REVIEW – Let me state up front that I own 4 Apple AirTags and find them incredibly useful. However, they are a bit bulky which limits their usefulness. I always wanted to hide one in my wallet “just in case”. Well, now I can—but it ain’t from Apple. Wallet maker Ekster has come out with the Finder Card, an Apple AirTag wannabe that’s easier to hide among your stuff, even a wallet!
What is it?
The Ekster Finder Card is a plastic credit-card-sized card that lets the user track an item almost anywhere an Apple iPhone can “see”. In fact, the Finder Card only works with the iPhone (sorry Android). It connects much like the AirTag connects, using the same Find My App.
What’s included?
- Finder Card
- USB-C – propriety magnetic connector cable
Tech specs
Click to expand
- Apple Find My App compatibility
Design and features
Last Christmas, my wife bought me an Ekster leather wallet that replaced my old-style wallet. Despite a couple of compromises I had to make, it’s my everyday wallet. I’m pleased with its usefulness.
The wallet came with what Ekster calls the Tracker Card—a precursor to the newer Finder Card reviewed here. It used its own app that worked on both iPhone and Android. To be fair, I didn’t like it. Its thickness made it a burden to carry with the wallet. Plus, it used another app I had to register with, sign in, blah, blah, blah. Yuck. So I never used it. Also, the thick, button-sized AirTag was never going to work with the gift Ekster wallet.
Flash forward to this spring and darned if Ekster didn’t come up with a solution—the Finder Card. Confusing naming aside, the Finder Card is everything the Tracker Card isn’t—for iPhone users. The card matches the width and height of a standard credit card and about the thickness of 2 cards.
The Finder Card works just like an AirTag. When first turned on, it’s set up within the Find My app the same as an AirTag. Since I’m keeping The Finder Card in my wallet, I named it “Bill’s Wallet”. Clever, huh? And just like AirTags, I can track it anywhere—just like an AirTag. Granted, there are some places AirTags cannot be traced. Those same rules apply the Finder Card.
This is where the Finder Card and AirTag differ. AirTags use coin batteries and Ekster went with a built-in battery requiring re-charging. According to Ekster, a fully charged Finder Card will last for 6 months. Charging is done with the supplied USB-A cable. There’s a magnetic connector on the other end of the cable that only fits the Finder Card, so don’t lose it.
Once the Finder Card is set up, it can be tracked using an iPhone, iPad, or other Apple Smart device. Again this only works within the Apple ecosystem. Apple users can also use Siri to track the Finder Card (insert Snarky Siri comment here).
When tracking, the Finder Card shows up on Apple Maps. The card can play a beeping sound that can get quite loud (up to 95dB) which comes in handy if the card is misplaced. If you are separated from the card, your iPhone will notify you.
The Finder Card Is water resistant. It can be shared with up to 5 people of your choice, allowing these people to also track the card on their devices. This is great for family vacations where everyone can keep track of items and members of the family.
At $49, the Finder Card costs $20 more than Apple’s AirTag. However, if you need a tracker to work seamlessly with your Apple devices and the AirTag’s bulk doesn’t work for you, you now have another option. The Ekster Finder Card is so useful as an AirTag alternative, it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple (doing what Apple does) created an AirTag version that looks and works like the Finder Card.
What I like about Ekster Finder Card
- Good alternative to the Apple AirTag
- Handy credit card size
- Can play sound for locating
What needs to be improved?
- More expensive than AirTags
Final thoughts
The bottom line is this: The Ekster Finder Card thinks and acts just like an Apple AirTag, but in a flat, compact form that mimics a credit card. So, it will fit where an AirTag might not. That alone makes the Finder card worth checking out, especially if you are considering using it with one of Ekster’s cool wallets.
Note: The wallet is not included with the Finder Card. Ekster sent along their carbon fiber wallet/card holder for testing only. However, after trying it out, I still prefer my Ekster Parliament leather wallet. The Finder Card works great tucked into the outer pocket.
Price: $49
Where to buy: Ekster
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Ekster. Ekster did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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Worth noting: Apple and Android have been working on a cross-platform standard for these tracker devices, and it’s rumored to be about ready – to be announced sometime this summer. At which point it’s possible this will will work with both platforms, depending on how compatible with the current AirTags the new standard is. (It’s expected to be very.)
I’ve been very satisfied with the Pebblebee Card, which seems to be have similar functionality to the Ekster Finder Card
$23.95 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B1F4FKPF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Does the wallet have RFID protection ? Just wondering how that would interact with the bluetooth signal from the card ?
I ask because I just bought an RFID protected wallet and discovered my old trick of holding the wallet at a door sensor instead of holding my ID card no longer works. As I would have expected if I had thought about it!
Thanks.