Somebody shared this to me with a similar question when they saw it on Reddit a few days ago. Yes it could hypothetically work, but not entirely encased in metal like they designed it.
You can see in the first images of the card that it is a CoM, because there’s a small trace across one of the contacts for the antenna to transit back to the chip in the center. The CoM module itself is tuned very poorly by itself without the larger repeater antenna, so it would just barely be able to get a read. The critical flaw is that they faced the contacts outward, so they are blocking any field from getting to the CoM antenna, and then they surrounded it on the sides and bottom with solid metal (aluminium and silver?).
One interesting thing to note though is that this chip is supposedly from a transit pass. I’ve never seen one of those be a full fledged smartcard, they’re often DESFire. Could somebody identify the transit company the card is for? There might be different sources that have better quality video.
I had a debit card that could be used as a transit pass but I never used it as such. IIRC it didn’t support contactless payment, just public transportation. Eventually got it replaced with one without RFID but that could be used internationally and for online purchases.
The opposite is Taiwan for example, it has EASY CARD.
It is a national Transit Card but it can also be used at MANY locations for purchases.
Taiwan is still very cash centric, and they obviously have Visa and MC terminals in many places, but EASY CARD have their own terminals that are plentiful.
If I lived in Taiwan, I would 100% have one converted.
Bonus is, No expiry
Wikipedia description below
The EasyCard is a contactless smartcard system operated by the EasyCard Corporation, which was previously named the “Taipei Smart Card Corporation”, for payment on the Taipei Metro (also known as “Taipei MRT”, or “Taipei Rapid Transit System”), buses, and other public transport services in Taipei since June 2002, and its usage has since expanded to multiple kinds of businesses. Its use has also since been expanded to include convenience stores, department stores, supermarkets, taxis, and other retailers since 1 April 2010.[1] Like conventional electronic fare systems, the card employs RFID technology to operate without physical contact. They are available for purchase at all Metro stations and all chain convenience stores.
EasyCard
悠遊卡
Location Taiwan
Launched June 2002
Technology * MIFARE
Manager EasyCard Corporation
Currency New Taiwan dollar (NT$30,000 maximum load) Stored-value Pay as you go
Credit expiry None (must reactivate after 2 years of inactivity)
Validity * TRA
Someone: Would you upload your brain into a machine?
Me: It’d depend on who is doing it?
Someone: What? Like who?
Me: Musk’s machine? No. Amal’s machine. Yeah, I think so.
Someone: Who is Amal???
Me: Someone with ethics.