I receive compensation for content and many links on this blog. Citibank is an advertising partner of this site, as is American Express, Chase, Barclays and Capital One. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners. I do not write about all credit cards that are available -- instead focusing on miles, points, and cash back (and currencies that can be converted into the same). Terms apply to the offers and benefits listed on this page.
My wallet has a bunch of credit cards sitting behind credit cards. It has my drivers license, office security access card, and Priority Pass cards. That doesn’t even begin to cover it though because I’ve got my insurance cards, AAA card, and some business cards too.
Overstuffing – and simply using – a wallet wears it out faster. I don’t like investing a ton of money in a wallet because it’s simply not going to last the way I use it.
Three years ago I asked for reader advice on the best wallet for the credit card obsessed and got plenty of (divergent) feedback.
I wonder though if I’ve finally found something that hits all of my criteria, the ability to carry a lot of credit cards and keep things organized (I need slots!) without breaking the bank: Travelambo Credit Card Case Slim Minimalist Front Pocket Wallet.
This wallet has 16 slots and is priced at just $7.99 with free Prime shipping. It’s leather and features RFID blocking to limit compromise of its contents. Of the reviews on Amazon 67/82 are 5 star. I’ve gone ahead and bought one to try it out.
It identifies as a front pocket wallet. I’ve kept my wallet in my back pocket for years, though growing up I always had my wallet in my front pocket. I lived in New York as a kid and the city was a different place in the late 1970s and 1980s than it is today. Often traveling abroad in tourist areas I put my wallet in my front pocket, too, because it’s less vulnerable to pick pockets. So I’m ok with front pocket, presumably the issue is that with this many card slots it’ll be large for the back pocket (frankly as overstuffed as my current wallet is it’s probably too large for my back pocket too).
Now, I don’t carry all of my credit cards with me. Some sit in a drawer. But for those of you that do want everything in one package here’s an interesting product: Easyoulife Genuine Leather Credit Card Holder
It’s $16, comes with free Prime shipping, and is available in 11 colors. It has RFID blocking and 24 slots, but claims “each slot can hold 1-2 cards” so as long as your portfolio tops out at 48 cards you may be covered.
There’s also, by the way, a 36 slot version and an organizer with 90 slots.
After three years I’m already seeing wear on my lasts wallet, and it was a good one, so I’m thinking about what’s next and thinking I want to spend less not more since expensive wallets aren’t likely to last me anyway.
What’s most important to you in and what solution are you using?
Thanks for this post about this fun topic and a need that many of us have. My own solution is to simply put in my wallet the several cards I might need for restaurants, gas stations, everyday purchases, airport lounges, etc., and leave the rest that I use less frequently (e.g., American/IHG/Marriott/Hilton/initial bonus-specific cards) at home unless I’m going on a trip and would need one or more of them for that trip. Remembering to bring those other cards when I hit the road hasn’t been a problem, since I’m fairly organized about pre-trip preparation.
Reading the Amazon reviews, the one downside seems to be that this is not a good card for carrying much cash. I could perhaps get by with it at home, even with that limitation. But for my fairly frequent overseas trips, where I use cash much more often, it just wouldn’t work.
I went searching for a wallet two weeks ago at the mall. I left with no new wallet. I couldn’t find anything that didn’t have one of those flaps and there is an obsession with plastic sleeves in wallets now. I just need slots for cards and money. The old tri-folds were always my go to but they seem to be tough to find anymore.
Gary, once you go 36-card-wallet you can’t go back.
https://amzn.to/2EsHonj
I researched this same topic 3 years ago and settled on this, and I’m glad I did: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004AZIL0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OTS5CbSJTSYXD
I carry over 20 cards in this thing and it is ridiculously slim.
I have some random $15 Tommy Hilfiger leather wallet I bought at a Stein Mart when I was 17 (hey, a cute girl worked there so I spent a lot of time chatting with her at the returns counter).
It holds my license and medical, dental, insurance cards on one side and 9 cards on the other side. I have 6 credit cards I rotate between, a Costco card, debit card, and gym access card.
It’s slowly falling apart but now I’ve officially had it for half of my lifetime so I’m going to stubbornly keep it until it literally splits in half.
