On a recent trip to Seattle, I learned that the day was approaching when I could ditch my wallet.
for two days, I managed to catch two flights, check into my hotel room, and pay for my meals. I could do it all from my phone. Everything worked, but it contained some asterisks.
why it matters: We all forget our wallets from time to time and would like to leave them behind forever if possible.
How did this happen: I thought I forgot my wallet at home. I only noticed this after going through airport security — otherwise I probably would have rushed home to get it.
- I pay for Clear, a privately run “fast through security line” service. So all you needed was your iris (or fingerprint) and your boarding pass.
- After doing some simple math, I realized that I might be able to survive this short trip without my wallet. I didn’t rent a car, but Clear is also open at the Seattle airport for the return trip.
big question mark It was my hotel. But I was staying at the Hilton. Hilton allows you to use your cell phone as a key. Also important in this context is the ability to skip the usual check-in process that requires a driver’s license and credit card.
- Full Disclosure: I realized I had my wallet on my flight from San Francisco to Seattle. However, I decided to push it back into my backpack to see if I could avoid using it for the entire trip.
big picture: My experience relied on Clear accounts and was a frequent hotelier, but there is progress being made to make this document-free experience available to far more people.
- Most notably, Apple started allowing people to save a digital version of their driver’s license. (This is currently only available in Arizona and Maryland, and only certain airports are set up to accept such IDs.) More states are on the way, and Google plans to release Android We are working to support similar functionality in .
- Government agencies are also moving to more modern forms of identity, such as US Customs and Border Protection. Using biometrics more and more Rather than paper forms and kiosks to identify foreign travelers at airports.
- A growing number of infrastructure providers are turning to NFC chips in phones to enable access to buildings that previously required physical keycards.
Yes, but: Many of these conveniences come at the cost of sharing even more data with third parties, including highly personal biometrics.
- If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s that companies aren’t always great at protecting data.
- Besides, high-tech alternatives to wallets and keys raise both privacy and fairness concerns, especially if not thoughtfully designed.
be smart: If you want to go wallet-free or be prepared for the day you forgot your own wallet, some prep work will help.
- I already have ATMs and credit cards stored in Apple Pay, and photos of my family’s vaccine cards and health insurance cards on my phone. (Just put it in another album of photos so you can easily find it.)
- Passport and driver’s license photos are not valid as official substitutes, but they are often useful.
