Where is data actually held on a credit card? I just got my updated card, and followed instructions to cut up my old one. As I was cutting it to little, tiny bits, though, I was wondering: what actually needs to be cut up, and why?
If, for example, I cut the brown, magnetic strip, but only part of it, could someone swipe it and whatever it contains still be read? What about the chip embedded in the plastic? Does that have to be completely shredded into micro bit before it will no longer give up my data? Or does a single slice through it take care of it all?
In any case, after about 15 minutes, I now have a finely-sliced handful of credit card bits. And my goodness they're sharp!
In the chip (it's all inside the area covered by the contacts) and in the metallic strip. To destroy it just cut the chip into 3 or 4 pieces and the metallic stripe into the same. If you want to make sure you could also hold it against a magnet.
At the end of the day a criminal will get far more info out of a cloning machine or just harvesting the info online. Piecing cut up cards back together is time-consuming and risks being caught in possession. A few cuts or running it through a shredder is fine.