This fake credit card is actually a location tracker, so you can always find your wallet

The Nomad Tracking Card Pro is an Apple Find My location tracker disguised as a credit card. It even has a strip on the back and a chip on the front. It’s ultra-premium, with a metal edge, and features a 16-month-long battery life. It works like an AirTag, but looks like a bank card.

Before I started testing it, I was curious whether those things mattered. Did I need a tracking device to look like a credit card? Did it need to be metal? My first thought when I took it out of the box told me everything I needed to know. I couldn’t help but mutter, Wow, that’s thick.

The killer feature is the battery life

If you haven’t been paying attention to Find My compatible tracking cards, the space has been filled with dozens of products. Anker’s Eufy makes one, Ridge makes one, and Satechi makes one. But in typical Nomad fashion, its version looks the best. At least to my eyes.

Eufy’s is probably the one to stay away from currently because it uses a proprietary dongle to charge, whereas the others, including both Nomad versions, can be set on any Qi charger. Nomad’s first product was the Tracking Card Air. It’s still available for purchase for $29.

The biggest difference between the Air and the new Pro is an extra 11 months of battery life between charges. The trade-off is a thicker width for the Pro, coming in at 2.5mm, compared to 1.7mm with the Air.

The Tracking Card Pro is advertised as being three times thinner than Apple’s first-gen AirTag. Good luck getting an AirTag into your wallet. Nomad’s Card Pro still feels thick to hold compared to a normal credit card. If you thought the titanium Apple Card was substantial, it pales in comparison here. The Tracking Card Pro isn’t heavy, coming in at just 15 grams.

Still, if you want to completely forget about the battery life, the Tracking Card Pro is the one to do that. Even the “thick” AirTag only gets about a year of battery life before you need to pry it open and replace a coin cell battery. Nomad’s is wireless. It’s also rated for IPX7 water resistance.

Using a fake credit card for location tracking

If you’ve used any Find My compatible accessories, then you’ve used them all. They all work nearly the same. The Nomad Track Card Air has found my legitimately lost wallet in pants pockets at least twice, thanks to its location and beeping features.

I wasn’t able to try the new Track Card Pro in non-simulated uses, but I did find it in the house after I asked one of my kids to hide it. It works within about 150 feet and can emit a sound of around 94dB.

I don’t see the thickness as a downside or a negative. Not every product will work for every person’s circumstances. The one downside to this product, however, is its sharp edges. I doubt it would cut anyone, but it doesn’t feel great to hold for that reason. The metal sides are sharp.

Is the Nomad Tracking Card Pro worth spending money on?

I wasn’t expecting the Nomad Tracking Card Pro to be divisive, but people have thoughts on its size. Out of the box, it was shockingly thick. But after comparing it to Nomad’s first Air card, it doesn’t seem as massive.

Ultimately, if you use a slim or a bi-fold wallet, this card probably isn’t for you. It’ll probably be too thick to fit comfortably. Get the Tracking Card Air instead. You’ll love it. People who carry a purse, or a larger clutch-style wallet, won’t have a problem with the size of this Tracking Card Pro. The extra battery life will be helpful.