Standard wallets often end up busting at the seams as they bulge with business cards, credit cards, receipts, and cash. But as the digital age is streamlining many of your financial transactions, you can streamline your wallet, too. Today’s new slim wallets, also called “minimalist wallets,” won’t hold everything your old wallet held, but you don’t need that stuff anymore—nor do you need that brick in your back pocket.
The best slim wallets fit comfortably in a front pocket, a breast pocket, or even a purse. The best one for you will depend on your style, the essentials you need to keep with you, and whether you want added protection for your financial information. Ahead, learn what slim wallets have to offer, and find out why one of the following deserves a spot in your pocket.
- BEST OVERALL: TRAVANDO Money Clip Wallet “RIO” slim RFID Bifold
- BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: FurArt Slim Minimalist Wallet RFID Blocking
- BEST PASSPORT WALLET: Bellroy Travel Passport Wallet, RFID Blocking
- BEST METAL WALLET: The Ridge Slim Minimalist RFID Blocking Metal Wallet
- BEST MONEY-CLIP WALLET: RUNBOX Slim Wallet with Money Clip RFID Blocking
- BEST CARD-CASE WALLET: FIDELO Slim Credit Card Holder RFID Wallet
- BEST SLEEVE WALLET: Urban Tribe Compact RFID Sleeve Wallet
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Slim Wallet
Men and women are making the switch to slim wallets. There’s one for every taste and style to fit easily into a pocket, purse, or backpack. Consider the following factors when choosing the best slim wallet for your needs and lifestyle.
Material
The material of your slim wallet is a top consideration. It affects the look and durability as well as how easy it will be to keep your wallet clean. Slim wallets come in a variety of materials, each with its benefits.
- Leather: A common material for slim wallets, leather is soft and flexible, so you may not even feel a slim leather wallet if you sit on it. Leather is also durable and comes in many attractive designs.
- Faux leather: It’s difficult to tell some of today’s faux leathers from the real thing. They look similar, and they’re nearly as durable. Slim wallets made from faux leather are flexible, stylish, and come in various styles to suit your look.
- Metal: Lightweight aluminum and titanium, usually in black, gray, or silver, are the metals of choice for wallets that are both slender and strong. Metal wallets are easy to slip in and out of your pocket or purse and easy to keep clean. However, these wallets might scratch your smartphone screen if you carry them together.
- Carbon fiber: One of the newer components of slim wallets, carbon fiber consists of thin carbon filaments interwoven with other materials. It’s robust and stiff yet lightweight. Carbon fiber slim wallets are classy, stylish, and three times as strong as steel.
- Canvas: This heavy cotton fabric is also called “duck” or “duck cloth” in the textile industry. It’s durable but not as durable as other wallet materials. It’s also not as easy to keep clean. But a slim canvas wallet has a natural look, a measure of flexibility, and comes in many colors and designs.
Style
Style is about more than just good looks when it comes to slim wallets. The wallet style you choose will determine what you can carry and how easy it is to access.
- Cardholder: If you need to carry more than six cards, consider a cardholder designed to hold 12 cards or more. This type of wallet may also feature a small cash pocket.
- Bifold: The most common style in slim wallets, a bifold wallet folds evenly in half. When unfolded, it usually features a thin pocket that holds flat bills, and it will likely come with slots for holding cards.
- Trifold: Designed to be compact, a slim trifold wallet folds neatly into thirds. It’s small enough to slip into a shirt pocket or front or back pants pocket. It usually includes a thin pocket for flat bills, but some feature an inside slot for folded bills instead. In addition to bills, trifolds usually hold four to six cards.
- Passport: Slightly larger when folded than a skinny bifold or trifold wallet, a passport wallet is designed to hold your passport as well as your identification and any other essentials. It will measure a minimum of 5.5 inches by 3.75 inches to accommodate a U.S. passport.
- Sleeve: The simplest of all slim wallet styles, a sleeve wallet is often just a smidgen larger than a credit card and comes with slots along the top and sides for inserting cards or folded dollar bills.
- Phone: These wallets serve a dual purpose: They feature a case for a smartphone with an attached pocket on the back side for carrying a couple of cards or folded bills. When purchasing a phone wallet, be sure to get one suited to your specific brand and model of phone.
- Cases: Hard wallet cases will hold up to six cards and folded bills. They close securely with a latch. With a hard case, you don’t have to worry about cards falling out in your purse or pocket.
RFID Blocking
Short for “radio frequency identification,” RFID chips are embedded in most of today’s credit and debit cards, and determined thieves can steal the information contained in the chip by using a remote device called an RFID reader. If identity theft is a significant concern for you, look into buying an RFID-blocking wallet to keep your financial information safe.
