5 Must and 5 Never Things to Carry in Your Wallet

Top 5 “must" items to carry in your wallet

• Identification
• Credit Cards (only the critical 3-4 needed)
• Insurance Card
• Emergency Cash
• Most used discount/membership cards

Top 5 “never” items to carry in your wallet

• Checks/checkbook
• Social Security Card
• Too much cash
• Passwords or codes
• USB stick or memory card

Easy enough, these top 5 must and 5 never things to carry in your wallet lists are all you need.  Making a conscious choice every day in what you carry brings dividends in knowing what you always have available and what you could lose.

Optional items to carry could include baby or family pictures are it’s been proven that if you loose your wallet and have a picture in it, it’s more likely to be returned.

Regarding cash you carry, don’t expect to use it for change, almost nobody carries smaller bills for cash exchange anymore. This is smart since credit cards, if stolen, can be replaced and any illicit usage is covered by the bank due to consumer protection laws.  But if you’ve got a wad of cash, you’re out of luck. A report from Bankrate.com says that approximately 8 out of 10 people carry less than $50 in their wallet on a regular basis with almost 50% carrying less than $20, including the VERY smart 9% who don’t carry ANY cash at all.  These truly are the smart folks.  But that said, it’s always good to carry in your wallet an emergency $20 just in case.

Some of the more obvious items NOT to carry include birth certificates, bank account numbers and routing information, spare keys to anything you own, receipts (as they can help a thief put your credit card and account information together) and ATM cards.  Remember, an ATM card is not the same as a Credit Card.  An ATM card is your Debit Card and provides direct access to your bank account, which is never good.  Credit Cards keep them at arms length from your cash.

If you need help in figuring out if you need to carry all you have, you can refer to our Wallet Audit article.​