Best Smart Wallet for Men
You may have noticed that there’s a recent trend in men’s fashion towards minimalist or smart wallets.
Just like the smartphone came to market and reshaped what we think a phone is capable of, the smart wallet is here to do the same for men’s wallets.
Packed with features such as RFID blocking and location tracking, smart wallets are essential in this digital age, and they are usually compact enough to comfortably fit into any pocket.
Let’s dive into our top picks for best smart wallet for men. Here they are…
👑 Our Pick for Best Overall
⭐ Our Other Picks for Best Smart Wallet for Men
- Best of the Best: Ekster: Parliament
- Runner Up: Nomad Wallet
- Best on a Budget: Serman Brands
Best Smart Wallet for Men Reviews
Ekster: Parliament (👑 Best of the Best)
Our top pick for the best men’s smart wallet is the Ekster Parliament, which boasts an elegant design and a host of useful features.
If you’re someone who sees wallets as a fashion accessory as much as a functional way to store money and cards, then this sleek smart wallet could be just what you need. You can elevate your style with this minimalist wallet from Ekster that combines good looks with sophisticated electronics.
Starting with the exterior, this smart wallet is made from high-quality top grain leather and comes in six different colors. It’s also built using tanned under gold-rated LWG-certified protocols and reinforced with 6063 T5 aluminum for a robust finish. As a result, what you end up with is a wallet that’s both incredibly compact and easy to store, but also one which looks like it wouldn’t be out of place in a high-end designer clothes store. The last thing worth mentioning on the minimalist exterior of the wallet is the trigger mechanism in the bottom left-hand corner which once pressed will pop your cards out so you can grab them without fumbling inside your wallet trying to pull them out. This is one of the best features of the wallet, since quick access is exactly what you want when you are at the ATM or at the front of a long queue waiting to pay. Plus, there’s no denying that it looks and feels cool to flip up your cards at the press of a button.
Now to the interior of the wallet, the part which qualifies it as a smart wallet. Unlike your standard wallet, smart wallets like this one have several electronic features that protect you from fraud and more. In terms of storage, you’ll have a couple of card slots in the cover as well as a strap which is for storing notes. While we might be moving towards a contactless payment world, for now cash is still very much useful so it’s nice that there’s a space for it in this wallet. Then you have the aluminium cardholder which has space for 4-6 cards. In total, the brand claims you will be able to store as many as 10+ cards in this wallet, which isn’t bad considering how slim it is.
Now let’s get into the technology of this smart wallet, since that’s where its true value lies. With the Ekster Parliament you’ll have RFID-blocking, location tracking, and app compatibility. The RFID blocking makes it easy to justify walking around with all of your cards wherever you are, and the extra security it provides should be welcome. Location tracking is made possible courtesy of Chipolo, which is a popular tracking service with global coverage. The range is 200 feet, and you can connect the chip with the Chipolo app on your phone for extra functionality. For example, you can have the wallet play a sound when you want to find your wallet fast. The app can also be used alongside Google Assistant and Alexa, which can come in handy.
Finally, Ekster offers a 100% guarantee and disclaimer with this smart wallet, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Features:
- Quick access
- Stores 10+ cards
- RFID blocking
- Location tracking
- Top grain leather and aluminium design
- 100% 30-day money-back guarantee
- WHY WE CHOSE IT AS OUR TOP PICK:
- The Ekster parliament smart wallet looks like what you’d hope the future of wallets would be: stylish, compact, and full of useful technology to make your life easier.
- If you want convenience, then there’s no matching the quick access design of this wallet and the slim build.
- The RFID blocking, location tracking, and app compatibility of this wallet make it an excellent option.
Here are the reasons we chose the Ekster Parliament as the top smart wallet for men:
Nomad Wallet (🥈 Runner Up)
The Nomad Wallet is our runner up pick for the best men’s smart wallet, and it’s a great option for the frequent traveler.
