[upstatedoc]

Had a little scare this morning when I couldn't find my wallet, went to the grocery store last night so i knew the last place I used it. it was not in any of my regular spots where I normally keep it which are few. It wasn't in my "man bag" nor any coat pockets or on the counter. checked both cars, nothing. SHIT! started sweating a little when I checked another compartment of my bag and it was there. my question is has anyone ever lost a wallet for good? what a major hassle, I probably would have called into work. I mean, I don't keep my SS card in there but i do have 2 credit cards, my DL, pistol permit, AAA card, health ins cards, sams club card, gas saver card and usually very little cash. would it help if I took pictures of the content of my wallet in case, heaven forbid, it does disappear someday? anyone have a contingency plan?

[Conissah]

I never carry cash, and keep very few things in my wallet. All of my rewards (gas, groceries, etc.) are attached to my phone number. I have the cards in my wallet, but they never get used. As for bank cards, I have 2. My debit card and my credit card, both are through my actual bank. I have my banks app on my phone, and use it very frequently, so if I were to lose my wallet, I simply logon and go to the cards and flip a switch to turn them off. No one can spend my money, yay!

I do have a health insurance card in mine as well, but it rarely gets used, and it's easy to request a replacement. If I had a ton of cards or lots of private info in my wallet, I would be upset about it. But since I don't, it would be a slight inconvenience.

Also, I have my card linked to my phone. So if I desperately needed to make a purchase, I could enable my card, and use Google Pay, and then turn my card back off. Not the end of the world. I would surely be upset, but in a weeks time I would have all my junk back.

[2000cs]

1. Don’t lose your wallet or its contents
2. Register for all credit cards with the issuer so they can be electronically managed including disabled
2.a. Set notifications for each card when used (mine are at $1.00) so if lost/stolen you know right away if misused and can act to cancel the card(s).
3. Photo of the front and back of each important document in the wallet, clear enough to capture phone number to call if lost
3.a. Phone backed up and use a strong phone password to access phone
4. Really think hard about what is in your wallet. I only carry the cards etc I plan to use that day and keep the rest safe at home. A thin wallet is easier on my, um, hip.
5. Never lose your wallet.

[2000cs]

Here’s another little tip: If you take something out of your wallet, put it back in the same spot before you move on. For example, at a restaurant I take out my wallet, remove the credit card and give it to the server. My wallet stays in my hand until I have my credit card (and I do check to be sure it is mine because several times there has been a mix up), which I put back in place before my wallet goes in my pocket. Can’t accidentally leave without the card following this procedure.

My SO, on the other hand, will arrive home with cards and driver’s license and checkbook all floating around in her purse, which she must then rummage through to find anything. Always something has fallen out in the car, house or whatever. I try to remind her gently that this is money, not just stuff, but that is just how she is. So $1.00 threshold for notifications if those cards get used (even though she thinks I’m stalking her shopping).

[VMRWheels]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

Here’s another little tip: If you take something out of your wallet, put it back in the same spot before you move on. For example, at a restaurant I take out my wallet, remove the credit card and give it to the server. My wallet stays in my hand until I have my credit card (and I do check to be sure it is mine because several times there has been a mix up), which I put back in place before my wallet goes in my pocket. Can’t accidentally leave without the card following this procedure.

My SO, on the other hand, will arrive home with cards and driver’s license and checkbook all floating around in her purse, which she must then rummage through to find anything. Always something has fallen out in the car, house or whatever. I try to remind her gently that this is money, not just stuff, but that is just how she is. So $1.00 threshold for notifications if those cards get used (even though she thinks I’m stalking her shopping).

This and this. I don't put my wallet away until everything is back in its spot. My wife doesn't do so and always has to frantically search whenever she needs her card.

The contingency plan is shut everything off through the apps. My bank apps have the option to shut off cards if they're lost. I don't carry much else in my wallet.

[UncleWede]

biker chain wallet with RFID built into the leather. Works well when the SO requests something from wallet.

"Almost got it"

[e90335e36m3]

I stopped carrying a wallet a while ago and use a cell phone card case, primarily because 99.9% of the time I (and most others, probably) I only need 1 ID and one CC. Having anything else in excess of this is silly and risky IMO.

While the wallet case may look silly, I carry fewer things, necessity and convenience wise, which means I think about my wallet and my phone in one, which means it is less likely that I will leave it some where and even if I do, I need to replace two things rather than my entire identity.

I have my health insurance card digitally in my phone, which is password protected. I can't think of anything else that really should be on my person at any given time.

I also store a $20 bill in my car in case I need cash.

[Colodano]

In the past I have been lucky, lost my wallet twice, and got it back both times. Once I had $400+ in it to pay insurance the next day (dumb 17 yr old) and got it all back.

Now, I keep generally 1-2 main cards, my D.L. and insurance cards, and maybe 10$, in my phone case. All other cards stay in the same spot at home unless I intend to use them, in that case I swap out what I carry. Also keeping the phone out while card is in use, and then card away and back in my pocket.

Between that and have comfort access on my main car, I carry less to possibly lose, and there is less transfer of objects in and out of pockets to possibly drop something.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

It wasn't in my "man bag"

I use a "man bag" too! Glad to meet another one who does. In my case it was because I was beginning to need to carry enough stuff that a wallet was no longer practical. Now that I do, I no longer have a wallet per se. I have the necessaries in a small card carrier, and add in whatever I think I'll need for each specific occasion; the resulting package is very very slim.

