For just today, not me.  Thanks to my Apple Watch.

Okay, well, I didn’t plan it this way.  I actually forgot my wallet this morning and was forced to use alternatives, specifically the Apple Watch with Passbook and Apple Pay.

Here’s what happened.  I left for work today at a little past my usual time, with my dog in tow for a drop-off at doggy daycare (the weather was looking dodgy and she doesn’t like thunder).  And while I had picked up my keys and my iPhone – I almost never forget those – and my Apple Watch was on my arm (as it nearly always is now when I’m awake and not underwater), I had left my wallet behind somehow.  I didn’t realize this until I was already on my way.  But rather than turn around and make myself even more late for work, I pressed on, dropped the pup off at daycare, and made my way carefully to work, hoping that between Passbook and Apple Pay I would be fine for the duration of the day.

On workdays I usually have two cups of coffee.  One at home with breakfast and one on a coffee break shortly after I get to work.  I think I’ve been doing some form of this routine for most of my working life.  Normally I pick up the second cup at our office campus’ little coffee shop / convenience store.  But I don’t think they take Apple Pay – although they do use a Square card reader with an iPad.  So I decided to try Starbucks instead.  I had to walk a little bit farther for that, but that was an excuse to use the Outdoor Walk exercise entry in the Apple Watch’s Workout app.  Once at Starbucks, I ordered, pulled up the Passbook app on my Watch, selected my Starbucks card pass, and then a simple scan of my wristwatch paid for my coffee and bread slice.  Score one for Apple Watch!

Come lunch time, which is admittedly quite late for me, I decided to go to Subway, following another Outdoor Walk Workout “session”.  Once at Subway, I ordered my usual and paid with Apple Pay from my Watch.  I had to extend my arm a bit far to reach their card swipe/reader unit, but it wasn’t difficult or inconvenient at all.  Easy, in fact.  Another score for Apple Watch!

While I might have been able to use the Passbook app on my iPhone at Starbucks, I chose there to use the Watch, both as a test of the Watch and to keep my iPhone in my pocket.  At Subway I had no choice but to rely on my Watch as my iPhone is but an iPhone 5s and thus without Apple Pay capability.  Indeed, the ability to use Apple Pay without an early upgrade on my phone was one benefit of Apple Watch that enticed me.

In the end, the Apple Watch and Apple Pay, along with Passbook (for the Starbucks card), saved the day for me with my wallet left behind at home.  I don’t intend to make it a regular practice of leaving my wallet behind though.  After all, there are at least two things a wallet is good at holding that an iPhone / Apple Watch cannot:  a driver’s license and cash.  Then again, with Passbook changing to Wallet in the fall, who knows?