Do You Keep Hotel Key Cards?

Do You Keep Key Cards as Keepsakes?

June 24, 2010

I'm all about the found (or free) souvenir — a pen here, bottle of lotion there. Half the time though, I only end up with the pen since I've tossed it in my purse sometime during the trip, and the sweet potion lasts for like one more week after I get home again. However, another thing I can't seem to leave without is a key card. It's rarely on purpose, just something I often dig out of my wallet after vacations are done.

Then I spotted a recent article saying that the electronic card is a great remembrance, especially in case your personal information is somehow stored on it. One time, I intentionally kept a card to pass along to a pal who lived in the city (since the bar made guests flash a key to get in), but that was my only intentional keepsake, albeit not for myself.

10 Comments

Rjs baby girl 2 years

No information is stocked on those cards, it's only check in and check out times (I've worked in an hotel for 2 years). I always leave them in the room before I leave, except for one time I kept the keycard on purpose. My husband and I had our wedding/honeymoon in Vegas and we kept the keycard as a souvenir for our amazing time there :)

Sundaydrive 2 years

I think I actually have a few key cards in my wallet... Haha, probably should clean that out one of these days.

robinlh912 2 years

I thought you had to return them! But then again I'm never in charge of check in or check out when I (rarely!) go on vacation!

lickety split 2 years

i do keep them. and pens. have a nice little collection now. i keep the cards in a basket in my bedroom and i see them everyday and smile...

weffie 2 years

Weird, I've always been told to keep them because of the credit card information stored on them... It's supposed to be erased after you turn it in but that's just one more chance for human error/forgetfulness to make you vulnerable to identity theft. Someone in the industry would have to confirm, but I thought it was normal practice to hang onto it whether you intend to keep or destroy it. I have certainly never been charged for a missing key card, and can't recall ever turning one in at checkout.

weffie 2 years

Weird, I've always been told to keep them because of the credit card information stored on them... It's supposed to be erased after you turn it in but that's just one more chance for human error/forgetfulness to make you vulnerable to identity theft.Someone in the industry would have to confirm, but I thought it was normal practice to hang onto it whether you intend to keep or destroy it. I have certainly never been charged for a missing key card, and can't recall ever turning one in at checkout.

Kellanawida 2 years

I don't keep them. I've always been under the impression that my credit card will be charged if the key card is missing after checkout.

Pistil 2 years

I usually keep it accidentally, toss it later (unless it was a particularly nice one, but I don't stay at nice hotels often). It might be different in the states, but I'm pretty sure it's an Internet circulated myth that any personal information is stored on those key cards. I work at a hotel. They only thing on the cards is your check-in and check-out date and time. The stupid things are super sensitive to demagnetization anyway.

lilkimbo 2 years

I don't typically stay at chain hotels, so the key cards I get are generally not generic. I keep them and use them in my scrapbooks. On the occasion that I do stay at chain, I don't intentionally keep the key card, but I wind up accidentally doing it from time-to-time anyway.

skigurl 2 years

Usually hotel key cards are super generic, so not worth keeping. I've never intentionally kept one, but sometimes accidentally take them home. This is chalked up to one of those useless keep sakes, to me, and I don't like to hoard.

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10 Comments