Swiping lets a hidden skimmer copy your card’s magnetic stripe, and a thief can turn that data into a fake card. A chip or a tap sends a code that works for one purchase only. Tap when you can, insert the chip when you can’t, and swipe only as a last resort.
That order matters most at gas pumps and ATMs, since a skimmer can sit inside the machine. The FBI says fuel pump skimmers are usually wired into the pump itself, out of customers’ sight, and that a skimmer takes only seconds to install.
Inserting doesn’t fully protect a chip card there. The card still carries a magnetic stripe, and the FBI warns that a chip card’s stripe data remains vulnerable.
ATM maker NCR Atleos reports skimmers that read the stripes of inserted cards, and says a card that’s tapped instead can’t be skimmed. The FBI likewise tells drivers to tap at the pump when the card and terminal allow it.
Phone wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay protect you further, because the store receives a stand-in number instead of your actual card number.
When a terminal can’t take a tap, check it before your card goes in:
- Wiggle the card reader and compare it with others nearby. If it moves or looks different, use another pump or ATM.
- At a gas pump, check the security seal on the cabinet panel. A seal that reads “void” means the panel has been opened.
- Pull at the keypad’s edges before you enter a PIN, then cover the keypad with your hand, since skimmers often come with a hidden camera.
At the pump, skip the PIN entirely. Run a debit card as credit, or better, pay with a credit card, which carries stronger fraud protection than debit.
Then turn on transaction alerts in your card issuer’s app, so a charge you didn’t make reaches you when it happens instead of on your next statement.
Add your cards to your phone’s wallet today, and you can tap wherever you see the contactless symbol.
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