If you’re anything like me, you lose your wallet constantly. Not dramatically, not in a way that involves police reports or canceled credit cards. More like the mystery of the missing sock after laundry, except instead of accepting you’ll never see that sock again, you spend twenty minutes turning over couch cushions, checking jacket pockets you haven’t worn in weeks, and questioning whether your wallet developed the ability to teleport.
The sock gets a shrug. The wallet gets a small existential crisis.
Nomad’s Tracking Card Air exists for exactly this problem. $29 to eliminate the cushion-flipping ritual entirely.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $29
Where to buy: Nomad
If you’re not familiar with Nomad, they’ve quietly become one of the most reliable accessory brands in the Apple ecosystem. I’ve used their cables, chargers, and cases for years. They’re the kind of company I reach for without thinking twice, so when they put out a wallet tracker, I paid attention.
The pitch is simple: a credit card-shaped tracker that slides into a wallet slot and connects to Apple’s Find My network. My wallet vanishes into the void between car seats, my phone tells me exactly where to dig.
Thin Enough to Actually Use
Most wallet trackers fail because of bulk, not technology.
AirTags are brilliant little pucks, but stuffing one into a bifold turns your wallet into something that looks like it’s smuggling a tumor. Nomad flattened everything down to 1.7mm. That’s roughly the thickness of two credit cards stacked together. I slid it into a card slot, and yeah, my wallet feels slightly tighter, but it doesn’t dome out or refuse to close.
12 grams. Polycarbonate body. Matte finish that reads more like an office access badge than a piece of tech. IPX7 water resistance for spills, sweat, whatever. It disappears once it’s inside.
Here’s the thing: wallet trackers only work if you actually keep them in your wallet. A bulky tracker becomes a thing you remove “just for today” and then forget to put back, which defeats the entire purpose.
Nomad understood the assignment.
My wallet runs fairly slim, so the Tracking Card Air slides in without complaint. If your wallet resembles a leather filing cabinet stuffed with loyalty cards and receipts you’ll never look at again, you might feel the squeeze.
How It Actually Works (And What It Can’t Do)
Apple’s Find My network. Billion-plus Apple devices wandering around the planet, all of them capable of pinging my tracker’s location back to me anonymously. I lose my wallet at a coffee shop, some stranger’s iPhone walks by, and I get a map pin. Setup took me about ninety seconds.
Here’s what you’re not getting: Precision Finding.
Apple restricts Ultra Wideband to its own hardware, so I don’t get that satisfying arrow-and-distance readout guiding me to my wallet like a metal detector. What I get instead is map location and sound. The speaker inside is loud enough when I’m within Bluetooth range (roughly 150 feet), but “somewhere in my apartment” is as precise as it gets until I’m close enough to hear the chirp.
Does that matter? Honestly, not as much as I expected.
Most of my wallet-losing scenarios fall into two categories: left it somewhere public, or buried it somewhere in my home. The map solves the first problem entirely. The sound solves the second well enough. Precision Finding would be nice, but its absence isn’t a dealbreaker for how I actually lose things.
Battery life runs up to five months on a single charge. Recharging happens wirelessly on any Qi or MagSafe pad. No coin cells to hunt down, no tiny screwdrivers, no battery compartment to fumble with. I drop it on my charger overnight every few months. Done.
Who Should Actually Buy This
Apple users who lose wallets regularly and want a set-it-and-forget-it solution without the bulk. $29. Less than an AirTag with a wallet-compatible case, and it fits better.
The caveats: Android users are out entirely. RFID-blocking wallets might cause Bluetooth interference. Precision Finding isn’t happening.
If those limitations don’t apply to you, and you’ve spent any amount of your life excavating couch cushions for a wallet, the Tracking Card Air earns its spot. You’re getting Nomad’s build quality instead of a no-name Amazon card tracker that might last six months before the battery gives up permanently.
Your socks are still on their own.
The Gadgeteer’s Take
What works
- Actually fits in your wallet – At 1.7mm thin and 12 grams, it slides into a card slot without turning your bifold into a brick
- Rechargeable battery – Qi or MagSafe charging means no hunting for coin cells or fumbling with tiny screwdrivers
- Five months between charges – Set it, forget it, drop it on a charger a few times a year
- IPX7 water resistance – Coffee spills, gym sweat, rain: it handles the things wallets encounter
- Find My network coverage – Billion-plus Apple devices means your wallet can ping its location from almost anywhere
- $29 price point – Less than an AirTag plus a wallet case, and it fits better
- Nomad build quality – This won’t be another disposable gadget that dies in six months
What doesn’t
- No Precision Finding – Apple restricts UWB to its own hardware, so you get map pins and sound instead of arrow-and-distance guidance
- Apple only – Android users are completely locked out
- RFID wallet interference – Blocking wallets might mess with the Bluetooth signal
- Still adds thickness – If your wallet is already stuffed, another card (even a thin one) might push things past comfortable
Price: $29
Where to buy: Nomad
Gerber Gear 22-47162N Fast Draw Folding Assisted Opening Pocket Knife, Fine Edge, Black
$42.69 (as of December 17, 2025 18:17 GMT -05:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
