Nomad today announced the launch of the Tracking Card, a super thin Find My-enabled card that is designed to be carried in a wallet so that it’s trackable with an iPhone.
The Tracking Card is about the thickness of two credit cards (2mm), so it doesn’t take up too much space in a wallet. It’s also credit card sized, which means it can be carried right alongside other cards. There are several Find My cards on the market now, and 2mm is among the thinnest that are available. The Eufy SmartTrack, Chipolo CARD Spot, and Tile Slim are all a bit thicker.
One side of the black plastic card is largely plain except for a logo, and the other side has a second subtle Nomad logo with light gray lines representing the hardware that’s inside the card. It’s not identifiable as a Find My tracking card, so if someone steals your wallet, it won’t immediately tip the thief off that it’s trackable. It actually looks a lot like a key card.
There’s a hidden button on the card that’s pressed to add it to Find My, and adding it to the app is as simple as opening it up, pressing the “+” button, and then holding down the pairing button on the Tracking Card. From there, it can be given a name and an icon, and it’s trackable right alongside other Find My items and also Apple devices with Find My.
Nomad’s Tracking Card connects to the iPhone over Bluetooth, but it is also able to take advantage of the full Find My network, utilizing nearby Apple devices if it is out of range of your own iPhone. Find My provides the current location if it’s with you, or the Tracking Card’s last known location if it’s been located with the Find My network.
When nearby, the Tracking Card can play a sound via Find My, which is helpful for locating your wallet if it’s been misplaced in the home or nearby. There is no Precision Finding as there is with Apple devices, so the Find My app can’t lead you directly to the Tracking Card. The beeping is not loud enough to hear it from another room in most cases, especially if it’s buried in couch cushions or similarly hidden, but it should be loud enough if you’re in the same room with the card.
You can set the Tracking Card to notify you if it’s left behind, which means it sends an alert when your iPhone gets out of range. That’s perhaps the most useful feature of the Find My network because it lets you know right away if you’ve misplaced or dropped something.
There are options to get directions to the Tracking Card in the Find My app, plus you can share it with family members so they can track it and Lost Mode is available for adding your contact information should your wallet be lost. As with other Find My accessories, Nomad is able to deliver firmware updates should new software be needed.
Perhaps the best feature of the Tracking Card is the battery. The battery inside can be recharged by putting the card on a Qi-based charger, and the markings on the card show the alignment. I tested the card with several Qi/MagSafe chargers and they were all able to provide power, with charging indicated by a small red LED on the card. The light turns green when it’s fully charged, and turns off when there’s no charger connected. There is a small amount of metal inside, but it’s enough that it’s able to be attached to upright chargers as well as flat chargers. There isn’t a magnet in the card so it’s not going to affect the magnetic stripe on credit and debit cards.
According to Nomad, a single charge should last for around five months, so it isn’t going to need to be charged often. Nomad says IPX7 waterproofing is included, so if the card happens to get wet, it’ll survive.
Many of the wallet-sized Bluetooth trackers on the market do not have a rechargeable or replaceable battery inside, so it’s nice that Nomad has designed the Tracking Card to last more than a couple of years. With the Chipolo Card Spot or Eufy SmartTrack, the entire device needs to be thrown out when the built-in battery dies.
At $40, Nomad’s Tracking Card is about $10 more expensive than some competing products from well-known companies like Chipolo, but it does have built-in wireless charging and a slim design. There are some Find My wallet tracking cards on Amazon with the same Qi technology for around $10 to $15 less, so Qi charging for trackers isn’t a totally new idea. Of course, these are not known Apple accessory makers so quality and functionality is unverified, plus the reviews are mixed, but there are other options out there.
Note that like all Find My Bluetooth tracking accessories, the Tracking Card from Nomad only works with Apple devices. It cannot be used on the Android platform.
Nomad’s Tracking Card can be purchased from the Nomad website as of today.
Note: Nomad provided MacRumors with a Tracking Card for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
