The AirTag has no hole. That is its one genuine design flaw, and it means every AirTag on a keyring, a collar or a bag is an AirTag plus something.
Which makes the holder a real purchase decision rather than an accessory afterthought, because the holder determines whether the tag is still attached when you need it. A tag in a hedge is a tag that failed, and that is a holder problem rather than a tag problem.
Three requirements, whatever the use
Fixed, not clipped. Anything that clips to a ring will eventually unclip — on a bramble, in a bag, against a car door. A holder the strap threads through, or that screws or bolts down, cannot come off unless the thing it is attached to does.
Rated for the environment. Waterproof on a dog collar and a bike, heat-tolerant in a tool case, flat in a wallet. “Splash resistant” on something a dog swims with is not a rating.
Low profile. A protruding lump gets chewed, caught and knocked off. Flat against the surface survives.
The one to skip
Apple's leather loop is well made and looks like luggage hardware rather than a gadget, and it costs most of the price of another AirTag.
A three-dollar plastic shell does the same job functionally. Buy the Apple loop if you want the leather; buy the cheap shell if you want the keyring. There is no functional premium being paid for here.
By use case
Keys
A shockproof shell with a keyring, on a short split ring rather than a long chain — a tag swinging on a tether wears through its own holder. Multi-packs mean every keyring in the house gets one for a few dollars.
Worth noting: if the missing hole irritates you enough, Chipolo's LOOP and Samsung's SmartTag2 both have one built in and are louder than an AirTag. The holder problem is a reason some people choose a different tag entirely.
Dog and cat collars
Waterproof silicone, threaded onto the strap, worn underneath at the throat. Check it weekly — the failure mode is a split seam and it is silent, so you discover it on the day the dog is missing.
On a cat, use a breakaway collar without exception, and accept that it can come off and take the tag with it. That is the correct trade.
Wallets
A card sleeve works if you already own a spare AirTag. If you are buying fresh, a purpose-built card tracker is thinner and costs about the same as an AirTag plus a sleeve — so buy the card tracker instead. Our wallet roundup covers those.
Bikes
A bolt-on waterproof mount under a bottle cage or behind a reflector. Avoid adhesive on a bike — vibration and weather defeat it, and a tag that falls off on a ride is money gone.
Two mounts and two tags is the better arrangement: one findable, one not. At tag prices the second one is close to free.
Luggage
Hidden inside beats anything visible, because a tag clipped to a handle is removable in two seconds by whoever handles the bag. If you want a visible deterrent instead, use a locking holder with a steel cable rather than a clip.
Tool cases and site kit
Screw-down holders inside a lid or under a tray, or purpose-made mounts where they exist for your system. Under cut foam is better than either, if the case has it.
Remotes, laptops, passports
Adhesive, treated as permanent. Clean the surface with alcohol first; adhesive on a dusty or oily surface fails within weeks.
Two general cautions
Do not block the speaker. Some thick cases muffle the AirTag badly, and the alarm is half of what you bought. If the chirp sounds notably quieter in the case than out of it, the case is wrong.
Check the battery door is accessible. A holder that has to be destroyed to change a battery is a holder you will replace annually. The good ones let the tag pop out or open from the back.
