This new AirTag rival is disguised as a credit card to throw thieves off its tracking scent

• Nomad has launched the Tracking Card Pro to keep your wallet safe
• The device is disguised as a credit card, complete with fake chip
• It’s an upgrade over the existing Nomad Tracking Card

Nomad is known for its high-end accessories made for the best iPhones and other Apple devices, but its latest effort is a bit different to its usual fare of Apple Watch bands and iPhone cases – it’s a clever item tracker that might go totally unnoticed should the worst happen and your wallet gets stolen.

The $39 / £39 / $69 Nomad Tracking Card Pro works like one of Apple’s AirTag trackers. It connects to Apple’s Find My app, and can be tracked that way, which lets you see it on a map and play a sound to quickly locate it. Unfortunately, it lacks the AirTag’s Precision Finding feature, since it doesn't have one of Apple’s Ultra Wideband chips.

The Tracking Card Pro has a clever trick up its sleeve, though: its appearance. It doesn’t look like an AirTag at all – instead, it’s disguised as a credit card, complete with dummy metal chip. The idea is that a thief might not realize it’s a tracking device and thus leave it in place in your wallet, giving you longer to track it down and alert the police.

Another welcome bonus is the fact that you can charge the Tracking Card Pro using a Qi, Qi2 or MagSafe wireless charger. And since it’s magnetic, it’ll snap to the perfect charging alignment, and can even be powered up on vertical chargers.

New and improved

Nomad already sells a similar device called the Tracking Card ($29 / £29 / $59). However, the difference here is that the Pro edition features much longer battery life (16 months versus the regular Tracking Card’s five months) and a design that more closely mimics a credit card, giving it an edge in terms of camouflage.

Those aren’t the only differences. At 2.5mm, the Tracking Card Pro is a little thicker than the 1.7mm Tracking Card, probably to account for the beefier battery. And, of course, there’s that fake chip, which isn’t present on the Tracking Card.

I’ve used a range of item trackers in the past, including AirTags and a Pebblebee Card. However, both of those devices lack the dummy chip that Nomad’s card boasts – if I were to choose a tracking card again, I’d be sorely tempted to opt for Nomad’s device thanks to that ingenious disguise.

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