It’s a very important smart wallet safety feature, but many of us don’t understand what RFID blocking is or how it protects us from digital thieves.

One of the first selling points of smart wallets is the added safety and security that they provide through RFID blocking. However, the average consumer looking to purchase one of these smart wallets may wonder what RFID is and how it can be taken advantage of to steal our private financial information. To consumers asking how RFID works, it's useful to cover a brief history of the technology and its growing presence in retail.

Charles Walton is generally considered the father of RFID, patenting 10 devices employing the technology starting in the 1970s. In reality, the foundations of RFID were a combination of radio and radar breakthroughs beginning in the 1920s and used for military purposes in later decades. The main concept behind RFID is to use tags that have an integrated circuit and antenna which can transmit information to an RFID reader or scanner. Unlike active RFID tags, passive RFID tags are cheaper technology that has no power source of its own and depends on the RFID reader to activate a signal. Often seen as a competitor to bar codes, RFID has significant advantages since it does not require a line of sight to the tag and can more efficiently scan many tags at once.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s RFID adoption was slow due to the overall cost and lack of practical applications but saw the most action with cars driving through automated toll booths. In 2005, the first credit cards using embedded RFID chips appeared in the United States and since then contactless payment solutions have rapidly expanded with products including Google Wallet and Apple Pay. Initially, purchases through these methods were limited to smaller dollar amounts, but as the demand for contactless purchases has increased, these restrictions have gradually been loosened as well.

Since in theory, RFID chips can be scanned by anyone in proximity to a cardholder with a compatible chip, this has given rise to fears of electronic pickpockets. Although confirmed cases of RFID-related theft have been rare to say the least, the retail industry has responded with a collection of products to try to shield consumers from potential acts of theft. A cheap and simple solution is RFID-blocking sleeves to store credit and ID cards which scanners have trouble penetrating. Smart wallets incorporate the same materials used in these sleeves to make their wallets secure. Models such as the AirTag Wallet, are constructed entirely from carbon fiber and aluminum alloy which effectively blocks RFID scanners and also allows the wallets to be exceptionally durable and lightweight.

Nearly all smart wallet makers emphasize the RFID-blocking capabilities of their offerings going so far as to include it in the product titles. In reality, a consumer should not purchase a smart wallet solely because of this feature but rather for the complete set of security and safety measures that they provide. Smart Wallets include Bluetooth trackers that work with smartphones and alert owners in case of loss or theft. Some smart wallets like the Volterman go so far as to have a built-in camera to snap photos of anyone not authorized to be snooping near other people's credit cards and money. If you recently purchased a traditional wallet and these additional features do not interest you, it makes far more sense to turn to other lower-priced precautions including RFID sleeves than to toss it aside for a new smart wallet.

A writer of supporting content for Buyers Guides, Adam Corsetti joined the Screen Rant team in 2022. Launching several sites related to PC hardware and gaming, Adam’s primary mission has been to explain how a new piece of technology can benefit a consumer in a digestible fashion. In addition to being a complete tech addict obsessed with consumer electronics, Adam is also a movie and TV buff and has rewatched the entire South Park series enough times to recite the dialogue by heart.