Wallet shopping

[mattl]

Does anyone else have an issue finding a wallet they like?  I've been using some variation of a bifold/money clip wallet for many decades.  I'm in need of a new one and while I can find some very similar to what I want, I do not want to spend $70.  I bought one 7 or 8 years ago after a long hunt on ebay for $12.  You would think there would be a Chinese knock off for $10.

 

This is what I'm looking for:

 

[tomturbomatic]

Make sure it has blocking protection for your credit cards.

 

[jmm63]

That's so funny...i just was wallet shopping a few weeks ago.  I always had a trifold, and thought I would try something new...a slim bi fold.  Hated it..took it back and got another type of bi fold.....hated that one too...so it went back and I ended up with a nice Coach tri fold.   I should have listened to the voice in my head and just went with what I know and like.   Oh well, good luck on your search.  

 

[mattl]

I see a lot of the wallets on ebay have rfid blocking, not sure if it's a big deal or not.  At this point I will take anything that is close to my preferred style.  I did find one by Royce at $39 but it's black and I want brown, so I'm getting closer.

 

[passatdoc]

My favorite is an "ID case" from Coach. Got it for $40 at an outlet center Coach store. Has an ID window on the left, plus a pouch behind the ID sectionwith room to tuck cash (folded in half). I use the ID section for driver's license, plus my medical and dental insurance cards. The opposite section has two card slots (for me, Amex and VISA) plus another pouch behind (I put my ATM card there; can also hold more cash).

While I have more than two credit cards (LL Bean, Amazon, two old B of A cards, and now a new VISA from Costco, replacing their previous Costco-Amex card), I only use the aforementioned Amex and VISA for in-person shopping. The LL Bean card is only for online LL Bean purchases, while the Amazon VISA is used only for Amazon. So a wallet with only two major card slots is fine for me. The other cards remain in a separate wallet (yes, also Coach, a $30 card case from the outlet) and never leave the house.

[I only retain the two B of A cards because they are free, they have very high credit limits, and very long longevity, like 28 years old. I use each one once a year for a small purchase, to keep the accounts open. The credit represented by the two cards has a favorable impact on my available credit utilization--by lowering it--and the age of the two cards favorably raises my average account age. The Costco card is only for shopping at Costco, plus paying for gas and car washes there.]

Mine is dark brown with the trademark large repeating-C logo. It's made of waxed canvas outside, leather inside. It may have been discontinued by Coach, as I can't find it on their website: also, the fact I found it in an outlet store may imply discontinued stock.

I did find a discontinued product description on Amazon, see link below. The wallet is more than two years old and still looks brand new. Should last for years.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I3NEUIE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[mattl]

Thanks for the suggestion - looks interesting will give it some thought -- see below...

 

I went through 98 pages on ebay, with 48 items per page and I was about to give up and I hit pay dirt!  right wallet at the right price.  This is the exact wallet I have been using for years.  I like the display window on the money clip, I keep my DL there, slots for my cards and a clip for the little cash I carry.

 

I have given a lot of thought as to if I really need this style anymore.  I never carry more that $10 cash with me, debit card does about anything I want to do.  Funny story 4 of us all between the ages of  50 and 60 went to the Detroit Auto Show a few weeks ago.  There is parking on the roof of Cobo and it was $10.  We were all scrambling to see if between the 4 of us we had $10 cash --  they DID take CC/DC so it was a non issue, but for me and many like me we have moved to close to a cashless society.  So maybe something like the Coach linked above might be a better choice.  Will mull it over.  I think the Coach wallet might last a lot longer, though it will be more costly.

 

Side note: I have a cousin that is about 10 years older and he does not have a debit card, a few CCs, but still goes to the bank to deposit his paycheck every couple of weeks.  Does most everything with cash, seldom uses his CC.  Even goes to the bank to pay his CC bills.  To me it seems like a lot of trouble and can all be done online or at an ATM but he is more comfortable doing that way.

Brown Genuine Leather Men's Money Clip Bifold Wallet Card Holder for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Brown Genuine Leather Men's Money Clip Bifold Wallet Card Holder at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[mattl]

This might be a good investment, should last longer.  Decisions, decisions.

http://https//www.amazon.com/Coach-Leather-Billfold-F75016-CWH/dp/B01MF68903/ref=sr_1_2?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1485938576&sr=1-2&nodeID=7141123011&keywords=coach++slim+billfold+id+wallet+in+sport+calf+leather

 

[petek]

Back around 1980.. I guess I was 24ish.. I took my first bike trip to San Fran from Vancouver... Stayed at some hotel there.. got up the first morning, ate, went out to get on the bike, must have put my wallet on the seat for some god knows what reason.. threw my leg over the seat and rode off without my wallet. Thank goodness I had kept all my cash in my pocket otherwise I'd have been screwed.

Anyways, long story short.. I got back to Vancouver after my near week in SF.. and the next morning my wallet is in the mailbox returned courtesy of the US Post office..

I have never used a wallet since.. just carry my cash, driver license and whatever else card I might need when I need it,, in my front right pocket.. No worries like that again..

