Are MAGFAST chargers safe near my credit cards?

Magnets and cards with a magnetic stripe don't mix, and that goes for any magnet, including those in MAGFAST products and in your phone. Keeping a few inches between them is the simple answer. The longer answer is that it depends on the card.

What to know

• Chip cards are far more resilient. Newer cards, the kind you insert or tap rather than swipe, rely on an embedded chip, which magnetic fields don't affect.

• Magnetic stripes are the sensitive part. The stripe on older cards, hotel key cards and loyalty cards can lose its data if it spends time close to a magnet. Exposure time matters: a brief touch usually does no harm, and a long stay is riskier.

• Distance is your friend. Keep a few inches between your cards and any magnet.

Which MAGFAST products have magnets?

• Air Pro, Passport, Time Pro and Clear Cut Case use magnets for wireless magnetic charging and snap-to-charge, so keep cards a few inches away from them, as you would with your phone.

• Database Pro is a hub, not a charger. It has no wireless charging surface, and the small magnets that let it snap under Air Pro sit against the stand, so it's harmless to your cards in everyday use.

• Lux and Lux Pro cables, and Powerbrick Pro 140, contain no magnets at all.

Simple habits that help

• Keep cards in a wallet or card sleeve designed to block magnetic fields.

• Avoid storing cards between your phone and a magnetic case, or on a magnetic charger.

• If a card stops swiping, ask the issuer for a replacement. It's usually free.

Related

See The magnets in MAGFAST products: what to know for more about hard drives, medical devices and other magnetic media.