ANSWER:

BB&T, SunTrust, Regions, Wachovia, PNC, Citibank, FL Dept of Children and Families, Dept of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Orlando Police and not as a driver in a traffic stop, Post Office even though they're a place you can apply to get the passport card and should know about it, Friday's, Plus Wine and Spirits, O'Malley's Pub, many bars and liquor stores around the country when I go to visit friends they card and only accept driver licenses or regular passports.

This does not mean, say, all SunTrusts everywhere will always refuse a passport card. Most places will accept it after a lengthy explanation, but some people just refuse and tell you no, like at least one person, sometimes several, has at each place I listed, even after I talk about card, point out the government website for the card, and asked to see their book on state IDs that they use to verify if someone's ID is real.

Also the reason to get a book over a card isn't because of the chip, it's because the book is widely recognized and the card no one really recognizes yet.

Bottom line, fork over the extra $50 or whatever it is for a regular passport, the convenience of a wallet-sized card is not worth the scrutiny and hassle.

It contains "biometric" identification data, which means it includes a code used by facial recognition software generated from the passport photo that is transmitted to the port of entry computer. This code is compared with the code generated by the video camera that views your face as you stand at the entry station, and if the two don't match, the operator gets a notification and you're checked more thoroughly.

It also contains a code linked to your personal file at Customs which calls up your personal record when scanned.

According to the website below, the chip system has been constructed to be secure and encrypted, to prevent tracking, skimming and other such problems, if you care to believe them, though the "tracking" part has issues, as I'll explain.

The good news is that the chip is in the BACK cover of the passport booklet, and the passport is still valid even if the chip doesn't work. This means that microwaving your passport is a real possibility, even if it mars the booklet, because the document is still valid.

The idea of microwaving a passport is very, very attractive as it makes it absolutely certain that it can't be misused, hacked or used to track you, which is a possibility, even given the "random UID" features of the chip. The concern I have is that if the chip responds to a "ping" AT ALL it can identify your location and potentially that you are a US citizen. With proper high-gain equipment, someone could ping passports at quite a distance, though I don't know just how far. Imagine dressing locally so as not to attract unwanted attention and then having your efforts frustrated by someone pinging your passport. Perhaps a bit paranoid, but still...isn't that what we're here for?

I see no reason not to zap the chip except that it will mean a bit more scrutiny at a US port of entry. If they ask what happened to your passport, just tell them your wife or girlfriend microwaved your wallet while trying to dry it out after you fell into a lake. Girls can be SO....well, you know. Works even better if you're a blonde.

I don't have to worry for about another eight years though, I made sure I got one of the last non-RFID passports issued, right before they deployed them. I replaced my still-valid passport specifically for that reason.

Submitted Link #1: http://travel.state.gov/passport/eppt/eppt_2788.ht...

... Carrying your passport in an RFID-blocked case eliminates someone pinging your passport. Also, I prefer not to be subject to "more scrutiny at a US port of entry."

Unless I'm missing something, I see potential problems with this. For daily routine travel, such coin needs to be easily distinguishable so not to be 'spent', yet not to attract anyone else's attention. That can be easily resolved by placing such coin away from other money.

The primary purpose of such disguise, though, was to cross the borders with encrypted and hidden data. Now, coins are usually metalic, and hence have to be placed on the tray and go through the X-ray detector machine. That will readily reveal "strange" nature of those coins and point out the contents.

Here was also discussion regarding strenghtened requirements in state of Florida. Those are recent changes as printed on the web site "Previously we printed the mailing address on your driver license/ID Card. A recent law change requires us to now print the physical residence address. Also, you have to provide proof of the residence address. " In the "Why the changes?" on the bottom there is also a link to Real ID Act.

Has anyone successfully obtained/renewed since October, 2008?

Submitted Link #1: http://www.flhsmv.gov/realid/ ...

... (Josh, I deleted the second URL. You can only list one, in this system.)

The whole point of my explanation was to explain that microwaving the RFID chip will leave you with an obviously-tampered-with card that no one checking your ID would accept.

I also second his non-endorsement of the passport card - I've had problems with it being accepted at banks, bars, airports, government offices, and all manner of other places. Even if it's eventually accepted, I'm usually singled out for more scrutiny as the ID-checker tries to veryify the card's authenticity. Get a regular passport book. (In fact, the only reason I microwaved the card was because I'm about to apply for a passport book, myself, and didn't need the card anymore.)

I found that the explosion had put rather small (about 1 or 2 square millimeters) burn marks in two places on the card. Each burn mark created a small raised surface, almost as if your card had acne.

The card had also begun to seperate or split into two seperate pieces, as though two pieces of plastic were glued together and now the glue was coming undone.

Post-microwaving, the card remains almost entirely undamaged. Despite the burn marks, one can can still read everything on the card, even the parts under the burn marks. Despite the card starting to peel apart, it doesn't peel enough to come apart on its own. But it's readily apparent that someone has been tampering with the card; I wouldn't try to use it anywhere once microwaved.

Being curious, I peeled apart the card into two seperate pieces of plastic. (Now I clearly can't use the card anywhere. No matter, I'll get a new one.)

On the inside, I found a large (half-inch square) burn mark where the RFID chip used to be, plus a long line of thin, reddish, metallic film (perhaps copper) emanating out from the burn mark in a curvy, condensed zig-zag pattern. An electronics expert friend of mine told me this functions like an antenna to extend the readable range of the chip.

It's quite apparent from the location of the burn mark, the remnants of the RFID chip, and the layout of the copper film that the RFID chip is about 5x5 mm, and located in the center of the card. For those interested in hammering away at the chip, check out the layout of the chip (see website below). On the front of the card, center your smashing right under the "a" in the Surname of your card (between the "AV" of "TRAVELER" in the sample). On the rear of the card, center your smashing on the shield over the eagle's chest in the center of the card.

Submitted Link #1: http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card...

... Note to readers:

... I in no way recommend the above procedure nor any other designed to destroy the chip. In fact, I don't recommend the passport card at all. Use a real passport.

If one can figure out where the chip is, try a ball-peen hammer on the center of the chip. I think if you whack it hard enough you'll kill it, though I don't know of a field-expedient way to make sure it's disabled.

If you can't locate the chip, just smash the crap out of the whole license with a regular hammer. Might make your license look a bit funny, but it ought to kill the chip.

Anyone with an RFID scanner out there who could test this for us?

Me, I would use:

1) a pager

2) 2 Simcard Phone/2 cell phones

3) Code word to switch between simcards/phones.

There you have it. A simple, neat way to call and not be evesdropped on.

Submitted Link #1: http://www.securstar.com/products_phonecrypt.php...