Tag: loyalty cards

Ah, the wallet — a staple of back pockets and handbags for decades, filled with credit cards, loyalty cards, ID and more. But times are changing and big, bulky wallets aren’t the necessity they once were.

Those wallet-sized photos once proudly carried in the wallet have transitioned to your smartphone. Now everything else is, too, from your payment cards to your driver’s license.

That means you can downsize to smaller options for the cards you still have to carry while also making it harder to lose, thanks to tracking tech. Remember that Father’s Day is right around the corner, so maybe it’s time to give the gift of a wallet upgrade.

Welcome to the future of wallets

While I love new technology and try to be an early adopter as often as (financially) possible, some things for me have been harder to let go of.

I had one of the very first smartwatches years ago, called the Pebble, and upgraded to the Apple Watch when the first generation was released. Even so, it still took me a long time to transition away from my classic analog Seiko watch.

The same goes for my classic leather wallet. Even though it’s filled with cards I don’t need, I’ve stuck with it — until now.

Ekster Aluminum Cardholder

While many brands make minimalist wallets, including options for a front pocket, there was something different about versions made by Ekster which I learned first-hand with a couple of different wallets the company sent me to review. Let’s go over the basics first …

While Ekster makes more of a traditional bifold wallet, it’s the company’s series of cardholders that really stand out: the Parliament Wallet, Senate Cardholder and the recently-released Aluminum Cardholder. It’s the latter we’ll be focusing on here, with some of these key features:

• Made of space-grade aluminum
• Holds up to six cards in the main cardholder, and up to nine more in the expandable backplate
• RFID-blocking plate prevents wireless theft
• Elastic band that can keep cash in place

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