No new wallet….but credit counseling might be advisable
Every time I see someone pull an overstuffed travel wallet from their pocket at the airport I can’t help but think of George Castanza from Seinfeld.
I use a Bellroy Hide and Seek for everyday use and the Bellroy Travel Wallet for getting through the airport.
Both hold more cards than I use and the Hide and Seek has the RFID blocking too. Got them 8 years ago and still going strong.
I have the Ridge Wallet.
https://www.ridgewallet.com/
Kind of pricey at $70+ for the cheapest aluminum version, but they have coupons often that provides discounts. I attached both accessories, the money clip and cash strap.
I’ve had upwards of 15 credit cards/license/atm cards in the middle section, and feel like it can handle a few more if absolutely necessary since it is an elastic band. The cash strap holds my bills, and the money clip holds my transit card and 1-2 random gift cards I need at any given moment.
It is ultra durable, and if the elastic band wears out over time, that part can be replaced instead of the entire wallet.
Interesting. I use an app on my phone for all my loyalty and cards that don’t need to be physical. So my wallet can be much slimmer.
FWIW, I use the following combination:
1) All of my cards entered into Apple Wallet on my iPhone, for the increasing number of places that accept Apple Pay, combined with,
1A) VRS Damda Glide iPhone case, with room for two cards and a driver’s license (I sometimes put in a couple of bills in place of one of the cards, if my phone is all I want to take) https://www.amazon.com/iPhone-VRS-Automatic-Military-Protection/dp/B01LWPMR14/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=vrs%2Bdamda%2Bglide&qid=1558631328&s=gateway&sr=8-5&th=1, plus
2) A hinged money clip, which easily holds any cards I am likely to use in my daily life (beyond the two in the phone case) along with cash.
I LOVE my https://www.all-ett.com/collections/mens-wallets/products/nylon-original-wallet. This thing last for 10+ years, as its made from parachute fabric, and can easily hold 20+ cards.
I bought the “wonder wallet” that contains 6 sleeves,holding a minimum of 24 cards.two cards in a slot ,each sleeve has 2 slots.
Go to Etsy.com and check out OldeDog and check out the custom wallets. For $39 I had a wallet made of sailcloth, thicker outside and thinner with 9 card pockets on each side and more space under. Very thin light and durable. Happy to share a pic.
We were told years ago when we stated traveling that the wallet ALWAYS goes in the front pocket to reduce the risk of pick pockets, so I switched at that time from back to front and never went back. I actually find it easier when shopping to access the wallet without having to reach around, plus as I age I’m less likely to walk away without remembering to put the wallet back into the front pocket — feels odd when it’s not there. As for selection, I got hooked on the selections from Big Skinny (https://www.bigskinny.net) a few years ago and have always found something there I liked depending on my mood that year. They have some nice slightly larger wallets that are great for larger currency notes as well as holding a ton of credit cards without too much bulge.
I use the Skinny wallet which holds quite a few. However, I only carry 3 cc’s these days. All my other ones including these 3 are loaded into my iPhone wallet and use applepay. It’s a lot safer, stay away from compromised terminal readers and in the tri-state area I hardly need to pull out a card and swipe. Almost never do while travelling in Europe as they are so much further ahead in contactless payments.
Thanks for this post. I am always on a constant lookout for wallets which can hold 8+ cards. I use Samsung Pay to hold all of my cards, and only carry 4-5 CCs in my wallet. Good think about Samsung Pay is it works on almost all Payment terminals which have magnetic swipe function.
Am eagerly waiting for a product like https://www.fuzecard.com/ to become more reliable and affordable. Hate to carry so many cards.
I also have been using the All Ett wallet for several years now and love it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?ie=UTF8&adId=A0466483FERPLVZK4FS7&qualifier=1558636042&id=8271668290549916&widgetName=sp_detail&url=%2Fdp%2FB00GRDC4Y4%2Fref%3Dsspa_dk_detail_3%3Fpsc%3D1%26pd_rd_i%3DB00GRDC4Y4%26pd_rd_w%3DZoXXL%26pf_rd_p%3D46cdcfa7-b302-4268-b799-8f7d8cb5008b%26pd_rd_wg%3DF3aKK%26pf_rd_r%3D0KZ7Z8KJY3WF16KXF1R6%26pd_rd_r%3D683308fa-7d88-11e9-b06b-1967775fe31c
I use a non fold out very small wallet in my front pocket.
