How to prevent someone from using a credit card to open your door

The locking mechanism on a regular door works: a piece of metal moves in and out of a hole or notch in the door frame when the handle is turned. When you have locked the handle, the piece of metal will not move, and the door will not be opened. But all you have to do is make the metal move out of the way, and the door will open easily. This can be done by inserting a credit card between the metal and the door frame. There are many ways you can prevent credit card door entry.

Instructions

1 Learn about how a lock can be bypassed with a credit card. By understanding how it works, you can take steps to prevent it in the future. See the Resources section for a short video showing how a credit card can be used to open your lock.

2 Install a gatekeeper lock. This metal plate follows the contour of the door frame, the extension above. It is designed to prevent someone from slipping a credit card into the space between the door and the frame.

3 Use a deadbolt on your door. A deadbolt is a piece of metal --- or bolt-- inserted far into the frame of the much longer door, whereas a door lock handle only uses the small piece of metal that can be moved with a credit card. Install the additional deadbolts on your door for added security.

4 Add a sliding door lock to your door. Like a deadbolt, a sliding door lock, with its long metal bar, cannot be moved out of the way by a credit card.

5 Install an electronic door handle on your exterior doors. These locks have keypads that require a code to be punched to gain entry. There is no space to slip a credit card into these locks.

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If you forgot your key again and wish you could get into your home without it, you may be able to use your credit card to do so. Just keep in mind that this technique only works on doors that have a simple knob lock with a spring-latch or a slanted-latch. To open your door, wiggle a card into the gap between the door and the door frame. If this doesn’t work, resort to an alternative solution.

1. 

   1

   Slide the card into the vertical crack between the door and frame. Insert the card into the gap between the doorknob and door frame and then slide it down next to the doorknob. Push it in as far as it will go at a ninety degree angle to the door.

   Tip: To see the location of the door frame more easily, push the door back as far as it can go with your other hand.

2. 

   2

   Tilt the card towards the doorknob. Tilt the side of your credit card facing you towards the doorknob until it is almost touching it. You’ll be able to push the credit card further into the gap between the door and door frame.

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3. 

   3

   Bend the card back the opposite way. Bending the card back the other way will make the card slip under the angled end of the slant-latch, forcing it back into the door. Quickly open the door and unlock it on the other side.[1]

4. 

   4

   Lean on the door and wiggle the card back and forth to open it. If your door did not easily pop open, try leaning against the door while bending your card back and forth a few times. This will add more pressure to the latch and should open it.[2]

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1. 

   1

   Check for unlocked windows. Walk around to all of the ground-level windows that your home has and try to open them. If you find that one is unlocked, pop the screen out and open the window as wide as you can. Then, climb through to get inside.[3]

   • Climbing through a window can be dangerous. Only try this if you’re confident in your ability to climb inside safely.

   Tip: If you have a back door or side door, check that too. You or someone who lives with you may have forgotten to lock it.

2. 

   2

   Call your roommates. If you live with friends or a significant other, call or text them to see if they’re nearby. If so, ask if one of them would mind stopping by the home to let you in. While this may require that you wait a few minutes on your front porch steps, it doesn’t involve potentially damaging your property or paying expensive service fees.

   • Also, consider walking to a nearby coffee shop to pass the time if you live somewhere where this is possible.

3. 

   3

   Call your landlord. This is a great option if your landlord lives onsite. Give them a call to see if they’re home and ask nicely if they’d mind letting you in. Even if they don’t live onsite, they may work nearby and be kind enough to swing by and help you out.[4]

4. 

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   Hire a locksmith as a last resort. If you don’t have any roommates and your landlord isn’t available to help, it might be time to call a locksmith. Hire them to come to your home and change the locks so that you can get in. While this will effectively solve the problem, it may be pricey, so it’s a good idea to only do it if you’re out of options.

   Note: Keep in mind that your landlord may charge you for changing the locks and/or for damaging the door.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Can I use a library card?

  

  Red Panda

  Community Answer

  It depends if the library card you have has a similar density and shape to your credit card. If it does, then it most likely will work.

• Question

  Do I have to use a credit card? Can I use a gift card?

  

  If the gift card is plastic, yes.

• Question

  Will the lock get damaged or break if I open a door this way?

  

  It depends on the way you open it. If you are too rough and impatient, some locks may get damaged or your credit card could snap and become a blockage.

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Video

• To avoid having to deal with this again, make a few copies of your key and keep a spare on you at all times and/or hide one near your home.

  As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

• Some doors require very little effort while others may be opened by simply pushing a card into the door frame at the same height as the handle without any tilting or bending.

  As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

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• Be prepared to show proof that you have the right to open the door, or else you could find yourself behind the sort of locked door that a credit card won't open!

  As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

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About This Article

Article SummaryX

To open a door with a credit card, start by sliding the card in the gap between the doorknob and the frame. Then, bend the card toward the doorknob. Next, bend the end of the card back toward the frame, which will cause the card to slip under the latch and unlock the door. If the door doesn't unlock, try leaning on the door and wiggling the card back and forth quickly. You may need to try a few times before the door opens. If you want to learn what to do if your credit card doesn't work, keep reading the article!

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