LOL

 

[mattl]

I have a cousin that does that, everything bundled together in his front pocket. Cash inserted between cards.  Me, if I'm out and don't feel that pressure in my back pocket I know something is wrong.

 

[kb0nes]

If you are buying a wallet with RFID blocking be sure it comes with a complimentary tin foil hat

You DON'T need RFID blocking to protect credit cards... The fraud that is taking place here is the company profiting by selling paranoia. Consider this:

VERY few credit cards have RFID chips in them. The new internal chip in a credit card requires a physical electrical connection to the terminal, note the gold contacts and the need to insert the card. Only if a card points out that it can be used wirelessly will it have an RFID chip in it.

In order for someone to capture your card information they will have to have an RFID scanner and be pretty darn close to you. Put all this together and you should fear lightning strikes on blue sky days more then having your info compromised by an RFID reader.

What you SHOULD be wary of is the magnetic strip data skimmers that crooks put on gas pumps and other unattended card swipers. With these they can read the magnetic strip data and then burn your information on a different card. I had it happen to me when I was notified of a 'card present' transaction that was in LA while I was home in Minnesota. Credit card company actually caught the transaction and blocked it right away. The Chip function in modern cards eliminates this problem as the merchant never has your credentials, they get a one time token when the chip is read. Add a PIN number to the card so people that swipe your physical card can't use it and you are all but fraud proof (with the physical card at least).

 

[jamiel]

I know your pain....after losing a lovely Hartmann wallet in Brazil in 1999, I was gifted a simple lowly promotional wallet from the cellular carrier in Uruguay...it was really a gimme wallet...out of the closet at the office. Well, after 18 years I am still using it...only now is one of the seams getting loose. There is a real tradition of fine leatherwork in Uruguay/Argentina....and this wallet-which-wont die is testimony. Husband Brian uses a mangy Fossil wallet which he bought in Toronto at The Bay...he carries it in his front pocket so it's thick...it had a coin purse which he liked.

 

[mattl]

It's funny, wallets are one of those things you rarely think about, but now I'm giving it a lot of thought for some reason.  I will go out and look at some variations, as now I realize may needs might have changed.  Thanks for the input -  - -

 

[ptcruiser51]

zippered shut

I saw these on Amazon for a reasonable price I bought two, knowing how these things disappear from the market after awhile. It has windows for pix and licenses. Slots for crecit cards. Two sections for bills. I'm very happy with this; I rarely make visits to places where my wallet gets stolen - if you get my drift.

 

[rp2813]

I've usually found replacement wallets at stores like Marshall's, TJ Maxx, etc.  They usually have scads of them arranged on tables. 

 

I prefer a traditional billfold that makes it easy to pull it out, unfold once, and open the pocket to select the necessary bills.  My main requirement is for it to be slim as opposed to bulky, and I also like the flip-over windowed cover over one side of credit card sleeves that my current wallet has.  I have my driver's license inserted in that window pocket upside down, so when anyone wants ID, I just flip that over so my DL presents to them right side up without having to remove it or turn my whole wallet around.

 

 

[sudsmaster]

Is that a new wallet, or are you just happy to see me?

 

[jp10558]

BigSkinny wallets are pretty nice if you can get them at a good price --- if you can get them at all, they seem to go out of stock a bit. As to Chinese knock offs, check out aliexpress - it might take a month, but if you've got the app on your phone, the prices plus the random mobile only discounts can make things like wallets very price attractive if you're OK with a cheapish no name brand. Some of the things like wallets are quite nice for $20 or less, but I can't really speak to how long they last. I pre-emptively bought a big skinny and some from aliexpress, but my fossil wallet I thought was dying hasn't actually failed yet! And it's been a year or 2...

 

[vacerator]

Whats in your wallet?

Samuel L Jackson in "The Kingsman" baby Give It Up- na na na na na na na.
Bill collectors at my door, what can you do for me? Your sugar may be sweet, but not much good if your pockets are empty. Aint nothing goin on but the rent, ya gotta have a J. O. B. if you wanna be with me.
No romance without finance. Gwynn Guthrie

 

[xraytech]

I don't carry a wallet per se, I bought a very nice leather check book cover at Wilson Leather. It has three pockets the can accommodate cash, I use 2 for cash and one to hold a book or two of stamps. it also has an area with a windowed slot for my drivers lisence, as well as 6 more slots that I keep my insurance card, MasterCard, Sams Club membership card, and a few business cards.

 

At the age of 30 I'm an odd one that Refuses to have a debit card, credit card is used for online purchases, and an occasional large in person purchase. All my transactions are either cash or check, except for gas I buy BP gift cards so I can pay at the pump without the risk of a skimmer stealing my info.

 

I still hand deliver my mortgage, car, and insurance payments in person monthly, and I stop by the bank weekly to cash a check made to cash to have spending money.

 

[mattl]

Ah, you sound much like my cousin I mentioned above.  If it works for you that is great, I think my cousin likes the interaction with the people he deals with, so that is a plus.