I used to cling to my plastic card. It lived in a cracked clear holder, with a big ugly lanyard. It felt safe. It also snapped during midterms. Twice.
This semester I switched to a digital student ID. I put it on my iPhone 14 and my Apple Watch SE with Transact Mobile Credential. I set it up through the Transact eAccounts app, then added it to Apple Wallet. My roommate did hers on Android with Google Wallet using the CBORD GET app. We both used them for doors, dining, the gym, and random campus stuff. And we learned a lot. For the full blow-by-blow of that migration from plastic to pixels, check out I Tried a Digital Student ID So You Don’t Have To (But You’ll Want To).
Honestly? I thought it’d feel weird. It didn’t. It felt fast.
What I Used (and why it matters)
- iPhone 14 with Apple Wallet “Express Mode” for student ID. That means I can tap without Face ID.
- Apple Watch SE, same idea. Wrist tap. Very handy when my hands are full.
- Campus system: Transact Mobile Credential.
- Roommate’s Android with Google Wallet + CBORD GET. She had to wake her screen to tap at some readers.
I’m saying the names because it matters. Different apps behave a bit different. Your school might use Transact or CBORD, and the steps change a little.
Setup: quick-ish, with one small hiccup
I installed Transact eAccounts, logged in with my NetID, did two-factor, and chose “Add to Apple Wallet.” It took me maybe 12 minutes, start to finish. The app asked me to re-take my ID photo. I stood by a window. Soft light hides stress acne. Just saying. If you want another no-filter perspective on the setup quirks, my friend breaks it down in I Tried a Digital Student ID Card—Here’s My Honest Take.
The hiccup: my case has a magnet. It messed with NFC. I had to take it off while adding the pass. After that, taps worked fine—case on or off.
My roommate’s Android setup took longer. About 20 minutes. She had to enable NFC and set Google Wallet as default. Not hard, just a few extra screens.
Real Days, Real Taps
Here’s how it played out during a normal week.
- Monday: I carried laundry and coffee. I tapped my watch on the dorm reader. Door opened. No bag drop, no card digging. Tiny win, but still a win.
- Tuesday: Library gates at 8:02 AM. I bumped my phone once. The gate beeped, green light, in I went. I printed a paper and used the same ID to release the print job on the kiosk.
- Wednesday: The campus bus. I flashed the mobile ID at the driver’s scanner. Quick beep. I sat down before the bus even jerked forward.
- Thursday: Dining hall rush. Cashier said, “Phone?” I tapped. My meal swipe hit. I also checked my balance in the eAccounts app while in line. That stopped me from overloading on mozzarella sticks. Barely.
- Friday: Gym turnstile. Watch tap. I like being hands-free because my water bottle leaks. Not proud of it.
- Saturday: Student discount at the indie theater. The cashier scanned the digital ID. Popcorn tasted better for 20% less. Mildly dramatic, but true.
- Sunday: Makerspace door. Tapped in for the 3D printers. It still worked even though campus Wi-Fi was spotty. The credential lives on the device, so short outages don’t kill it.
You know what? The tiny moments add up. Less fumbling. More flow. My friend at UC Irvine logged a similar week-long experiment in I Actually Used UCI’s Digital ID—Here’s My Honest Take.
The Good Stuff
- It’s fast. Faster than fishing out a card. Lines move.
- Express Mode on iPhone still works with a low battery. My phone hit 1% after a late study session, but I could still open my dorm and the gym. Apple says it works for a few hours after shutdown. Mine kept going during a chilly walk back from the library.
- Watch taps are clutch with gloves on. Minnesota winter hands are not phone-friendly.
- One thing for safety: if I lose my phone, I can pause the ID from “Find My” or the card office portal. I tested the pause. Door stopped opening right away.
- No more lost card fees. I’ve paid those before. It hurts.
For a year-long look at how mobile credentials hold up after the novelty fades, see I Tried ASUS Digital ID for a Year—Here’s the Real Deal.
The Not-So-Good
- Some old readers are picky. The art building door needed me to hold the phone flat and still. Angle it wrong, no beep. Annoying when you’re carrying foam board.
- Android quirks. My roommate had to wake her screen for a few doors. Not all, but enough to notice.
- Magnet cases can mess with taps. Also, thick metal cases. If your phone acts stubborn, try a bare tap. Then you’ll know.
- Dining outages happen. One lunch shift, their system was down. The cashier typed my student number from the app. Slow, but it worked.
- A few off-campus spots still want a plastic card. The climbing gym near us didn’t accept the mobile ID yet.
- Battery worries are real. The feature works on low battery, yes. Still, I keep a tiny charger in my bag. Habit.
Little Tips I Wish I Knew
- Turn on Express Mode if you have iPhone. It makes taps smoother.
- Add it to your watch if you have one. It’s silly how much that helps.
- Try your tap with gloves or a PopSocket, just once, so you learn the sweet spot.
- Keep your plastic card tucked in your backpack for travel days. Some places still ask.
- If a door won’t read, hold the phone flat and steady for one full second. Don’t jab at it. Smooth tap wins.
Privacy and Safety, in plain talk
The pass sits in the Secure Element on the device. That’s a tiny locked chip. Staff could still see your normal access logs, same as with plastic. The app shows balances, but not your bank info. If something feels off, you can freeze the pass fast. I tried it. It works within a minute. If your campus uses an identity-management backbone such as Transact IDX, that backend handles the behind-the-scenes provisioning and revocation magic that makes those freezes instantaneous.
For a deeper look at the standards and security models that make mobile credentials possible, swing by OpenID Book for free, student-friendly resources.
Late-night dorm chats about privacy often drift to the wilder corners of the internet where anonymity is the whole appeal. If you’ve ever wondered how those roulette-style video sites actually work—and whether they’re remotely safe—take a minute to skim this candid Fap Roulette review that breaks down the platform’s moderation tools, surprise factor, and the real-world trade-offs between spontaneity and security.
Closer to home, a surprising number of classmates admitted they’d peeked at local escort listings just to see what was out there. If curiosity ever pulls you down that path, skim the Listcrawler Orem guide for a no-nonsense look at how the service works in Utah County, complete with safety pointers, screening etiquette, and price reality checks that could spare you from rookie mistakes.
One Weird Test I Did
I turned my iPhone off at 3% and walked around for 20 minutes. My dorm door still opened with a tap. The gym, too. The bus scanner didn’t read while the phone was fully off, but doors did. After about an hour, taps stopped. So yes, there’s a time window. Don’t push it, but it helps if your battery dies on the walk home.
Who This Helps Most
- People who forget their wallet, keys, everything. This saves you.
- Commuters juggling coffee, laptop, and a bad backpack zipper.
- Folks who already live on Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
If you love a lanyard and a snap badge? Keep it. You can run both.
My Verdict
I’m keeping the digital ID on my phone and watch. I still stash the plastic card in my backpack, just in case. The mobile pass made lines shorter, mornings calmer, and my pockets lighter. It’s not perfect. Old readers can be cranky, and some places lag behind. But overall, it just works.
Would I tell a friend to switch? Yes. Try it for a week. You might not go back. I didn’t.