Yesterday I headed to the airport yet again, a one-day trip to San Diego. That commute is so easy from Oakland, I didn’t really take it that seriously. I grabbed my bag and took off. Then, my husband calls just as I pull up to the terminal. I’ve left my wallet on the counter. No ID, and no money.
I thought about turning around and going home, but realized without money or cards, I couldn’t get out of the parking lot. So I headed into security to tell them my situation and hope for the best. (Turns out TSA actually has that use-case handled, but that’s a post for a different time.) I cleared security handily, and headed to the gate.
And there, dangling just out of reach, were cups of hot coffee for everyone but me. I thought about pan-handling, but decided against it. Early am flights are tough, but without coffee? Brutal.
Which brings me to: why don’t we have contactless payment through mobile phones in the US? In a world of FastTrak and EZ Rider specialized cards and devices, it seems like we are used to the idea of invisible payment methods as consumers. And as my husband pointed out, Japan has it. Because while forgetting my wallet happens not infrequently for me, I am almost never without my phone.
What other stuff “from the future” do you wish we had? Besides jet packs.
-- Gretchen Anderson
