ID/Key Card demagnetized?

[Gwendy]

I don't carry my phone with me and had to get my card replaced four times on a RCL cruise. Crossed fingers so far it has not happened to me on Princess. However on a recent Princess cruise my daughter almost became BFF with front desk, she was there so often to have her card replaced. It does appear to be a random thing.

[Aus Traveller]

Whenever we have seen people who's card doesn't work I have assumed they must have had it near a magnet to cause the problem. But on our last cruise 48 nights), both my husband's and my cards became inoperable several times and both at the same time. He carries his in his wallet, not near anything with a magnet and I have mine in a folder in my pants pocket - nothing else in the pocket. The fact that every time they both became inoperable at the same time demonstrates that it was not something we were doing. A couple of times a Security officer came and either changed the batteries in the door lock or re-set the lock. This took around a half hour wait then ten minutes' work. Another couple of times, the reception staff re-set the door code and gave us new cards. That was much faster.

 

Of course, Murphy's Law being what it is, every time this happened either I needed to go to the bathroom, or we needed to go somewhere (meet for a tour etc.)

I should add that the first couple of times we went to Passenger Services, they gave us new cards, but these also didn't work. Another trip down to the desk to explain that both our original cards and the replacements (that is four cards) didn't work. One of the reception staff then re-set the code for the door lock on the computer and gave us new cards for the new code. These cards worked. We had to repeat this exercise a few more times during the cruise, but had difficulty explaining that just giving us two new cards would not fix the problem. It appeared to us that the door lock had a recurring fault.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Aus Traveller

[OCruisers]

Beware of magnets ... especially the sneaky tiny ones! :eek:

[jefa]

It happened to my card three times on my cruise in November. I did blame my phone for one of the times, but most woman have very small evening bags, some of which have magnetic clasps, so I did find it difficult to keep my card away from both phone and the bag closer. I also had a problem that one of the replacement cards didn't have the name of the ship printed on the top and security had to check before I could reboard at one of the ports - another card was issued! In the end I carried my card on a lanyard round my neck all the time. Not a good look on formal nights!

[LEtue]

Get a small rfid card holder for your cruise card. I used to have the problem several times per cruise but not since I got the small card holder.

 

 

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Thanks for the post! I have a spare of those and will remember to pack it!

[mamaboss]

Happened to me on a cruise 2-3 times. Finally figured out it was my reading glasses with lights I kept on my lanyard with my card.

[satxdiver]

I can not carry any card with a encoded stripe in my hand or carry anywhere close to my body. The card will not read after about one minute in my hand (slightly longer elsewhere on the body).

 

You obviously have a magnetic personality! :D

 

Carrying the card in your jeans back pocket or any clothes that are tight fitting where the material rubs against the card can cause the card to lose coding.

[caribill]

I can not carry any card with a encoded stripe in my hand or carry anywhere close to my body. The card will not read after about one minute in my hand (slightly longer elsewhere on the body).

 

Too much iron in your blood?

[floridalover5623]

You obviously have a magnetic personality! :D

 

Carrying the card in your jeans back pocket or any clothes that are tight fitting where the material rubs against the card can cause the card to lose coding.

 

First time I've heard that one !

I wonder if the thin cheap card holders they sometimes give you at hotels would protect the card from magnetic items? The wife likes to carry her card in her cell phone case.

[satxdiver]

First time I've heard that one !

I wonder if the thin cheap card holders they sometimes give you at hotels would protect the card from magnetic items? The wife likes to carry her card in her cell phone case.

 

They will not protect from the magnetic field of a nearby magnet. They will protect from placing it say in the back pocket of your jeans or other cloth material.

[Ron the Rev]

Never had a bad key card but did have a problem with the room safe, same thing, DW's evening bag has a magnetic clasp which was placed at the back of the key pad ( death by magnetism ).

[Ellipooh]

You won't think it's "no big deal" if your cabin is far away from the PSD, or you are in a hurry. Sometimes those lines can be very long!

 

Happened twice to me on my 3-day cruise, and i was using a lanyard with no noticeable magnets nearby that I could find. Mentioned it to my tablemates at dinner and one woman told me to quit using the lanyard. I did, and never had a problem again. Which is unfortunate, I like my sparkly lanyard!

[Thrak]

Happened twice during a 17 day Panama Canal cruise. Nothing like getting back barely in time to shower and make it to dinner after spending time in the jungle in the heat and humidity and then finding that your cards don't work. We don't carry them near phones or anything like that but the cards failed anyway. We ended up eating elsewhere as, by the time we got the cards replaced, it was too late to clean up and make it to dinner on time.

 

If you cruise much it will be likely you will have a key card fail. Of course I've had them fail at hotels as well. Oh, the horror of these terrible first world problems. :D

[myfuzzy]

The slot machines can kill room access. Last cruise had to have the card remade five times, some of these multiple visits to the front desk. Last time they sent a staff member back to the cabin with us. Of course it worked that time.

 

YES!!!! The same thing happened to me on the CB last month. FIVE times to PS to get a replacement card. It always seemed to happen when I inserted the card into the slot machine. Hmmm. I also had a purse with a magnetic closure, which I though had something to do with it, but the slot machines, seems funny. I would insert the card, play a while, move to another machine and low and behold, it would come up invalid card. No one even batted an eye and never questioned the problem.

[Credit 00]

On the Golden from Beijing to syd in oct/nov, My card wouldn't register on the slots which was fine since my partner paid instead. My other halfs card lost all of the print so the face was blank, this created problems getting back on in Bali. Never had a demagnetize card of any description let alone princess and I carry more tech around than I should, I'm guessing something else is causing this.

[cherburt]

Get a small rfid card holder for your cruise card. I used to have the problem several times per cruise but not since I got the small card holder.

 

 

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do you buy any type of RFID card holder. I am not tech savvy how does this card holder work. I would like to look into buying one. my phone/camera for cruise has a magnetic case and I had to go down to have my room card fixed 4 times. Not a big deal but would like to prevent. Thanks

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

When I was on fathom over Spring Break, my butt managed to demagnetize my card. It was the only explanation - my phone was in my cabin locked in the safe and all I had was my card. I stuck it in my back pocket (still not sure why I didn't have it in my lanyard) where there was NOTHING else, and it would not even register at the door. (And I know it worked before I went wherever I had because I went back in the cabin for the postcard I was mailing myself after walking out and realizing I didn't have the postcard.)