I have two FindMy-compatible credit cards, one by HURTAG and the other branded as NOMAD. They are not AirTags but work similarly; ‘AirTag’ is a name that refers explicitly to Apple’s disk-shaped finding devices.
I’ll assume you know what the FindMy network is – essentially millions of ITEMS containing a tiny chip whose position is often logged when close to any iPhone anywhere in the world.
If you lose your ITEM, the FindMy network tells you its last known location, and when you get close to it, your iPhone takes over the finding task with Bluetooth and UltraWideBand (UWB) connections.
The ITEM can be an AirTag, but it can contain a FindMy chip – the credit cards we are looking at here or even a 4iiii bike power meter. The ITEM must be powered up and probably can play a sound you can hear when you are nearby.
First up, none are made by Apple. Most likely, they contain a chip made by Apple or are made by a third party under licence.
The cards are twice the thickness of a regular credit card and look like a credit card. They usually also contain an on/off button, a speaker, a QI-rechargeable battery, an LED light, the chip, and the antennae.
Adding to your account on the iPhone
Link to your Apple account with your iPhone. While an Apple AirTage is automatically found when ready to pair, with these 3rd party Tags, there is an extra step to discover and pair it manually. You can name it, add an icon and permanently share its location with friends or family. All very easy.
Finding – Some Tests
I expected Apple AirTags to link up slightly better than the NOMAD credit card Tag, but here is what I found.
Straight line distance – A sound can be played from over 10m away with line of sight from your iPhone to the ITEM
Sound – The volume is lower than that on an AirTag. You can hear them from 10m away but not nearly as well as an AirTag.
Walls – The NOMAD ITEM could be found from 10m away through an internal wall in my house. However, the volume was not loud enough to be heard through a closed door/wall – unlike the much louder volume of the AirTag. You would have to search room by room.
Apple Watch can directly find the ITEMS without the need for an iPhone. The caveat for longer distances would be that your Watch needs internet access.
new leather keyfob from NOMAD vs a worn-in one vs a non-branded one
NOMAD FindMy Credit Card – Pros and Cons
The biggest plus is the credit card size, which is designed to fit in a wallet or purse. You could probably think of other uses for a device much thinner than a regular AirTag – for example; it could slip into the sleeve of a book. While thicker than a credit card, it’s MUCH thinner than an AirTag.
The rechargeable battery is nice, but I found that the charge levels on my iPhone and Watch were reported differently – the iPhone said the NOMAD was fully charged, whereas the Watch said it had no charge. As always, the reality was somewhere in between!
The biggest drawback is the speaker volume. My tests were with the NOMAD outside of my wallet. The sound would be further muffled if it were placed inside a wallet. A further drawback is the cost, coming in more expensive than an AirTag.
Alternatives
There are several alternatives for other brands. A volume manufacturer seems to be HutHur, who sells them by the thousand.
Rather than a standalone card, you can get a car with a hole in it. You put your regular AirTag into the hole, but the AirTag is 8mm thick, whereas the NOMAD credit card is about 1.5mm thick. There is quite a difference.
4 thoughts on “AirTag Card for Wallets – how good are they?”
Interesting. I have an AirTag in a compatible wallet but I’m not really enthused about the bulge it causes (that’s what she said).
So even though these are not branded as AirTag, they still work exactly like an Airtag? I always was skeptical of stuff like Tile because I heard they didn’t get the same kind of coverage penetration that AirTags do.
Can you confirm if the tracking cards work with the “find” function where your phone will guide you to the device using Bluetooth, some cards I have seen only provide a point on a map.
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Interesting. I have an AirTag in a compatible wallet but I’m not really enthused about the bulge it causes (that’s what she said).
So even though these are not branded as AirTag, they still work exactly like an Airtag? I always was skeptical of stuff like Tile because I heard they didn’t get the same kind of coverage penetration that AirTags do.
these credit cards do not form a bulge
the credit card thing with the hole in (for the branded airtag to be added to) *DO* create a bulge
Can you confirm if the tracking cards work with the “find” function where your phone will guide you to the device using Bluetooth, some cards I have seen only provide a point on a map.
any 3rd party device needs PRECISION FINDING capabilities
these don’t have that.