Apple and Google Wallet: the rise of digital ID cards for students

Students are often the best litmus test for whether technology will actually work in the real world. They are tech-savvy, always connected, and frankly, too sharp to be carrying around clunky plastic ID cards that feel like relics from another decade.

About three in four young people aged 18-24 now regularly make contactless payments from their phones, which means the majority don’t even bother taking out a wallet or carrying cash when they leave the house.

The plastic problem

A typical university with 50,000 students has approximately 250kg of plastic ID cards floating around campus. If we are honest, we know exactly where many of those end up: lost, snapped, or buried at the bottom of a backpack.

The traditional campus ID is meant to be a versatile tool for student life, handling everything from building access and accommodation entry to lecture attendance and meal tabs. But here's the catch, physical cards are a security headache waiting to happen.

The security circus

When a student loses a card, it's not just an inconvenience, it's a security breach. Anyone who finds that bit of plastic could walk into restricted areas, spend meal credits, or impersonate a student across campus.

Then there's the administrative friction. Losing a card means trudging to a reception desk, filling out forms, waiting for a printer, and often coughing up a replacement fee. We have self-driving cars and software that can compose music, yet we are still asking students to rely on these medieval physical systems.

Student ID and Campus ID from Apple and Google

Digital wallet cards are not just a minor update, they represent a complete shift in how we think about identity on campus. Apple and Google are now leading the charge with student ID solutions that turn a smartphone into a proper campus pass.

The digital advantage

Students now don’t have to worry about forgetting their ID. When your phone is always with you, your campus ID pass is always within reach. But it's more than just convenience:

• Direct alerts: You can send campus-wide notifications directly to the device.
• NFC technology: A simple tap is all it takes for secure, hardware-level scanning.
• Device choice: Students can choose between using their phone or their smartwatch.
• Location awareness: The pass can automatically appear on the lock screen when a student is near a campus building.
• Verified identity: Digital issuance allows for much tighter confirmation of who is actually receiving the credentials.

Huge environment and cost savings

By going digital, a university can save that 250kg of plastic for every 50,000 students. Administrative overheads drop because you can issue a pass to a student’s phone from anywhere in the world. Since there is no physical hardware to replace or re-programme, those recurring costs simply vanish.

The innovative way to ID and control student access

Universities should be hubs for how we will live in the future, not museums for how we lived in the past. Digital wallet IDs are just the beginning.. We want campus access, payments, and identity to feel as natural as ordering a ride or buying a coffee.

Students aren't just using this technology, they're demanding it. To the universities still clinging to plastic, it's time to move on.

How to get started

If you want to move away from plastic and start issuing wallet passes in your school or university, we should talk.

We'd love to hear about what you are building. Book a demo with us today or drop us an email at hello@passflow.com.