If you constantly travel for work or leisure, and you want a wallet that works for your lifestyle, then the Nomad wallet could be just what you need. The last thing you want to be doing as you travel is carrying around a heavy wallet that creates a bulge in your pocket and weighs you down. To keep things as streamlined and comfortable as possible, you’ll want a compact wallet that has space for cards and not much more. That way, there’ll be no awkward interactions at checkout as you stumble to get your money out and no spilling change on the floor as you go to pay for your coffee.
It’s hard to go wrong with the classic leather bifold aesthetic when it comes to men’s wallets, and the Nomad wallet pulls that look off exceptionally well. The wallet is made from vegetable-tanned Horween leather that has been imbued with natural oils and waxes, and you can buy the wallet in either black or brown. Most worthy of mention though is the TileSlim smart tracking device which is fitted in a concealed pocket in the leather. This TileSlim smart tracking is concealed because it makes it harder for thieves to find it and remove it. With this smart tracking, you can use the Tile app to do a variety of things from seeing the last known location of the wallet on a map to reminders not to leave your wallet behind.
The Nomad wallet has space for up to 12 cards despite its slim design, and also has several extra pockets for you to store notes in. Though the brand recommends that you don’t carry more than seven at a time, to keep the wallet in its compact shape.
Features:
- Horween leather
- Stores up to 12 cards
- Cash sleeve
- Tile Slim tracking
- App compatibility
Serman Brands (💸 Best on a Budget)
The Serman Brands smart wallet is our pick for the best option on a budget, so if you’re strapped for cash but still need a place to store it, this is a solid wallet to choose.
This smart wallet is made from genuine leather and features a nity pull tab which will help you get your cards out without any fumbling around necessary. As such, if you’re looking to downsize on your current bulky wallet or dip your toes in the water of the smart wallet world, then it’s a handy option. Being able to easily access your cards is one of the most important factors when picking out a wallet, since if there’s one thing all men hate it’s trying to get to your cash or cards that are wedged into your wallet and won’t budge.
You’ll be able to store up to eight cards in this compact wallet, which should be more than enough for daily use. Once you have your main payment cards safely stored away, you’ll also have space for your coffee shop loyalty card, travel card, and any other important cards you like to have on hand as you go about your day. You can also choose from one of 12 different colors for your wallet, so you can pick the best style for your wardrobe and fashion sense. The wallet features the classic bi-fold design, so it should feel familiar from day one.
So what makes this wallet smart, you may be asking at this point. Well, it’s the RFID blocking that grants this wallet the smart title, and this is a very useful feature to have. For a budget-friendly wallet, this is an excellent feature since it will protect your valuable card information and protect your identity. Even if you don’t need location tracking or some of the other features that smart wallets provide, you could at least invest in RFID technology since it keeps your money safe. There’s also a money clip that will keep your hard cash secure, in case you still need to carry some around.
Features:
- Available in 12 colors
- Bifold design
- Made from genuine leather
- Pull strap
- Money clip
- RFID blocking
- Stores up to 8 cards
Ultimate Guide
Smart wallets are slowly redefining the world of wallets, just like smart phones did with mobile phones.
If you are used to carrying around an awkwardly heavy and bulky wallet that creates a bulge in your pocket, then you’ll be relieved to know that this problem has been addressed with the invention of the smart wallet.
Compact, sleek, and full of technological features, the smart wallet is the future, so now’s as good a time as any to jump on board and invest in one yourself.
There’s just one problem: if the smart wallet is relatively new, how are you supposed to know what to look for?
Well, we’re here to help with that, and in this buyer’s guide you’ll find all the information you need to make an informed decision when the time comes.
Design
The first factor we’re going to focus on is the design of the smart wallet.
After all, a wallet serves a very specific purpose so the design is integral to its functionality.
If you need something that fits in your pocket easily and has room for all your cards and some cash, then the design of the wallet has to be compact.
