What You Should NOT Put in Your Wallet

 Wallets are an accessory and a fashion statement. But at their core, they’re storage. They’re designed to hold IDs and financial items (cash, credit cards, etc.), and keep them with you at all times in a secure, easy to manage location. Even our award winning thin wallets are still expected to hold as many as 12+ cards, cash, and much more – even a micropen – all in a way that fits in your pocket.

So we know what you can bring with you in a wallet. But what about what you *shouldn’t* carry with you. What are the items that ideally should not be in your wallet, along with recommendations for other items you may not want to bring with you.

Items and Documents Not to Carry in Your Wallet

Wallets are designed for cards and cash. But they’re not meant to hold onto everything that fits within it. There are some items that you should absolutely do your best to leave at home. These include:

• Social Security Card – There is essentially no reason to carry a social security card with you. It is a high risk document that no one ever asks for, and carrying it with you opens you up to credit card theft.
• Explicit Photograph of a Loved One – You can cancel credit cards. You can earn back cash. You can’t undo other people seeing the pictures that you keep with you in your pocket, and you also don’t want any photos to be in the hands of someone you do not trust. Keep them at home.
• Checks – There is no reason to carry checks with you. Doing so puts you at extreme risk of theft, and rarely are you going to be in a situation where you need to pull out a check. You should only carry a check on you if you know you’ll need to pay with one, and only carry one.
• Personal Identifying Information – Many of us throw our receipts or medical documents into our wallet without knowing what’s on them. The problem with these receipts and paperwork is that we also tend not to care about them, which means that if they fall on the ground we may not pick it up or know its missing. The last thing you want is for someone to get ahold of a bank statement with identifying info because you dropped it without noticing. Rip them up and trash them or keep them at home.

These are the items that do not need to be in your wallet for any reason, except to transport it to a place that it absolutely has to be that same day. Anything else should stay at home, and – if you must bring something like a check – make sure it’s already written out to the person in dark ink.

Items You May Not Want to Carry With You

Most of our Allett Wallets have RFID blockers, which makes it much safer to carry cards on you. Our wallets also use an anti-slip grip, so your cards are at very little risk of falling out of your wallet when properly handled. We also sell front pocket wallets, which are harder for thieves to steal. All of these safety features mean that, as long as your wallet is on your person, your identifying information is safer than it would be in other types of wallets.

But there are still recommendations that many experts make about what you should or should not carry in your wallet. Here are some additional recommendations:

• Too Many Cards – Imagine your credit cards do get stolen. If you’re carrying 12 cards on you, will you know to call them all? Do you think you can call and cancel them all before any of them are used? The fewer cards you have, the less labor it will be if something does happen to your wallet.
• Lots of Cash – Carrying cash is great. Our RFID wallets fit loads of cash. But you should still ask yourself if you really need that much cash. The more cash you carry, the more you can lose, and the more you may even attract attention depending on where you’re spending your time.
• Debit Card – The famous forger, Frank Abagnale, recommends against bringing a debit card anywhere. Credit cards are easier to cancel and reimburse for theft, and so if something happens to your card, you still have all your cash and your CC company won’t charge you for the stolen purchases. But if someone steals your debit card, you could run into a situation where all your cash is gone. Credit cards that you pay back right away can be very advantageous. Just make sure you make good financial decisions.

These are additional items that you may not want to carry with you in your wallet. But what about the items that you should carry?

• Drivers License
• 1-3 Cards (Optional Debit Card)
• Health Insurance Card
• Business Cards
• Card Insurance Card Copy
• Cash

These are the items that are safest to carry with you at all times. RFID block wallets will also protect your cards from theft, and – if someone does somehow steal your wallet – you’ll have a much easier time canceling these documents and replacing what was lost.

Find your next secure wallet today at Allett Wallets.