Usually, when I share an article or video like this, I get a few sarcastic comments like, “Thanks a lot, now criminals can break into my house!” First of all, as long as you use your deadbolt or have a decent security system in place, criminals won’t be able to use this info to break into your house. This method will only get you past a simple lock, and won’t even work if the deadbolt is engaged or the door isn’t loose enough.
I’m sharing this video for two reasons. 1: You can use it to get back inside your house if you ever lock yourself out (it happens to the best of us). And 2: You can use it to get into houses that are abandoned in a post-apocalyptic scenario. For those reasons, I think this is a skill worth learning.
Get a card that you don’t need, head outside (don’t forget your keys!), lock the door behind you, and give this trick a try. Again, you might have trouble if the door isn’t loose enough. Watch the video by VP Prepping & Survival below to see it done. (Note: Depending on the type of lock or how the latch plate is set, this might not work. Try it on one of your doors and see.)
As a private investigator for 9 years I can tell you from experience that this “might” work “if” everything falls into place. The “if” is if the deadbolt isn’t locked and if the the small security bolt on the main bolt isn’t engaged and if the door isn’t tight against the weatherstrip. In addition, I have tried on a couple occasions over the years to open a door with a credit card and all I got was a broken credit card. Again, it’s a big “if” and probably ineffective. Also remember that if the main bolt is fully engaged into the strike plate there will be no sloped area for a card to get into and deadbolts don’t have the sloped area. They’re cut flat on both sides. Nice idea in theory but falls far short in practical application.