Last Updated on September, 2024
You’re lucky if you’ve never been locked out with nothing but a credit card in your wallet. Because there’s someone who was, and it did not end well for them.
A credit card can only help you pay for a locksmith to open a locked door. If you insist on DYI-ing into your house when you’re locked out, this guide is for you.
My first advice would be to find something more controllable than a card to pick the lock. It may be flexible, but it’s still not as small as a bobby pin or a paper clip. You know, they are the traditional tools to pick a lock?
There are only certain types of locks that allow a trick like this. There is no professional way of doing this. Before you continue, take a look at the lock. You’re in the game if it is one of those slanted-latch-style locks.
Quick Summary
- A credit card can be used as a tool to pick certain types of locks, but it requires practice and a certain amount of skill.
- It is not recommended to use a credit card to pick a Yale lock, as it is less flexible and can cause damage to the lock if used incorrectly.
- It is better to call a professional locksmith for help in opening a locked door, especially if there is a deadbolt present.
Can I Open My Yale Lock With a Credit Card?
Perhaps you got the idea of this method because you watched a locksmith use a card to open a door. It’s not impossible to do, but it is highly unlikely because the card used by the locksmiths is double the size of a credit card.
You can try opening a Yale lock with a credit card because some versions have a slanted latch. Insert a credit card between the door frame and the door. If you can slide the card on the slanted side and apply pressure, you may hear the doorknob snap open.
Some Locks Can Be Picked By Credit Card Method
It depends on how fast you learn the angle to insert it. Shine a flashlight into the gap between the doorframe and the door to better see. Then, slide the card into that space and use its edge to gently push the lock back.
It will take some practice to know how much force is needed. But after attempting a couple of times, you can pick the lock.
Avoid using this method with a lock that doesn’t have a slated edge. You may damage or break the lock if you bend the card too hard. Keeping a handy lock-picking tool kit in your pocket would be much better.
If you have the keys but are stuck outside because the locked door is not budging, trying with a card will not unlock the door.
We often get calls from people who have tried to unlock a Yale lock with a credit card and ended up breaking it. This typically occurs when the card gets jammed in the space.
How People Have Failed to Open Yale Lock With Credit Card?
Your credit card is too valuable, so resort to other ideas like calling a locksmith instead. You must ensure that the lock you pick does not have a deadbolt. That will essentially stop it from sliding further to save the day.
If anything between the door and the doorframe may block the credit card, you can wait for a locksmith to open it. However, damaging the card or the lock will cost much more than calling a professional to help you.
Our team has helped a customer in such a situation multiple times. You can call someone from your friends to help you. But, if you damage the lock more, you can make it worse for the professional to help you.
Always keep an extra key around to avoid this kind of situation. We’ve met with customers who have tried to press the card in forcefully instead of gently picking the lock. Such methods have always made the job harder.
Useful guides:
What Can I Do to Unlock a Yale Lock?
Damaging the lock would cost more than getting a locksmith to open the door. Some doors are challenging to budge even if you kick them with your leg. Often, the problem with the lock is simply a patch of rust. You can try to shake the locked door to move the latch.
If you get locked out of your house without a key and know it is a Yale lock, you can try picking it. But be gentle. Only slip it inside. You don’t need a skill if you gently nudge the latch towards the opposite side.
Get Locksmith Service Immediately
If the door is still locked, you must call a locksmith to save it. It may seem simple, but our team is trained to manage such situations. It is better to call someone with the tools to help you than using something to strike it or try with a card.
You can call a service immediately because the card technicians use is flexible enough to bend twice into the bends of the doorframe. It must slip in at least four inches, which is not possible with the one you have.
Do Not Pick a Locked Door With a Credit Card
Locksmiths possess the necessary skills and techniques required to unlock doors effectively. Though your credit card may seem like the one our team uses, they are less flexible than ours.
We use a “mica card” to pick the locks whenever a customer calls for Yale locks. Instead of picking the lock, you can contact our service because we have technicians available 24/7.
You can trust our experts with your doors because we have seven years of success with over fifty technicians. We will be there for you to get the door open and the lock fixed in thirty minutes flat.
So there it is. It doesn’t take much of an ability to pick a lock. If you try picking the lock, this is the best way to do it with a credit card. If you find picking a lock with your card, you can practice with it. You never know when your picking skills can come to use in life!
