitation of most metals is their aversion to moisture, which causes rust and corrosion to reduce performance and reliability over time. An RFID wallet is built of metal that is naturally corrosion-resistant, which means that getting caught in a backcountry thunderstorm does nothing to impact the function or form of your wallet. Dry off the case, slip it back into your pocket, and go on with your adventure knowing that your data is still safe and secure.
Final Thoughts
Living in our technological world is all about evaluating risk. The risk to your privacy, to your money, and to the personal information that you and your family carry with them every day. An RFID wallet is a stylish, secure way to reduce the risk associated with cybertheft and data breaches. Stylish, durable, and strong, an RFID wallet is an affordable addition to any man’s wardrobe and a great gift for those he loves and protects.
