Amex cards cracking under mag strip?

[Mal]

One of my Amex cards needs replacing soon as it has cracked (in a straight line) under the mag strip. It appears that rfid has also been disabled.

Card still works for chip and pin etc. So not overly fussed at the moment.

However I've had a previous Amex card which cracked in an identical way.

Is there a weak point under the mag strip?

 

[VA777]

I am having the same problem will be replace a card soon that is not that old

 

[eastwest101]

I had a replacement Amex card that only lasted 9 months (no chip) before becoming unreliable/un-useable. I just recently got a new Amex with the chip but having some troubles getting it to recognize the chip in some EFTPOS terminals, hopefully just teething problems...

But I agree - the quality of the cards is not very high lately.

 

[VA777]

There are a lot of terminals that don't work with the Amex chip as I understand it uses a more recent version of the chip security standard. I find a lot of ANZ and the older CBA terminals won't work with the Amex chip.

 

[Plutonus]

Caltex service stations all seem to refuse the AMEX chips... so frustrating as you still have to insert it otherwise it says please insert if you swipe first...

 

[Mal]

Caltex service stations all seem to refuse the AMEX chips... so frustrating as you still have to insert it otherwise it says please insert if you swipe first...

Yep. Pay pass fail. Chip in. Fail. Swipe works. Or even more convoluted paths can be made depending on staff involved...

 

[Febs]

Yep. Pay pass fail. Chip in. Fail. Swipe works. Or even more convoluted paths can be made depending on staff involved...

Australia Post too. Every time. AMEX really need to sort this out.

 

[quick_dry]

Is there a weak point under the mag strip?

I find this a common spot for breakage, my St George is cracked there as well (weirdly my drivers license has a crack a similar distance down the card - but they are stored at staggered height in my wallet so I don't think it is just repeated bending/flexure at a common height)

 

[animusmh12]

I worked for a while part time at a place that sold wallets. It is a common problem depending on the wallet design surprisingly. Worth looking at where your cards sit and the pressure against them.

 

[eastwest101]

I worked for a while part time at a place that sold wallets. It is a common problem depending on the wallet design surprisingly. Worth looking at where your cards sit and the pressure against them.

This actually could be the case with me, I am a creature of habit and usually have the credit cards "stacked" in a particular order of pockets so that may explain the failures of the Amex cards cf with other credit cards..... I am sure that I am not the only one whom has particular "wallet habits" that don't vary.

 

[Mal]

Always a possibility ... but I would expect the same with all cards if it was a wallet flaw. And a bit curious why it breaks just under the mag strip. Seems like a weak point.

 

[mitwg]

I used to have this same problem before (not just with AMEX but with other cards too) and it felt to me like this was due to the fact that my wallet was being kept too fat. I used a 8 card wallet back then with every single slot filled and when I had notes, the wallet would be a inch or even thicker (no coins).

Since then, I stopped carrying around cards I don't use that frequently and I specifically try to carry around larger notes like $100s where possible which has helped thin out the wallet and I longer have this problem. The one thing I hate though (and still happens) is how the silver comes off the engravings on the cards which essentially renders it unreadable when viewed from an angle.

EDIT: The one habit which I definitely believe helps is I literally forced myself not to put my wallet in my back pants pocket anymore. The wallet always goes into either the inner jacket pocket or the front pants pocket now.

 

[serfty]

Yep. Pay pass fail. Chip in. Fail. Swipe works. Or even more convoluted paths can be made depending on staff involved...

I know that little dance very well.

Can't just swipe as it tells you to insert which fails.

So yes, wave - nup, insert - nup, swipe - maybe ...

With some patience it eventually works.

As for my last card, it had a silvery magnetic strip where it gradually cracked along the bottom line.

 

[Beta4Me]

I know that little dance very well.

Can't just swipe as it tells you to insert which fails.

So yes, wave - nup, insert - nup, swipe - maybe ...

With some patience it eventually works.

As for my last card, it had a silvery magnetic strip where it gradually cracked along the bottom line.

Worst is you do that and it all fails. So you try another Amex and it also fails. Then they tell you "oh, sorry, we don't take Amex" and you have to pull out a MC/Visa and you screw that up and have to do it several times as they Amex has made the machine cough itself and need a reboot. FML.

 

[Cynicor]

Edge cracked under the mag after about 1 year. Annoying, and I do wonder if there was/is a flaw if others have the same experience. All other cards are fine.

 

[oz_mark]

Ive had various cards from various issuers crack along the bottom of the mahmetic strip. Seems to me that if the card gets any bending force on it, that is the place it tends to flex.