Hotel Access Cards Contain Credit Card Information

When I stay at the Holiday Inn Express for John Thien's wedding this weekend, I'll be sure to take my hotel key card home with me instead of leaving them in the hotel trash like I've previously done. As it turns out, it has been discovered that some hotel chains encode personal information about the guest on the magnetic strip of the key card. In some cases, this has even been found to list unencrypted credit card numbers. So basically, throwing away your hotel key card should be treated no differently than throwing away a credit card. Make sure it's shredded thoroughly first, or else anyone with a 35-dollar card reader could steal your credit card information.

- Matt

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