“Your flights to New York and Barcelona are ready for check-in.”

I began checking in using the airline’s app.

At “Enter passport number,” panic set in. I didn’t have my passport.

I’ll tell you what happened in a bit. Before that, let me explain why I’m telling you this story.

A few weeks ago, I told you that I’d get “chipped” to make my life easier.

Forgetting my passport makes me more certain of my decision.

Back then, I said I’d love to leave my house without worrying about my wallet.

Add to that my passport and driver’s license, and the keys to my house and car.

To me, there is zero benefit in carrying these things. Remembering to do it daily is a nuisance.

Having them on an imbedded microchip is a massive benefit. I’d have hundreds of hours back each year. That’s how much time I estimate I spend searching for these things.

I’d have less stress because I’d stop worrying about forgetting these things.

I’d be thrilled to have more time and less stress.

Going back to my story. Instead of panicking over if I was ever going to get to Barcelona, Spain, I could be at the bar.

Chipping Is for Me

I live just 20 minutes from the airport, so I was able to get my passport.

I made my flights to New York and Barcelona.

Truthfully, I got lucky.

I’d have missed my flights if I lived farther from the airport. Or if I got to the airport later. Or if my Lyft driver had taken longer.

The whole experience makes me even more certain that chipping is for me.

I’m certain too that other people are going to see chipping as a benefit.

No one I know likes chasing after their wallet, keys and driver’s license daily. Or panicking because they left their passport at home.

Equally, most people I know would love the benefits of going walletless, keyless, licenseless and passportless.

Imagine being able to wave your hand and pay for things. Or being able to start your car without a key. Or opening the door to get into your home. Or being able to go through security and immigration without showing anything.

They Already Know Everything

I’m aware of people’s objections to chipping. However, our phones already collect huge amounts of data on us.

Google knows everything you do online. Facebook knows everyone you know. Amazon knows everything you buy online. Visa and Mastercard know everything you buy.

Radio-frequency ID (RFID) chips are also in things like E-ZPass, I-Pass and SunPass that let you go through tollbooths. They are also in passports and some ID tags.

Getting chipped isn’t going to change much in terms of our privacy.

You could argue that by making the chip more personal, we’ll be more aware of our data. We’ll pay more attention to how much of it we share.

Then we’ll be more on guard because we’re aware of being active generators of data. We’ll insist on real restrictions on data collection and use.

That’s a better deal than what we have now. Google, Facebook, Apple and Visa all simply take our data through getting us to click on their hundred-page user agreements.

No one reads those. Even lawyers skip through them and click OK.

Right now, the fear of getting chipped makes it unlikely that most people will get one. However, remember that all successful innovations start small.

There are always objections and difficulties. This was true for the train, car, computer, cellphone and even paper money.

However, in the end, convenience, cost and a better life always win out. I believe that will be true for chipping too.

Regards,



Paul Mampilly

Editor, Profits Unlimited