How to Properly Destroy Plastic and Metal Credit Cards
Most people think destroying a credit card is as simple as taking a pair of scissors to it. This isn’t true. Especially as most “destroyed” cards routinely show up in recycling bins cut in half, or with a single snip through the middle.
Every one of those practices is a data-security risk. Below we’ll walk you through the correct way to dispose of both plastic and metal credit cards — including how to destroy old credit cards and metal credit cards — and more importantly, why those techniques matter.
How to Destroy Plastic Credit Cards Safely:
Plastic credit cards are the easiest to dispose of, but they must still be handled properly. Mishandling even one card could constitute a PCI-DSS violation.
The only way to properly dispose of them is with a shredder created to obliterate credit cards:
- Use a shredder with a cross-cut or micro-cut blade that will slice the card into tiny, unreadable pieces. A micro-cut shredder is best if your organization handles cardholder data regularly, because its P-5 or P-7 destruction levels make card reassembly practically impossible. If you’re shredding occasionally, then a shredder with a P-2 level might suffice.
- Feed the card through a dedicated media slot, if your shredder has one. Many business-grade shredders isolate plastic waste from paper waste. This prevents melted fragments from clogging the paper cutting heads.
- Confirm the chip is fully destroyed. The EMV chip stores encrypted authentication data. It must be shredded completely; a single surviving fragment could still be scanned by a determined bad actor. This is especially true when shredding credit cards with chips, which require total destruction.
- Bag and seal the shredded pieces. In regulated industries (finance, legal, and healthcare), it’s best practice to double-bagging, and seal the shredded material until it is time for waste disposal.
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Important Tip: Scissors are not effective because the magnetic strip remains readable, and the EMV chip can still function even if you cut the card into many pieces. |
How to Destroy Metal Credit Cards Safely:
The materials used in premium cards (titanium, stainless steel, and palladium alloys) are constructed to be physically durable. That durability becomes a problem when trying to destroy them.
Even commercial office shredders with hardened steel rollers are built for polycarbonate and PVC, and not metal composites. Feeding a metal card into one can:
- Jam the cutting cylinders
- Chip or fracture the blades
- Burn out the motor
- Void the machine warranty instantly
I once heard of somebody jamming a shredder with a stainless-steel AmEx card. The card didn’t shred. It wedged itself perfectly between the rollers, overheated the motor, and the repair cost almost as much as a new unit.
Never attempt DIY destruction.
To destroy metal credit cards successfully, you have two options:
- Return the card to the issuer, and they will destroy it on your behalf (a big job if you’ve got many to destroy and different issuers).
- Use a shredder with hardened metal-cutting capabilities, purpose-built to decimate metal credit cards.
With that, let’s move on to our recommendations based on your specific needs:
Our Recommended Credit Card Shredders
All of our credit card shredder options are here.
Because these models can also shred paper — and many other materials such as paperclips, CDs/DVDs for example — we’ve also accounted for some limitations that are not directly related to credit card shredding.
This is just to keep your best interests in mind:
| If you have any questions at all about these credit card shredders, please contact us. We’d be delighted to address any concern, or answer anything you can throw at us. |
| Category | Shredder(s) | Description & Key Features | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best budget credit-card shredder | Royal CX100X Cross-Cut (Royal 100X) | Inexpensive, lightweight (~13 lbs), cross-cut, and destroys credit cards, ID cards, film, & microfiche. Shreds at 27 ft/min with a compact 15-inch-high bin. | Small 4–5 gal bin, P-3 security, not suitable for large volumes or sensitive data. |
| Best budget credit-card shredder | HSM Shredstar X6Pro Micro-Cut | Micro-cut P-5 security, dedicated slot for plastic card residue, compact and energy efficient, and ideal for occasional credit-card shredding. | Small 5.3-gal bin, only 6-sheet capacity, and best for light-duty use. |
| Best credit-card shredder for huge volumes | HSM Powerline 450.2 Cross-Cut | Shreds 65–70 sheets per pass, handles media & credit cards, 76.6-gal bin, and continuous-duty motor. | Requires space & industrial-grade power. |
| Best for offices that mostly shred paper but sometimes destroy credit cards | Swingline Stack-and-Shred 175X | Auto-feeds up to 175 sheets, manual slot for credit cards, CDs, & DVDs, 9-gal bin, and P-4 micro-cut. | Manual feed required for credit cards; slower for continuous card shredding. |
| Best for offices that mostly shred paper but sometimes destroy credit cards | Fellowes Powershred 325Ci Cross-Cut | Strong 22-sheet capacity, handles CDs, clips, & credit cards, 22-gal bin, jam-proof motor, and P-4 security. | Bulky and heavier than similar office units. |
| Best credit-card shredder for a small office | Fellowes Fortishred 2250C | Quiet (SilentShred), energy-saving, P-5 micro-cut security, handles cards & CDs, 20-gal bin, and great for shared spaces. | Slower at shredding paper (14 sheets per pass). |
| Best credit-card shredder for a small office | HSM Pure 420 Cross-Cut | P-4 security, compact design, destroys paper, clips, & credit cards, 9.2-gal bin, jam-prevention, & auto start/stop. | Low 14–16 sheet capacity; small bin for high usage. |
| Best for a small office with a huge volume of credit cards | HSM Securio B35 Cross-Cut | Handles 24–26 sheets, shreds cards & CDs, 34-gal bin, and continuous-duty motor. | Larger footprint; pricier. |
| Best for a small office with a huge volume of credit cards | Swingline CX25-36 Cross-Cut | Shreds CDs, DVDs, & cards, 25-sheet capacity, large 36-gal bin, continuous duty, & Jam-Stopper tech. | Tall and louder than typical small office units. |
| Best all-round shredder (cards + multiple materials) | Intimus 85 RX Paper & Multimedia Shredder | Shreds paper, CDs, credit cards, pill bottles, syringes; 18-gal bin; 30-sheet capacity; and multi-slot system. | Larger and pricier than standard office shredders. |
| Best all-round shredder (cards + multiple materials) | HSM Securio P40i Strip-Cut (1/8") | Shreds paper, clips, cards, & CDs with separate plastic waste slot; 39-sheet capacity; and 40-gal bin. | Strip-cut P-2 security is less secure than cross-cut or micro-cut. |
Can You Shred Credit Cards in a Paper Shredder?
Yes. Most of our recommendations listed above can shred credit cards and paper by default. If you’re planning to do so in your own shredder, check with the manufacturer’s instructions to confirm it is suitable before doing so.
What You Should Know Before Buying a Credit Card Shredder
You will have to think about:
- Your risk level. Know which regulations you should adhere to and what shred size or NSA listing you truly need. Over-buying wastes budget, while under-buying exposes you to liability.
- True lifetime cost. Consider maintenance, parts, downtime, and staff time, not just the price tag. A well-built machine with available parts and factory-trained technicians usually costs less over its life.
- Service options. Confirm who will install, train, and maintain your shredder. Whitaker Brothers provides preventive maintenance agreements and a nationwide service network, so you are not stuck when something jams.
- Scalability. Ask, “will this still work for us in 3–5 years?” If your paper or media volume (including credit cards) is rising, build in headroom now.
- Can you trust your supplier? You’ll want a partner with decades of experience, government trust, and real humans on the phone.
At Whitaker Brothers, we can supply all of this, and have been doing this since 1945. We are also family- and veteran-owned, and offer support for our equipment in over 115 countries. Contact us today for a custom quote or for more information about the best credit card shredder for your needs.