Best Minimalist Wallet for 2022 – CNET [CNET]

In the immortal words of George Costanza, a wallet is “an organizer, a secretary and a friend.” However, we all know that the traditional wallet is essentially an overstuffed leather clamshell that can easily turn into an evil oppressor. A big, old-school bulky wallet can weigh you down — both physically and emotionally — and can become a place where you hide (and forget about) expired credit cards, old receipts, business cards and ticket stubs.

That’s where the minimalist wallet comes in. It’s a diverse breed of lightweight, super svelte containers designed to accommodate only your most critically essential everyday carry items: some money, an ID card and a few credit or debit cards. The best minimalist slim wallets combine a stylish appearance, durable construction and — most importantly — a design that forces you to be ruthlessly economical in your choices about what to carry around every day. With that in mind, we’ve put together this list to help you find the best minimalist wallet.

The minimalist wallet category itself has, ironically, become jam-packed with thousands of designs being sold online and in stores by well-known brands, high-end boutiques and Chinese upstarts. Most of these minimal wallet styles cost between $10 and $40. But there are plenty of wallets with a minimalist design that cost $100 or more — often built from heavy-duty materials, like high-quality leather, or stocked with extra features, like a bottle opener or multitool. So if you’re looking for a compact wallet with a slim profile design that does “more,” you’re not hurting for choices.

Though there are plenty of bifold and trifold thin wallet options, we’re mostly focused on one-panel design wallets here. These usually hold between four and 10 credit and debit cards, though some do it more artfully than others. Many come in a variety of fabrics and colors, while some are hybrids, which combine wallet and money clip or elastic band. Most offer some type of RFID blocking technology, which is advertised as a protective measure against electronic pickpocketing, like scammers skimming data stored on your contactless credit cards. (That may be an overblown concern, however.)

We’ve put them through their paces, with an eye on quality, durability, style, functionality and price. Take a look at our minimalist wallet recommendations below, which we’ll update as we test new products. And if you ditched your bulky, old wallet for one of these (or a similar thin wallet), tell me about your experience with it in the comments.

Other minimalist wallet options