Ledger, the crypto wallet company, released a new backup method yesterday, on July 24. Dubbed the Recovery Key, the card uses NFC to connect to your Ledger Flex or Stax. It only works with NFC-compatible Ledger wallets, so your Nano S Plus or Nano X won’t work with it, unfortunately. However, the advantages it brings are multifold: Simple and quick backup and recovery through encrypted NFC PIN-protected card for extra security Permanently offline and only accessible through the Secure Screen Ultimate peace of mind about losing or misplacing your Secret Recovery Phrase (SRP) Gives you full control over your seed phrase for true self-custody Think of it this way – if you lose your recovery paper sheet, you have nothing to worry about. With your Recovery Key on hand, you’ll gain access to your assets in 2 minutes flat. Make sure you transfer your assets to another wallet if someone stole your recovery sheet, though! How Does the Recovery Key Work? Setting up the Recovery Key on your Ledger Stax or Flex is very easy: Enable NFC on your device Go to Settings → Ledger Recovery Key Tap your Recovery Key card on the back of your device and hold it there Select ‘Start setup’ on the wallet device Re-enter your wallet’s PIN code Choose a PIN for the Recovery Key Confirm it Hold the card against the device again And that’s it. Your SRP is now fully backed up offline, and you can recover on a new device by using the ‘Restore access to assets → Ledger Recovery Key’ option. It’s an easy-to-follow, hard-to-mess-up process that you should have no problems with. Ledger Recover vs Ledger Recovery Key – The Latter Wins in My Book If you know your Ledger history, then you know the company introduced the Ledger Recover subscription model a few years back. It’s a paid service that lets you back up your SRP by encrypting it, splitting it into three parts, and transferring it for safe storage. To restore access, you have to verify your identity with two independent companies. Let’s just say this service didn’t sit well with everyone, who misinterpreted the backup as being online and unsecured. That’s not the case . The Ledger Recovery Key is completely offline, tamper-resistant, protected by the same Secure Element chip that guards your Ledger device, and it’s always in your complete self-custody. For those preferring a more hands-on approach and a maximalist self-custodial experience, the Key is everything you could ask for. Is the Recovery Key Expensive? The Recovery Key is only $39 on Ledger’s site but that’s only if you want to buy it standalone. If you’re buying a Ledger Stax and Flex, you’ll receive a Key for free. And the star of the show – Ledger decided to give a Key for free to all Stax and Flex owners who bought their devices before the Recovery Key was launched. All you have to do is head over to this page , connect your Flex/Stax to confirm you own one, and get yours delivered home. You’ll still have to pay for the (discounted) shipping fees, though. Takeaways – Ledger’s Recovery Key Wins the Crypto Backup Race If you’re living in perpetual anxiety about losing your paper sheet in a house fire or someone stealing it, then Ledger’s Recovery Key is the natural solution to that problem. It offers absolute peace of mind as an additional (not replacement) backup method to your sheet. Plus, it’s so much better than metal-based methods like Cryptotag Zeus because it’s all digital. No more punching your seed phrase on metal sheets. The Key copies your SRP on the card, which is encrypted and protected by a Secure Element just as powerful as that of your Ledger device. It’s just like transferring your key to another Stax or Flex, security-wise. Only that it’s a backup card – always offline, always in your hands, and never letting you down. Get your Ledger Recovery Key today and upgrade your HODLing game with maximum security!
