Forget AirTag: Nomad Tracking Card Has Features That Beat Apple

Apple’s AirTag is a genius tracking device, using the Find My system to help you locate it easily. But now there’s a rival from Nomad, and not only is it a better fit in your slim wallet, it has features Apple doesn’t, such as the convenience of being rechargeable.

When Apple launched the AirTag, it used a clever system that leverages the ubiquity of Apple gadgets. If an AirTag is marked as lost, it silently sends out messages to any passing iPhone or iPad, for instance, and that gadget passes back the AirTag’s location to its owner.

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Some other devices also use Find My, such as the brilliant AirCard from Rolling Square. Like the AirCard, the new Tracking Card from Nomad is also credit-card shaped, so it slides into a wallet much more discreetly than the AirTag, which leaves a discernible bulge thanks to the rounded shape of the tracker.

The Tracking Card is the same size and shape as a credit card, though twice as thick—it clocks in at 2mm. This means it takes up very little space, and is thinner than many rivals such as the Chipolo CARD Spot and Tile Slim.

And its svelte form isn’t the only clever thing about the Tracking Card. First of all, it’s plain design is a strength. Thanks to its largely blank looks, it doesn’t look like a tracker, much more resembling an office entry card, say. Which means that if your wallet is stolen, the thief may not immediately realize they could be tracked. There is a Nomad logo, but you have to look closely to see it.

There’s also a discreet button, which is used to add it to your Find My gadgets, just by pressing this pairing button.

In fact, it’s so discreet, Nomad attaches a sticker to the card so you can spot it easily (and which you can remove after pairing).

Like the AirTag, you can trigger it to play a sound, which is handy if the wallet has just slipped under a sofa cushion, for instance, though you need to be reasonably near to hear it. If you leave your wallet behind, you can set it to send you an alert, which is really useful.

And then there’s the rechargeability, which is very nicely done. The AirTag, and many other trackers have a battery that lasts a year or two, but then needs to be replaced—and in some cases that means replacing the whole card.

But Nomad’s solution is to install a wireless-rechargeable battery that’s compatible with MagSafe and Qi 2 chargers. There’s no magnet on board, as that might not play nicely with your credit cards, but it has enough metal to snap into place on a compatible charger.

The battery is said to last up to five months (I’ve only been testing it for a matter of days) so the recharging won’t be a frequent endeavor.

As with all Nomad’s products, there’s immaculate build quality, classy design and strong performance. The Nomad Tracking Card is on sale from nomadgoods.com (it went live in the last few hours) and costs $40, £39 in the U.K.