The Rise Of Digital IDs Has Created A New Nightlife Problem
Taking advantate of technology, I have started going walletless by using Apple Wallet to pay bar tabs. That part is easy. Using it to get into a bar it isn’t, however. As I learned, there is one important element that every nightlife pubclubber should know before relying on a digital driver’s license.
I thought I was being cool. Hip. Modern. Embracing technology, which admittedly has never been one of my strengths.
Then I found myself standing outside a bar, unable to get past the doorman because I didn’t have my physical driver’s license. It was on Apple Wallet. And the bar would not accept it.
My friends were already inside and people were lined up behind me. And there I was, standing dumbfounded wondering what the heck to do next. Instead of being cool, I was the guy holding up the line. And it nearly cost me a night of good pubclubbing.
The problem was this: the bar did not have a digital scanner. Despite me showing the part of the digital license with my birthdate, it did not satisfy the person at the door. I was told to go talk to the manager and he, very politely, told me they require the actual license. And even if they had a scanner, they would still require it because he felt it is not completely reliable.
Fortunately, I lived a couple blocks away from the bar and was able to quickly get my license and return. Imagine if I were not close to home and were out without it. I would have been down and out, left wandering around trying to find some place that did accept my digital license.
Later, at another bar when I did have my ID, I asked the doorman about that place accepting a digital ID. He said no, because they did not have a scanner.
This really caught me by surprise because a couple weeks earlier, after I just put my license on Apple Wallet, I got into a bar with no problem. That place had the digital scanner. I asked the doorman about the process and he said the scanner makes it easy for them to check IDs and showed me how it worked.
But not every bar is the same. Not every doorman is the same. Not every city is the same; what might work in one place may not in another.
What I learned is that while digital IDs are fine, it’s a it’s best to always have your acual ID with you. This is because technology is moving faster than venue policies.
I checked, by the way, and here is the policy of both the Califorina DMV and ABC Board according to their respective websites.
The California DMV currently advises residents to continue carrying their physical driver’s license because many businesses don’t yet accept the mobile driver’s license (which it calls the mDL). In fact, the DMV’s website states that: “law enforcement, state government agencies and businesses aren’t yet accepting the mDL, you will still need your physical ID for any purchases or locations where proof of age is required.”
The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control also notes that bars may require customers to present a physical driver’s license rather than accept a digital ID.
So there you have it and I am again carrying my ID with me to bars. The credid cards, tho, work great in Apple Wallet.
The Nightlife Blogger is the bar columnist for PubClub.com, An award-winning journalist, Kevin Wilkerson has spent more than two decades covering bars, nightlife, destinations and events around the world, always searching for the stories and experiences most travelers overlook.
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