Fortunately, most smart wallets have an attractive minimalist design and are paper thin so you shouldn’t have any issues in that respect. As for the other design issues to consider, let’s take a look at each in detail.
Card Storage
There are those men who are truly minimalist and only ever carry around two cards at a time, and then there are those who use loyalty cards, travel cards, and gym cards on a regular basis. Based on which camp you fall in, you’re going to need to pick the right amount of card storage.
Most smart wallets have space for at least five cards, but there are several which can hold more than 10.
Card Access
What use is having multiple cards in your wallet if you can’t get to any single one of them easily?
Quick access to your cards is something that a lot of smart wallet manufacturers realize is hugely important to men. As such, many smart wallets will have pull tabs or quick release triggers that allow you to take out your cards with ease.
Note Clips
While we are moving in the direction of a completely contactless world in which paper money is a thing of the past, cash is still useful from time to time.
If you’re going to need to carry notes around with you for whatever reason, then we highly recommend that you invest in a smart wallet with a note clip or sleeve to make your life easy.
Features
As important as the design of the wallet is, when you think of something smart your mind instantly explores all the technological possibilities that the device offers.
After all, it isn’t a smart product if it doesn’t implement technology in a cool way, right?
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most common technological features of smart wallets.
RFID Blocking
RFID is an acronym you may be familiar with, and in case you aren’t it stands for radio-frequency identification.
Why would you want to block RFID?
Well, because thieves can use devices to steal your card data digitally using radio-frequency identification.
While you might think that this scenario is unlikely, if you’re carrying around your credit cards all over the world then the extra protection can’t hurt.
This is one of the most popular features of smart wallets, since it offers an extra level of security to the cards you decide to store in the wallet.
Location Tracking
Another useful feature associated with many smart wallets is location tracking.
Location tracking is helpful for multiple reasons.
First, it can help you find your wallet when you’ve misplaced it by showing you its last location on a map (if you use an app).
Second, it can help you track the wallet if it happens to get stolen.
Combine this with useful app functions such as sounding an alarm from the wallet and all kinds of voice assistant compatibility and you’re going to have a hard time losing your smart wallet.
Wireless Charging
A less common feature with smart wallets, but a useful one nonetheless, is wireless charging.
Some smart wallets will have a power bank built in which allows you to recharge your smartphone or other devices while you’re out and about.
This is of course great for those who travel a lot and always find themselves short of phone battery life.
Using the power bank, some smart wallets will also let you charge your phone without even plugging it in. As such, you’ll be able to keep your phone constantly at full charge without a cable in sight, which will come as a relief to those who want to carry as few items as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions About Smart Wallets
What do smart wallets do?
Most of us have a smartphone on us at all times, but did you know that there are also smart wallets too?
A smart wallet is just like your standard wallet except it has additional features such as RFID blocking and usually a more minimalist design.
If you like the idea of having a wallet that prevents identity fraud and can be easily found if misplaced or stolen, then the smart wallet could be a sound investment.
Is smart wallet good?
The question of whether smart wallets are good or not is a lot similar to the question surrounding smartphones.
Sure, you don’t need a smartphone as a regular phone does the job just fine, but how would you cope without apps for navigation, touch screen functionality, and other smart phone features?
The smart wallet is a more sophisticated option than the standard option that comes with all the bells and whistles, such as RFID blocking.
What is the best smart wallet for men?
In our view, it’s hard to look further than the stylish Ekster Parliament smart wallet.
This classy-looking wallet has an elegant leather design, and is packed full of useful features such as location tracking and RFID blocking.
It’s also compact, which means it should slide in and out of your pocket comfortably, so you can say goodbye to the days of lugging around an awkwardly bulky wallet.
A Final Word From The Trending Man
Smart wallets are here to stay, so if you want to stay with the times then it might be time to consider investing in one.
The minimalist wallets are designed for convenience, and have plenty of features which could make your life a lot easier.
