How to Carry Your Vaccination Card on Your Phone

After an initial rollout that left people anxiously refreshing Twitter feeds and state health websites for appointment slots, COVID-19 vaccinations are going into arms across the country, and there is ample opportunity in the US to get vaccinated.

It’s a privilege that’s not available in many other places, and if you’ve taken advantage of it, you’re probably wondering what to do with that white proof-of-vaccine card you were handed alongside your “I got the jab!” sticker.

There are no clear answers on whether or not you should laminate your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card. With mask rules changing, you never know when you may have to produce it, but the card is larger than a credit card or driver’s license, making it easy to damage in a wallet. Apps are usually the answer to dilemmas like this, but there aren’t that many universal ones, so we have a few options.

Note: Your card is “the official record that you were fully vaccinated,” according to the CDC, but it does not qualify as a vaccine passport for international travel.

Take a Photo (It Lasts Longer)

The easiest thing you can do is to take a photo of the front and back of your card and store it in your photo app of choice, like Google Photos.

The second easiest thing you can do is to make that photo a widget so it’s easy to retrieve. For iOS 14 and above, download a photo widget app like Photo Widget: Simple. Open the app and create an album that has only the photos of your vaccination card. Now long-press on the home screen, then tap the plus sign (+) button at the upper left. Select Photo Widget and press Add Widget. Once the widget is on your home screen, tap it to choose the album with your card. To show it, tap twice.

On Android, open the images folder on your device, find the photo of your vaccination card, and long-press on it. Then select Options. Tap Add Shortcut > Home Screen, and hold until the image moves to the home screen. You can then maneuver it wherever you’d like.

Put It In Your Digital Wallet

VaxYes from GoGetVax creates a certificate that can be placed in your Apple Wallet or in Google Pay. You enter your phone number on the site and then upload an image of your vaccination card. In return, you get a digital certificate that can be stored on your device’s wallet.

Matters of State

Depending on where you live, there could be a local government solution. New York State has an Excelsior Pass Wallet app that you can use once it’s been 15 days from your final shot. Los Angeles County partnered with Healthvana, and has been sending digital vaccination records that can be stored in Apple Wallet to those who received their vaccine at a county-run site.

People of Walmart and Sam’s Club

If you received your vaccination at Walmart or Sam’s Club, you can download either the Clear (Android, iOS), CommonHealth (Android), or CommonPass (Android, iOS) apps. Create an account, sign into your Walmart or Sam’s Club account, and agree to share your vaccination history with your verification app of choice. Walmart or Sam’s Club account credentials will then be used to verify your vaccination status in the app.