Best wallet 2022: top wallets, sleeves and billfolds for your cards and cash
Loose change will wear out your trouser pockets. Want a better way to cache your cash? The best wallets will take care of your plastic and shrapnel in style.
From card sleeves to coin holders, the list below features our pick of the top wallets for every buyer and budget. So whether you want something streamlined, sumptuous or sustainable, you should find a billfold to fit the bill below.
And if you’re not sure how to pick the right pouch, we’ve also included a few top tips to consider when shopping for a wallet. Because it pays to be sure before putting in your pounds.
Buying tips
Cash and carry
Most wallets have space for banknotes, while some feature separate coin compartments. Committed to the cashless economy? Streamline your pocket load with a card-only carrier.
Asset management
Internal dividers can bring order to your monetary ensemble, but lots of card slots will fatten your wallet’s waistline. The slimmest sleeves sacrifice some structure to keep their dimensions down.
Real skim shady
Contactless crime is rare. Still, RFID blocking stops fast-fingered Fagins from skimming your bank details. Full shielding ensures security, while one unprotected pocket means you can still tap to pay.
Material wealth
Quids can come and go, but a good wallet should last a lifetime. Fabric folders offer durability, while leather shells will take on a natural patina from your clammy hands.
Sterling sleeves
The rubber rider: Evenodd Slim Card Wallet
Repeated punctures will punch a hole in your purse. This slender accessory won’t reinforce your wheels, but it does put deflated bike tyres to good use. Rinsed, cut and sewn, it’s crafted from reclaimed inner tubes. Each water-resistant wallet wears a unique finish from life on the road, while custom monogramming means you can add the stamp of your peloton.
The pop-up pocket: Jekyll & Hide Slim Card Slide
There’s nothing slick about fishing for cards. Luckily, this compact container makes it a cinch for fat fingers to find the right piece of plastic. Clad in full-grain leather, its milled aluminium frame features a pop-up mechanism. Thumb the little lever and it’ll raise your collection for easy selection. So no more pulling out your bus pass at the till.
The banking belt: Trove Wallet
A rubber band is the ultimate in minimalist money management, but one snap and you’ll pay for paring back. For storage that’s stretchy but sturdy, try this reversible wrap. Reinforced with two layers of leather, the elastic belt securely grips your banking bits. Use its three slots to stash cash, cards and keys, or reverse it for more paper space.
Financial folders
The fruity folio: Oliver Co Premium Compact Wallet
Apple products are renowned for swallowing wonga and this bijou billfold is no exception. Nine pockets mean it’s sorted to the core, but a generous storage capacity isn’t the only surprise. What looks like a lambskin finish is actually the product of an orchard: combined with poly-cotton canvas, its shell contains surplus pomace and peel harvested from fruit juice factories.
The seamless sheath: Bellroy Apex Note Sleeve
A bulging billfold might be a sign of success, but over-stuffing can lead to unfortunate creases. This leather sleeve is pre-moulded for a perfect fit, no stretching necessary. Sculpted sides maximise capacity from day one, while a streamlined interior keeps bulk to a minimum. Bonded by heat instead of chunky stitching, its five-slot setup limits the volume of leather occupying your pocket. Hidden magnets complete the unwrinkled look, belying the state of your bank account.
The classic cardholder: Herschel Roy
Financial efficiency starts with a practical moneybag. Slim and simple, this pared-back portefeuille is a lesson in functional understatement. Labelled with a woven patch, the fabric flapper features a straightforward set of storage sleeves inside. But Herschel isn’t completely frugal with design flourishes: the lining is striped like a candy cane, with a natty seam tab to match. How extravagant.
Coin containers
The recycled receptacle: Bearmade Zero Waste Wallet
Want a compact coin pocket with eco credentials? You could sew your own from an old jeans pocket. Or you could let Bearmade fashion one from its cotton offcuts. Rather than bin the leftovers from its backpack workshop, they’re transformed into weatherproof pouches. And unlike your average pair of denims, its durable dry-waxed shell isn’t treated with any nasty chemicals.
The woolly wallet: Fjällräven Norrvåge
Trust a sheep with your tender and it might go the way of grass. Trust this furry purse and your money won’t get munched. Its rugged fabric finish is made using wool waste from textile production, while the lining blends recycled polyester and organic cotton. With a pop-shut compartment and zippered coin slot, it’s a fleecy sheath worth bleating about.
The spacious sporran: Harber Leather Zip Pouch
The Doctor’s blue box isn’t the only container with deceiving dimensions. Take this capacious pouch: despite its modest proportions, the leather zip-top can harbour 25 cards, or a fat stack of folded bills. Hewn in Spain from full-grain leather, the main chamber also features a pair of pockets – one for your interstellar shillings and the other for your TARDIS key.
Chris Rowlands
Freelance contributor 
