I have a credit card valid until 07/24, which means that it is no longer valid. I have a new credit card with a different number. I would like to give the old card to my baby to play with it, as he loves colorful cards. Is it safe? I.e., is there anything secret on the non-valid credit card, that may be used by someone who might find the card if it is lost?
-
31I'd worry more about exposure to toxic chemicals in the credit card. These are not toys, and perhaps the manufacturer of the physical card didn't consider this. A kid licking the silver letters would make me uneasy.– Quora FeansCommented Aug 1 at 16:32
-
7One use of old CCs is for throwaway "fake" wallets, like you carry in high crime areas so you can just let the robber have it. And there's a couple of credit cards and $34 in there.– Harper - Reinstate MonicaCommented Aug 2 at 1:22
-
13Attention! Some banks issue a new payment card with the same number as the expired one! Only the expiration date and CVV (3-digit) code changes!– pabouk - Ukraine stay strongCommented Aug 2 at 8:55
-
4When I was very young, my mother made cardboard "credit cards" for me to play with, complete with logos in crayon. It's a few minutes well-spent to make a "credit card" toy. If they're destroyed or lost, there's nothing to worry about, and you can make more if need be - babies are pre-approved.– SethCommented Aug 2 at 20:51
-
1As to the security for the child: cards can be torn and broken, which can result in sharp angles. Bits can be ingested. Especially the chip and its cover/contacts which can easily come off. It's definitely not a toy. Do not give it to your baby. Next thing you know you'll give them a plastic bag?– jcaronCommented Aug 3 at 10:46
|
Show 1 more comment
5 Answers
Not a "secrecy" issue, but a baby/toddler used to "playing with a credit card" would not be able to tell an expired card from a valid one. If you allow this, then sooner or later you can expect to find your current credit card folded in half or to have been used for teething!
-
22It's same as giving a dog old shoes to chew and then being surprised your new shoes are destroyed the second day you bought them.– CrowleyCommented Aug 1 at 16:46
-
Well, right now he is trying to take the real cards out of my bag to play with them, so I wanted to give him the expired card as a replacement. Commented Aug 1 at 18:23
-
11All you have to do is explain to the baby that they can only play with the replacement.– Lev K.Commented Aug 1 at 18:59
-
2OP doesn't say how old the "baby" is, but many kids can understand this by three or four: "if you want to play with cards, the cards in this drawer are your cards to play with". And perhaps even "If you want to look at my cards, I have to be there and you have to ask me first." Toy keys and toy cell phones are quite common, so not everyone has the problem you describe. Commented Aug 1 at 22:00
-
6It is also a valuable lesson for children that not everything should be treated as a casual play thing Commented Aug 2 at 4:40
No, it is not. I doubt the baby will go shopping, but they can definitely injure themselves with it.
-
17Credit and debit cards are not always a single piece of plastic. At least one of mine has a clear layer that has become frayed/peeled at the edges. A child could easily ingest some of these pieces or cut themselves on the card. So there's good reasons why not to give a child a card, even if there aren't any financial issues. Commented Aug 1 at 18:19
-
1Concur - the plastic coating will flake off with sufficient bending. Best cut it up and buy some baby toys instead.– CriggieCommented Aug 3 at 1:39
I've played online games, such as EverQuest and Eve Online. And been a customer support person for EQ. If a customer loses control of their account, perhaps due to lost email accounts or hacking, one of the methods for proving that you controlled the account in the past was that you know the credit card used back then and not just the last 4 digits.
I would not let an infant play with the card, but stash it in a folder of old financial records.
-
3Which raises some legal questions as to whether these companies should keep data on old CC or not. I have no idea on the answer, though. Commented Aug 2 at 15:46
- It's possible the old card info would be mildly useful to you at some point in the future
- While there may not be much risk in keeping an old card, there's definitely LESS risk in destroying it
- Children chew on things
- Cards are not toys and while components may or may not be toxic, NOT eating credit cards is LESS risky than eating them
- Children need to respect property
Therefore:
- CONSIDER storing information such as card number, expiration, CVV number, and perhaps issuing institution and when issued in a secure location, such as an encrypted file.
- DESTROY the card, perhaps by putting it through a shredder, at least by cutting it up.
- DO NOT give your child credit or ID cards to play with, until such age as you can be sure they will not eat them, burn them, or do anything else crazy with them.
- TEACH your child to respect the contents of your wallet.
Doing these things will lessen the chances of financial compromise or a trip to the pediatrician.
-
8
From financial point of view the void card is just a plastic card with identifiers recorded in the chip/magnetic strip and your name, card number and safety code written on it.
Anyone, including you, trying to use it will invalidate your current card instantly.
So the only financial risk is you having to ask for a new card and not having the access to the money for some time.
If you want, you can puncture a hole through the contacts and magnetic strip.
BUT
But there are other non-financial risks of a toddler playing with plastic card. And trust me, toddlers are very creative in ways of doing thing adults never thought of. And bloody fast!
You haven't mentioned the age of your baby, but we can consider them toddler because you didn't call them child.
When your child will be able to understand what the card means (that it was yours, that it was valid and what it means) then there is no risk of giving them your old cards.
-
11Do you have any proof of "Anyone, including you, trying to use it will invalidate your current card instantly."? That seems almost certainly incorrect. If you get reissued a card (as OP has) and forget to notify some merchant of the new number, when they next try to charge you using the previous information one of two things happens. Either the payment fails (you may incur late fees), or the card processing network transfers the prior authorization to the new card number. But it definitely doesn't disable your replacement card. Commented Aug 1 at 17:42
-
5Also, in the scenario where a card is stolen, the behavior you describe would make it completely pointless for the bank to issue you a new card number. Because every fraud attempt would block your new card. Commented Aug 1 at 17:44
-
2@BenVoigt As anecdotal evidence, I had received my new card but not yet disposed of my old card. I pulled that card out of my wallet to attempt a purchase and it was declined. The new card was not effected. Commented Aug 1 at 18:56
-
I have invalidated my cards by paying by the old (still valid), new and old again in a store. But it was almost twenty years ago. Maybe it was a policy issued by the bank, not the card provider.– CrowleyCommented Aug 2 at 8:58