Coronavirus: How to clean your credit card

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing many of us to consider whether our current hygiene standards are good enough; from new methods to sanitise hospitals using UV lighting to simply washing our hands more often, the way we practise hygiene around the world is changing. 

At JT Hughes, we've already started taking preventative actions and making our hygiene practices stricter to minimise the spread of the recent coronavirus in our dealerships.

While it might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about hygiene amid the coronavirus crisis, it's important to consider how clean the contents of your wallet is considering how often your hands probably come into contact with it throughout the day - especially now that using a credit card is deemed the safest way to pay.

Can the COVID-19 virus survive on a credit card?

Yes. One of the ways you can contract the virus is by touching surfaces which have been infected by the cough droplets of an infected person. Droplets can spread short distances in the air, but they can also land on objects and settle there. There's a lot we don't yet know about the virus, but it's thought by scientists that it may be able to survive on smooth surfaces like that of credit cards for up to nine days.

Minimising germs when paying by card

 When you pay with a card, it's still possible for a lot of germs to come into contact with your card and you, by extension. To minimise the number of germs that come into contact with your credit card on a daily basis, it's a good idea to pay by contactless as often as possible. Contactless cards can simply be touched against the chip and PIN machine - which means you don't even need to touch the machine yourself. If your credit or debit card doesn't have contactless, you can request a new card with contactless technology embedded.

How to keep your credit card clean

Disinfecting your credit cards isn't hard, and it should be done regularly for maximum efficacy. All you need to do is wash the card with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds, or alternatively, you could wipe it down with a disinfectant such as antibacterial wipes. Just be sure to check that the signature hasn't worn off after it's been washed and resign it if it has. Credit cards are water-resistant and won't be damaged by this process, so it's safe to do as often as you think is necessary.