Clif notes: man bag containing several smaller collections of cards/cash/whatever, combined as needed and slipped into a pocket when I want to be svelte; otherwise I just sling the whole works over my head and get on with it.

Originally Posted by 2000cs

Here’s another little tip: If you take something out of your wallet, put it back in the same spot before you move on.

Yep. I think it was the third time I left a restaurant without my credit card that I started doing this. It hasn't happened since.

[No one]

I use a (slim, flat, safe, convenient, leather) waist bag. I don't need a wallet with it. It holds almost everything I need to carry (including cash and a coin pouch). It can be found in two places only (always with me ): one at home and the other one's my waist.

Originally Posted by Conissah

No one can spend my money, yay!

Thank you so much! I hope you have a lot.

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by No one

I use a (slim, flat, safe, convenient, leather) waist bag.

A waist bag, eh?

[M_Six]

I lost (or had stolen) a wallet at a fest in Germany in the early 80's. Not sure how it happened. It was just suddenly gone. Didn't have a credit card at the time, so it was just the hassle of getting a replacement drivers license and (worse), a new military ID. Then a month or so later my wallet was turned in to the MPs, minus whatever cash was in it. Then I had two military IDs and two DLs.

Second time was in the late 80's when I was playing racquetball at UMass, Boston. Some asshole clipped the lock off my locker and stole everything. Clothes, bag, and of course, my wallet. I had to walk to the campus police office on a bitter cold day wearing shorts and a t-shirt. They eventually found my clothes and wallet in a trash can. Cash and credit card were missing. DL was still there. Just canceled the card and got a new one.

These days with two CCs, ATM card, and all the insurance cards and so on, it would be a major hassle to replace everything. If I'm in any sort of crowd, I make sure my wallet pocket is buttoned or I move my wallet to a front pocket. When I pay at a restaurant, I also keep my wallet in my hand so I remember to retrieve my CC before leaving.

[Ivan Ivanov]

To know where the wallet disappeared - you need to think like a wallet.

[GOLFFRR]

thats the worst feeling ever isn't it! I left mine on the roof of my car one time and drove off. thank-goodness I did it at the club where someone picked it up and I got a call they had it in the pro shop.

I don't wish misplacing the wallet or the phone on anybody thats the worst!

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by wdb

I use a "man bag" too!

I was hesitant to use the term as I have been shamed on the forum before.

[CTinline-six]

I haven't lost it yet...but there are a few things I've done to make it less likely to happen.

The most important is make it comfortable to have on you. That way you are less likely to put it down somewhere instead of back in your pocket. I have a pretty slim wallet that is only made to hold a license, some credit cards, and a few bills. That way I only take with me what I need, and it's more comfortable. I also keep it in my front pants pocket now.

It consists of:
-driver's license
-credit card
-medical insurance card
-a few bills
-boating/fishing license
-company ID

Anything else I only take with me when I need it. I have a few friends who have lost their wallet with everything in it, and it was a nightmare cancelling everything and getting new cards/IDs. Same thing with my keys, I have several different key rings depending on what I'm doing. My "work keys" fit easily in my pocket with my BMW fob, building fob, house key, and a key for one of the IT data centers I frequent on certain days. My other set has BMW fob, spare work fob, spare house key, Jeep key, trailer lock keys, friend's house keys, etc. Stuff I don't need to carry on me constantly.

[No one]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

A waist bag, eh?

Sure, it was extremely hard to find among that kind of crap. But I was lucky.


("Product Dimensions: 19 x 5 x 12.5 cm")

Under a jacket it still does give some pot belly look but as I actually don't have a pot belly it's fine, there's some allowance.

[RickFLM4]

I lost mine once during my freshman year in college. I remember waking up to the sound of a truck emptying a dumpster outside my dorm room and remembering I put my wallet in the bag when walking back from the store the night before with beer. Of course I threw the bag away before taking my wallet out.

The biggest practical issue was that I was in Miami and my RI drivers license was in the wallet. I didn’t have a car with me but it was my ID. I had to go a few months without a drivers license until I went home for the holidays and got a new one (how exactly I don’t recall). I didn’t carry my social security card and don’t think I had credit cards yet. However, I did have a ticket stub from Fenway when I saw Roger Clemens strike out 20. Always pisses me off to think I threw that away.

Nowadays if I lost it, there would be some cash, auto registration and my driver’s license to deal with. Some things like insurance cards can just be reprinted from the internet and credit cards and be frozen / cancelled and reordered with a call or app.

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Nowadays if I lost it, there would be auto registration .

so what if wifey is driving the M4 and gets yanked over?

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

so what if wifey is driving the M4 and gets yanked over?

Actually she never drives the M4. However, that reminded me my backup to losing my registration is that we both keep copies of the other’s registration in our wallet (purse for her). So if by chance she is driving the M4 (or I am driving her Q5) we always have the right registration.

[Rmtt]

I have lost mine in the past long ago...it was a big hassle. Now I just keep a debit card, credit card, Company entrance card, and my Insurance card in a very thin wallet.

Registration and all that is in the car. If I were to lose this one, I can shut the cards down by app on my phone.

I have a master key for work to get me in if the system were to fail, and I can print the other stuff online.

Still a bigger interruption than I would really care for though!

[eluded]

KonMari the wallet and ditch the checks. You only need dl and cc in us. So those two cards and maybe some ca$h.

Carrying a Big wallet just kills your sciatic nerve