Accessories
In addition to the basic styles, slim wallets may come with a few accessories. Keep in mind that added accessories, such as a zippered coin pouch or a money clip, will add some bulk to the wallet, making it slightly less slim.
Our Top Picks
To qualify as a top pick, a slim wallet must be thin—no more than half as thick as a traditional wallet—and it must still hold a few cards and at least a couple of bills. It should be well made and durable, and if it features RFID blocking, that’s a bonus. The following slim wallets fit that description, each with its own unique features.
Photo: amazon.com
The TRAVANDO Slim Front Pocket Card Holder features RFID blocking in an attractive leather cover with a metal emblem. This bifold wallet measures just 4.7 inches by 3 inches and is only 0.7 inches thick (empty), so it will slip easily into a front pocket. It comes with seven card slots—six on the inside and one on the outside for easy access to your most-used card. The stainless steel money clip on the inside will securely hold a few bills. The TRAVANDO provides RFID protection to help keep your financial information safe.
Photo: amazon.com
You don’t have to spend a lot on a slim wallet for your ID and cards. The FurArt Slim Minimalist Wallet’s sleeve design includes six staggered card slots, a transparent window for your ID, and a pocket for a couple of bills. The FurArt wallet measures just 3.15 inches by 4.6 inches. It’s only a quarter-inch thick when empty. It comes with a nonslip “D” buckle that you can attach to a keychain or a strap inside a backpack or purse for added security. The slim wallet features RFID blocking, and it comes in several colors.
Photo: amazon.com
This is the slim wallet for travelers or anyone who wants a little extra space. Despite its small size (6.02 inches by 3.86 inches by 0.51 inches), the inside pocket of this bifold wallet holds a standard U.S. passport. You’ll also find slots for up to 10 cards, a hidden compartment for bills or tickets, and a micro pen. RFID blocking will keep your cards safe while you jet set. The sleek top-grain leather and minimalist design will fit comfortably in a breast pocket or front pocket.
Photo; amazon.com
The Ridge Slim Minimalist Metal Wallet will never stretch out as some overstuffed fabric wallets can. It can hold up to 12 cards in its RFID-protected case. The money clip on the back secures a few bills. At just 3.39 inches by 2.13 inches by 0.24 inches, it’s about as wide and long as a credit card. This robust yet slim wallet slips easily into a front, breast, or pants pocket.
Photo: amazon.com
At just 2.8 inches by 4 inches and less than half an inch thick, the RUNBOX Slim Wallet will comfortably slip into a breast pocket or a front pants pocket. It holds up to 10 cards and up to 20 bills in its bifold interior. An exterior pocket holds your most-used card for quick access. The convenient transparent window lets you show your ID on the fly. This durable leather wallet includes RFID blocking to protect you from electronic pickpocketing.
Photo: amazon.com
The sleek FIDELO Slim Credit Card RFID Wallet protects cards from electronic theft in style. Made from heavy-duty ballistic nylon and carbon fiber, this card case is as rugged as it is chic. It holds up to five cards along with a few extra bills in the silicone-lined elastic cash bands. The detachable metal money clip will hold additional folded bills. The FIDELO slim wallet measures just 4.3 inches by 2.9 inches by 1 inch (with the money clip attached).
Photo: amazon.com
The Compact RFID Sleeve Wallet from Urban Tribe holds up to 10 cards, as well as folded bills, in its expandable slots. The transparent window on the outside keeps your ID handy. A fast-access slot on the other side keeps your most-used card at your fingertips. This durable top-grain leather sleeve wallet comes with RFID blocking to keep your financial information safe. It measures just 4.02 inches by 3.03 inches and is only 0.39 inches thick.
FAQs About Slim Wallets
You can simplify your life and reduce bulk by switching from a standard wallet to a slim one. If this is your first slim wallet, check out our answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Q. How do I keep my wallet slim?
Pare down the cards and bills you carry with you to just the essential ones to keep from overstuffing your wallet.
Q. Where should I keep my wallet?
You can carry a slim wallet in a back pants pocket like a standard wallet, but they’re also small enough to fit in most front pants pockets, breast pockets, and small purses.
Q. Is it bad to sit on your wallet?
Some health professionals, including chiropractors, warn that sitting on a thick wallet may cause you to sit with your spine crooked, which could eventually lead to back pain.
Q. What should you not carry in your wallet?
For the slimmest look and feel, carry only a handful of your most essential cards and a few bills in your wallet—skip the spare key, and don’t pack it full of business cards. To minimize identity theft if the wallet is lost or stolen, it’s also a good idea not to carry your Social Security card or notes containing your online passwords.
