Wallet Card Guide
Carry quick alpha-gal facts and emergency contacts in your wallet.
Preparedness support
This guide helps you use the wallet card as part of emergency planning and clinical intake. It supports faster communication, but it does not replace a clinician-approved action plan, medical alert bracelet, or emergency treatment instructions.
Having a concise card in your wallet helps emergency responders and new clinicians understand your alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) history when you cannot talk through it. Use the printable wallet card to highlight the essentials and steer conversations toward safe care.
Quick preparedness use
- Carry it to urgent care, emergency departments, new specialist visits, and travel where someone may need a fast summary of your restrictions.
- Use it to flag high-risk issues such as mammalian ingredients, delayed reactions, rescue medications, and emergency contacts.
- Pair it with a visible alert such as a bracelet or medical alert tattoo when you need backup communication in situations where you may not be able to speak.
When to hand it over
- At urgent care, emergency rooms, and new specialist visits where teams are learning your history in minutes.
- When friends or family might need to explain your allergy quickly on your behalf.
- During travel so unfamiliar providers have a summary in an easy format.
What to write on it
- Your name, emergency contact, and the clinician who confirmed AGS.
- A sentence about delayed reactions to mammalian products and any co-existing allergies (for example, gelatin or dairy).
- Current rescue medications and when to use them. Keep wording short so staff can scan it fast.
Keep it ready
- Print on card stock or laminate after folding so it survives daily wear.
- Store one in your wallet and another in a go-bag or glove compartment.
- Update the card when prescriptions, diagnoses, or contact details change.
- Keep a digital copy in a shared family folder or phone notes so someone else can reprint it quickly.
PDF opens in a new tab. Print at 100% scale in landscape mode, then fold or trim to credit-card dimensions.
Share the card when you hand over insurance details so it becomes part of the intake workflow. Always confirm with clinicians that the note is in your chart.
For emergency situations where you cannot hand over a card, consider pairing it with a medical alert tattoo on your inner wrist.
Build a layered backup
- Carry the wallet card for clinical intake and detailed notes.
- Use a bracelet or tattoo for immediate visibility when staff have not opened your wallet yet.
- Keep your phone lock screen and emergency contacts updated so the card is not your only preparedness layer.
This page is educational only and not medical advice.