still have them in a collar and tags... and not just because I'm bent that way ;)

A collar and tags will say to the pound/vet/whomever that the cat belongs to someone. Even if the tags do not have anything more than a name it will make someone more likely to look for a chip. Random strays do not usually have chips and thus they may or may not get looked for. The collar say, I belong to someone, make the extra effort.