At 1.8 mm, the Spotminders Tracking Card PRO is a wallet tracker card that slips into a card slot and looks like a credit card. It works only with Apple’s Find My, so get it if everyone who’d look for your wallet uses an iPhone or iPad, but skip it if anyone at home relies on Android.
| Spec | Spotminders Tracking Card PRO |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 1.8 mm (0.07 in) |
| Size | Credit card size (ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1) |
| Weight | 9.07 g |
| Works with | Apple Find My on an iPhone or iPad with iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later |
| Android | Not supported |
| Precision Finding | Not supported |
| Speaker | 100 dB |
| Bluetooth range | Up to 300 ft in open areas |
| Charging | Qi or MagSafe wireless pad, no charger with a single card |
| Water | Everyday spills and splashes, per Spotminders |
| Subscription | None |
How does a wallet tracker card find a lost wallet?
It leans on nearby Apple devices. The card talks over Bluetooth, so when it’s out of your reach, nearby Apple devices pick up that signal and relay its location back to your Find My app. There’s no Spotminders app to install. The card simply lives in the Items list of Find My.
Up close, you find it by ear. Its Bluetooth range is up to 300 feet in open areas, so you can tap Play Sound and follow the 100 dB speaker. There’s no arrow to follow, though. The card doesn’t support Precision Finding, the on-screen directions an AirTag can give, so the last few feet are down to the beep.
If the wallet is truly gone, Lost Mode works with it in Find My. Find My can also send a notification when you leave the card behind, so you can turn around before you’ve gone far.
What do you need before a wallet tracker like this works?
You need four things, plus a fifth if others will help you look: an Apple device on recent enough software, an Apple Account, a wireless charger, room in Find My and a way to share it. The first two decide whether the card sets up at all, so check each one before you order:
- An iPhone or iPad running iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later, with Bluetooth, Location Services and the Find My network turned on.
- An Apple Account. You add the card from the Items tab of Find My, and setup links it to your account.
- A Qi or MagSafe charger, since a single card doesn’t come with one. The card won’t charge on an Apple Watch charger, though a car’s wireless charging pad works.
- Room in Find My. It holds up to 32 items. Accessories and items other people share with you count toward that limit.
- A way to share it, if others should help you look. Like an AirTag, a third-party Find My item can be shared with up to five other people. Still, item sharing isn’t available in every country or region.
How do you charge it, and how long does a charge last?
Set it on a wireless pad for one to two hours. Put the card’s left side on the charger, then nudge it until you find the spot where it starts charging. There’s no coin cell to swap, because the card runs on a rechargeable battery.
How long a charge lasts is harder to pin down. Spotminders gives different figures on different pages of its own site, so plan around the shortest one, not the longest. Its help center’s advice? Charge the card before a long trip.
Should you put an AirTag in your wallet instead of a tracker card?
Only if you’d trade a flat wallet for on-screen directions. The Apple AirTag (2nd generation) is 0.31 inch thick against the card’s 0.07 inch, which makes the tag more than four times as thick.
In return, the AirTag adds Precision Finding on a supported iPhone: on-screen directions to the tag, plus a sound. Its standard battery lasts more than a year and you replace it yourself, while the card needs a charger every few months. Pick the card when your wallet has to stay slim. Pick the AirTag when you mostly lose things around the house, because that’s where those directions help most.
Neither one helps an Android user, since both set up only on Apple devices. Our picks of Bluetooth trackers include a wallet card that also works with Android phones, and our guide to how Bluetooth trackers work lists which phones can use each kind.
Is the PRO worth more than Spotminders’ standard card?
Only if the look matters to you. At Spotminders’ own store, the PRO costs more than its standard Tracking Card, yet Spotminders’ PRO page lists the same thickness, weight, battery claim and charging for both cards. The extra money buys the disguise, since Spotminders designed the PRO to look “exactly like a credit card.”
That matters for a wallet tracker card in a wallet someone might open. Will the card ride in a bag, a passport holder or a suitcase where nobody sees it? Then the standard card does the same tracking for less. Buying one as a present? It’s also among our tech stocking stuffers, with what to check before you wrap it.
More Spotminders PRO questions
Will an RFID-blocking wallet block the Spotminders PRO tracker?
Spotminders says it won’t. The Spotminders Tracking Card PRO connects over Bluetooth to Apple’s Find My network rather than using RFID. For that reason, the maker’s FAQ says RFID-blocking wallets won’t interfere with it. To check your own wallet, slip the card inside and play a sound from Find My.
Does the Spotminders PRO cost anything after you buy it?
No. The Spotminders Tracking Card PRO has no monthly fee or subscription. You pay once and track it in the Find My app that’s already on your iPhone or iPad. Spotminders’ FAQ puts it plainly: there are no subscriptions or hidden fees for using the card.
How can you tell when the Spotminders PRO is charged?
Watch the light on the card while it sits on a wireless charger. A red LED means the Spotminders Tracking Card PRO is still charging. When the LED turns green or blue, the card is full and ready to go back in your wallet.