Chipolo is an item tracking company that has embraced Apple’s Find My network and last May released one of the first Find My-enabled third-party accessories, the Chipolo One Spot. brought Like the AirTag in almost every way, the Chipolo ONE Spot didn’t rely on Apple’s own item tracking solution, but Chipolo’s $35 CARD Spot accessory outperforms the ‘AirTag’ when it comes to wallet tracking.
By design, the Card Spot is unremarkable as it’s a simple credit card-sized black plastic insert meant to fit inside a wallet. It has a Chipolo logo on one side and some regulatory information on the other, along with a small button for pairing.
Other than that, it’s just a plain black card, but what’s impressive is its thinness. It measures 2.4mm thick, and the internet says the average credit card is 0.76mm thick, so the CARD Spot is a bit thicker than three credit cards. Based on my testing, this is correct.
Comparing the card spot to the credit cards in my wallet, it’s about the thickness of three stacked on top of each other. So if your wallet fits a stack of three credit cards, it should also fit the card slot.
I have a relatively small card wallet that I use that holds about 10 cards and is not sized for cash or other add-ins and the card spot fits perfectly in one of the slots. For those who use super slim wallets (like Apple’s MagSafe wallet), it may still be too bulky, but I think many people will find it a better solution than anything AirTag-related on the market.
There are wallet inserts that accommodate an AirTag, but the AirTag is much thicker than the CARD spot, so they’re not a great option. I can fit the card spot in my small wallet, but it certainly won’t fit an ‘AirTag’. Card Spot offers IPX5 water resistance, so if your wallet accidentally gets wet, the tracker won’t die on you. IPX5 is a low-pressure jet spray, so it still can’t be submerged.
The main downside of the Chipolo CARD Spot is that there is no replaceable battery. It’s designed to last up to two years, but when the battery dies, the whole thing has to be replaced. If you register your CARD Spot, Chipolo will send a 50 percent discount code for a new CARD Spot after two years and recycle the old one for free.
Like AirTags and other Find My accessories, Card Spot can be located alongside other Apple devices in the Find My app under the “Items” tab. You can give it a name and an emoji icon to make it easy to see at a glance
The Card Spot is compatible with the ‘Find My’ network, which means it’s able to take advantage of the Bluetooth connection of nearby Apple devices to send its location back to you personally if it’s lost. It supports “notification when left behind”, so if you’re out and about and the Chipolo card spot from your wallet slips in, you’ll be alerted.
Like the AirTags, the CARD Spot is capable of playing a sound fairly loud at 105db so you can detect it nearby, and it has a 200 foot range for the sound option. There’s no precision finding as it lacks U1 chip integration, and it’s worth noting that this is an iPhone-only solution as it only works with the ‘Find My’ app.
All ‘Find My’ accessories have the same security protection as AirTags, so if a Chipolo CARD spot is separated from its owner, it will send an unknown item alert and start playing a sound after 8 to 24 hours.
bottom line
The Chipolo Card Spot is the best wallet tracking device I’ve ever used. It’s slim enough to fit inside most wallets and offers all the ‘Find My’ benefits of an ‘AirTag’ without the bulk. Compared to in-wallet solutions that use an actual AirTag, CardSpot is a superior option
As for price, the CARD Spot is $35, so it’s $6 more expensive than the AirTag and $7 more expensive than the ONE Spot, but the convenience of having a slim tracker for the wallet will be worth the premium for some people. The main downside is that it needs to be replaced every two years, but peace of mind is a small price to pay at $17.50 per year, plus Chipolo has a discounted replacement program so multi-year costs are lower.
How to buy
The CARD Spot can be pre-ordered from the Chipolo website for $35 and orders will ship in April. A discounted two-pack is available for $60, which drops the price to $30 per card spot, and Chipolo also offers a bundle that includes one card spot and two Chipolo One spots for $77.
