AndrewWhat Is The Chipolo Card Spot?
What exactly is the Chipolo CARD Spot? Simply put, it’s a low power tracking device for you wallet. It’s super thin, has a solid battery life, and works with the native iOS “Find My” application. With that comes all of the security and features you get with something like the Apple AirTag. It’s worth noting that this isn’t Chipolo’s first wallet card, they have the Chipolo CARD that works with their own app and on Android. However we’ll be looking at the Chipolo CARD Spot, built for iOS and the Find My app.
Features
Here is the list of features you should know about for the Chipolo CARD Spot.
- Super thin – 2.4mm or .09in
- Loud (but tiny) speaker to help find your wallet
- Up to 2 years of battery life (Chipolo offers a “Renew & Recycle Program” when your card dies)
- It’s IPx5 water resistant (so you get some protection)
- All of the “Find My” features are available – Play Sound, Locate, Notify When Found / Lost
- Heavy data encryption, so don’t worry, nothing get’s shared, it’s your data
- Anti-stalking features, so nobody will be slipping this in your bag without you knowing
What I Like About The Chipolo Card Spot
THE SIZE! It’s just perfect from a size perspective, so let’s dig into that.
Listen, I have lost my wallet in the past and it’s painful. So I used other products to keep track of my wallet in the past. When Apple announced the AirTag I had hoped they would make a thin version for the wallet, they did not. So I enjoyed a THICCC wallet for a while.
As you can see above, the Chipolo on the right is much thinner compared to the AirTag on the left. It is darn near the exact same size as a credit card. What has to be done with something like the AirTag is using a “holder” like shown in the image below, which just adds to to the size.
The size, as you can tell is the biggest (sorry for the dad pun) plus for me. After that I love that I didn’t give up many features from having an AirTag in my wallet.
Finally, it’s just simple to setup. You don’t need to utilize the Chipolo app, it connects right into the Apple Find My app, so no need for another account or app to manage.
What I Don’t Like About The Chipolo Card Spot
There are not many things I dislike. The main thing I dislike is that I can’t change the battery like I could the AirTag, so it’s a bit single use but they do offer their “Renew & Recycle Program” but I’ve yet to use that to see what it is and how it works, I’ll get back to you in 2 years on that one haha.
The second item I don’t like, or wish it had, is the way finding feature found on the AirTag. I do appreciate that it has a speaker and plays a sound to find it. However that way finding feature for AirTag is just so fantastic, if you’re not sure what I’m talking about, check out my AirTag review.
Alternatives
There are a few out there and here are a couple that I’ve used myself. The Apple AirTag, this worked and if you don’t keep your wallet in your back pocket, it’s a solid option with great features. The Apple AirTag comes in at $29 and you’ll spend a little ($5-$10) for a holder to keep it in place like the photos above & below.
The second option out there and I caution folks on this one is Tile. The Tile Slim is what I used prior to the AirTag and it’s also $29. It looks just like the Chipolo CARD Spot and works through Tile’s own app. The reason I caution folks on Tile is that their parent company is known for some shady practices when it comes to user data. They have said to have fixed this, but it gives me pause.
Cost & Final Thoughts
If you can’t tell, I think this is a must have. It’s a touch more expensive compared to items such as the AirTag or the Tile Slim, coming in at $35 or $60 for two of them (at the time of me writing this they are on pre-order).
So yeah, at $35 for a device that lasts 2 years isn’t a horrible investment. If you are someone that has ever lost your wallet you will totally see this as a must, just in saving all of that time and headache that comes with that event.
I appreciate that it works with the Find My App and ecosystem. This opens you up to SO many devices to help track and find a lost wallet, and remember it’s all heavily encrypted so your data is your data.
My closing thoughts on this one, if you are looking for a thin device to help keep track of your wallet, or perhaps something else, this is a solid buy.
