REVIEW – A wallet is the one thing nobody can afford to lose, and a lost one usually turns up somewhere dumb, like the wrong jacket or under a couch cushion. I’ve used Tile trackers for years, one built into my old Nomad power bank, one in my truck and one in my EDC backpack, but my wallet never had one. The Pebblebee Card 5 is a rechargeable tracker the size of a credit card and 0.07 inches (1.74 mm) thick, made to live in a wallet. The Clip 5 is its keychain sibling, with a USB-C rechargeable battery, a loud buzzer, LEDs and a personal safety alert. Both work with either Apple Find My or Google Find Hub, and I’ve had them running on Find Hub on my Pixel 9 Pro for a month. The Card 5 is $39.99 and the Clip 5 is $34.99.
Note: The Pebblebee Card 5 and Clip 5 were sent to me by Pebblebee at no cost. They had no editorial input and did not see this review before it published.
Photos and video by Gregory Morley.
The Basics
Pebblebee trackers don’t use a Pebblebee network. They plug into the big phone networks, so a lost wallet can be found by any nearby phone on Apple Find My or Google Find Hub, depending on which one you set it up with. Up close, each tracker holds a direct Bluetooth connection out to about 500 feet, and you can ring it from your phone. Neither one uses a coin cell. The Card 5 charges on a wireless charging pad and runs up to 18 months per charge, and the Clip 5 charges over USB-C and runs up to 12 months.
What You Get
- Pebblebee Card 5
- Pebblebee Clip 5
- Keyring carabiner for the Clip 5
By the Numbers
- Card 5
- Price: $39.99
- Dimensions: 2.12 x 3.35 x 0.07 in (54 x 85 x 1.74 mm)
- Weight: 0.5 oz (15 g)
- Battery: Up to 18 months per charge
- Charging: Wireless (Qi), charger not included
- Clip 5
- Price: $34.99
- Dimensions: 1.77 x 1.49 x 0.37 in (45 x 38 x 9.5 mm)
- Weight: 0.35 oz (10 g)
- Battery: Up to 12 months per charge
- Charging: USB-C, cable not included
- Safety: Alert siren, strobe and location text to your Safety Circle
- Colors: Graphite, plus rotating limited editions (currently Hotline Pink and Techno Lime)
- Both
- Networks: Apple Find My or Google Find Hub
- Bluetooth range: Up to 500 ft
- Water resistance: IP66
- Alerts: Buzzer and LEDs
- Warranty: 1 year
Setup
Setup starts in the Pebblebee app. It connects to the tracker, checks for a firmware update, then tells you to double press the tracker to claim it in Find Hub. After that, it shows up in Find Hub, where you can rename it, change its category or share it with someone else.
The Card 5 in My Wallet
The Card 5 went into my wallet on day one and it’s never come out. It sits in a card slot like another credit card, just a little thicker, and I stopped noticing it after the first day.
I tested it by leaving my wallet on the far side of my apartment and finding it from the Find Hub app. The buzzer led me straight to it. I also ring it from the app sometimes when I’m bored, which is a thing a person with more going on in the evenings probably doesn’t do. It gets loud enough to hear from another room.
The Clip 5 Moves Around
My Clip 5 is the Techno Lime, and it doesn’t have a permanent home. I move it to whatever I most want to keep track of that week. Right now it’s zipped inside my Spec-Ops Pack-Rat with my hacking gear. The included carabiner makes it quick to move from one thing to the next.
Its LEDs flash when you ring it. That helps when whatever it’s attached to is buried in a dark bag. I’ve set off the LEDs from the app more times than I needed to, mostly for the same reason I ring the Card.
The Clip 5 also has a feature called Alert. Press its button several times fast and it sounds a siren, flashes a strobe and texts your location to the people in your Safety Circle. I set it up but haven’t tested it, mainly because I don’t have anyone to add as an emergency contact, or anyone who’d care if I were having an emergency. If you have people to put in your Safety Circle, it’s worth the two minutes to set up.
Everyday Use
In Find Hub, the two trackers show up right alongside my phone. After a month, neither one has needed a charge, and the batteries are rated for a year or more. When they finally need it, the Card 5 sits on a Qi charging pad and the Clip 5 takes a USB-C cable, so there are no coin cells to buy and nothing to pry open. You do need your own charging pad and cable, because neither comes in the box.
My Tile trackers still do their jobs in the truck and the backpack. The Pebblebees report through Find Hub instead, the same network my phone and millions of other Android phones are already on.
What Could Be Better
The Card 5 could be thinner. At 0.07 inches (1.74 mm), it’s still about as thick as two credit cards, and it adds a little bulk to a slim wallet, although I understand that’s the cost of fitting in a battery, a speaker and a radio. At $39.99, it also costs about $15 more than a Tile Slim at its $24.95 full price. The rechargeable battery and the Find Hub and Find My support make up most of that gap. Neither tracker comes with a charger or a cable. And the real test for any tracker is a wallet that’s truly lost. I haven’t had that happen with these yet, and I’d like to keep it that way.
Watch the Review
Video review coming soon. The companion video is still in edit, and it will be embedded right here as soon as it goes up.
Quick Questions
Q: Do the Card 5 and Clip 5 work with Android?
A: Yes. Both work with Google Find Hub on Android or Apple Find My on iPhone. I use them with Find Hub on a Pixel 9 Pro.
Q: How do you charge them?
A: The Card 5 charges on a Qi wireless pad and the Clip 5 charges over USB-C. Neither a charger nor a cable is included.
Q: How long does the battery last?
A: Pebblebee rates the Card 5 for up to 18 months per charge and the Clip 5 for up to 12 months.
Q: How thick is the Card 5?
A: It’s 0.07 inches (1.74 mm) thick, about the thickness of two credit cards.
Final Thoughts
The Pebblebee Card 5 rides in my wallet without getting in the way, the Clip 5 goes wherever I need it that week, and both ring loud enough to find from across the apartment. They run on Google Find Hub, the same network as my phone, and they recharge, so I’ll never hunt for a coin cell again. The Card is a little thick and a little more expensive than a Tile Slim, and you have to supply your own chargers. If you’re on Android and want to find your wallet and keys from your phone, these are an easy pick. The Card 5 is the one I’d start with, since a wallet is the thing you most need back.
Price: $39.99 (Card 5), $34.99 (Clip 5)
Where to buy: Direct from Pebblebee and Amazon
What I like: Works with Google Find Hub or Apple Find My, rechargeable with no coin cells, the Card 5 fits in a wallet card slot, loud enough to find from another room, the Clip 5’s LEDs and carabiner, the Alert safety feature on the Clip 5
What I don’t: The Card 5 could be thinner, costs more than a Tile Slim, no charger or cable in the box
