Open a Door with a Credit Card

You see it done in the movies all the time –– a slick protagonist needs to explore the bad guy's abode, so he whips out a card, wiggles it in the crack of the door, and strolls right in. However, in real life, it's not a universal lock pick technique -- nor is it legal if you don't have permission to enter. But if you're locked out of your own home and want to use your own credit card to open the door before you use it to pay for a locksmith, follow these steps.

Steps

  1. Choose a large and flexible card. Though a credit card can do the trick, you may want to use something other than a credit card if it's more flexible and disposable (such as gift cards, membership cards or fake credit cards). If you use your own credit card, you may end up bending it so much that it no longer works, or even breaking it in half in the process. The card should be large and flexible, but it should also be durable enough to push down a metal latch.
    • Look through your wallet to see if you have any cards that are larger or more flexible than a credit card, such as a gym or pet club membership card, old hotel key, or any other old or expired insurance cards or other cards you don't use anymore.
    • A laminated card will work best because it'll be more flexible.
    • You can also use a strip of plastic cut out from a plastic soda bottle for extra length and flexibility.
  2. Slide the card into the vertical crack between the door and the doorjamb. The doorjamb is opposite the door and is the part that the lock goes into. Insert the card as far as it will go at a perpendicular angle with the door. To see the location of the doorjamb more easily, push the door back as far as it can go with your other hand. Unfortunately, this method won't work on all doors -- it works best when the slanted part of the lock is facing you. Here are some types of doors that will be a particular challenge:
    • Dead bolts
    • Slanted locks that face away from you
    • Locks that are blocked by plates
    • Locks that are protected by molding
    • Separate straight or rod locks
  3. Tilt the card so the side closest to you is almost touching the doorknob. Push it until you feel it slide in more -- the side closest to you may even end up touching the doorknob. This will get the card into position to force the bolt back down.
  4. Bend the card the opposite way. This will make the card slip under the angled end of the bolt, forcing it back into the door. Quickly open the door. Try leaning against the door while doing this, which will help it pop open. You can also continue to wiggle and jiggle the door back and forth as you maneuver the credit card until you find the magic combination that pops open the door.
    • If this doesn't work and you're feeling desperate, you can try to cut a V-shaped notch in the top back of the card -- as long as it's not a real credit card -- to try to fit the "V" around the latch until you can pull it down.



Tips

  • Most doors have a special tab that sticks alongside the latch to prevent picking with a credit card. If you can get this tab to drop into the hole that the rest of the latch goes into, then the door is improperly installed and this method will work.
  • If the door is an exterior door with an additional deadbolt lock - deadbolts cannot be picked with a credit card and require drilling the lock, picking the lock or kicking down the door.
  • If the door has trim around it that will prevent you from opening it with a card, either remove the trim or find an alternative method of opening the door.
  • If you don't know what kind of lock it is just push the card in between the frame and wiggle in every single direction at the same time.
  • If the credit card doesn't bend enough, a business card may work as it is more malleable.
  • If you are on the side of the door that the lock is not slanted towards, the best way to do this is to tilt the card downwards and come from the top. You will have to push the card almost all the way in to reach the curved side of the lock. Also, you have to push hard.
  • An alternative method is to push the card between the door and the frame, as said above, then pull and push at the doorknob while applying pressure on the card. This will pry the lock open eventually, but takes a bit of time, and causes more damage to the card.
  • Don't get locked out. If you don't get locked out, you don't need to pick the lock.
  • Some doors require very little effort, and may be opened by simply pushing a card into the door frame at the same height as the handle (without the above tilting or bending).

Warnings

  • Be prepared to show proof that you have the right to open the lock, or you will most likely find yourself behind the sort of locked door that a credit card won't open!
  • There is a chance that you may damage your credit card.
  • Be very careful not to let your card slide through the door jamb and get stuck on the other side.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Open_a_Door_with_a_Credit_Card&oldid=361173"