This was a free handout at a Utah Jazz game a couple of years ago.
It has the plastic pocket for my drivers license and a toothpick on one side.
It has an opening in the center, which I carry 5 $1 bills, 1 $5 bill, 1 $10 bill and 1 $20 bill. I use credit cards for every possible purchase, if I can’t use my credit card and something costs more than $40, I don’t buy it. Cash is so rare now days, why carry a lot.
It has only 2 card slots in the back, but will hold multiple cards/slot, if needed. I only need a few cards with 5x (quarterly) (Freedom and Discover), Citi Premier, Chase Ink Preferred, USAA 5x gas, PenFed 2% where nothing else will work. Thats 3/slot.
I like the idea of the app for cards, but have not yet adapted.
Thanks for this article. I have so many cards it is beyond insane. I wish every merchant accepted Apple Pay and my life would be so much easier.
I do not understand the need to carry more than a handful of cards at a time. Is spending so unpredictable that you have to be ready to sort through 15-20 cards at a moment’s notice?
I recognize that the majority of readers have a lot of credit cards, but unless hitting a minimum spend requirement, only a handful of cards are needed for everyday spend.
Even if traveling internationally, you can likely get by with a couple of airline and hotel cards along with a couple for regular spend, especially since cards used for everyday spend in the US (like Amex Gold and Chase Unlimited) are not as valuable.
What am I missing here? Do people just like to carry around a bunch of credit cards? There is nothing wrong with that, I am just trying to figure out the advantages.
My vote goes to the lineup from Big Skinny wallets.
Slimfold Original Softshell: https://www.slimfoldwallet.com/products/thin-wallet-original-soft-shell
Has 10 card slots and an ID slot, and is tall enough to hold even larger foreign currency. The side by side card slots let it be much skinnier than a standard bifold, while barely increasing the other dimensions.
The interior card slots are great for lesser used cards, and it puts 3 cards “front of wallet”.
The Slimfold wallet has served me very well. Super rugged, water resistant, lightweight, and extremely slim. I have 20+ cards crammed in it + cash and it is still slimmer than most regular leather wallets with 5 cards.
I like Tumi, not cheap but very durable. 10 slots, about 12 thick cards and a couple of thin one. Divided section for cash. Carry in front pocket, back pocket aggravates my sciatica. Unless you are a minimalist, front pocket!
Regular wallet for your most used CC. And then a rubber band for all the others.
As several people mentioned – I also *love* my All-Ett wallet (I have the leather one). By far the thinnest solution for the most cards that I’ve been able to find.
Looks great, But i have also found one product here competitive https://borec1979.com/products/copy-of-wallet-id-card-holder, how this will be different from listed product.
Please help
Thanks
If you want a traditional wallet with a modern touch, Here’s our review and guide to the best wallets for men 2019, enjoy free online shopping with free shipping.
cool mens wallets 2019
I saw Big Skinny brand wallets in these comments so just checked them out on Amazon. The video on each wallet showing how efficient they are combined with the great reviews had me sold. Being USAF (<2yrs til retirement) with 5 sons and in WA (COVID vaccine card and COVID food card for each son) means there are a lot of cards needed to be carried. While I totally get the "just use your phone" theory (Apple Pay or Google Pay or Samsung Pay)… they don't work all the time and it's roulette as to which businesses use them or not. That said, can't wait til this wallet comes in tomorrow… hopefully it lives up to its company name–Big Skinny.
Although the price is around 115 dollars, it is a money clip credit card wallet that offers more than expected. I had the chance to buy at a more affordable price by constantly following the discounts on both their Amazon store and their online store. https://www.serels.com
Even though it’s called a money clip wallet, the money clip allows you to carry not only your cash, but also any ticket or receipt.
I have preferred a more minimalist style by reducing what I carry in my wallet lately, but it was naturally not possible for me to reduce my credit card number below 5. It’s so easy to put my ID card, driver’s license and my most frequently used credit cards in it, and it’s so easy to access all my cards and cash with it.
In other words, I can say that it is much more functional than a slim wallet, and it is handmade from genuine leather and the money clip is made of stainless and durable metal. Moreover, it is very comfortable to carry in the front pocket.