The Best Wallets for Men, From Billfolds to Money Clips

Whether you’re looking for an ultra practical wallet that will keep your cards and cash organized, or something more luxurious that makes a statement when you pull it out, there are high quality wallets available for every type of guy. However, sifting through the different types of wallets, from traditional leather bifolds and slim card holders to pared down money clips and theft resistant trifolds, can feel like a bigger challenge than you want to undertake. Once you know what specifications fit your needs best, though, finding the best wallet to match your style isn’t difficult. Since you’re likely going to carry your wallet each and every day, it’s important that you settle on one that suits your unique needs and preferred aesthetic.

Our top picks for the best wallets for men

How to choose the right wallet

Material

Although the world of wallets is ever expanding, the most popular materials for high quality wallets are leather, metal, and nylon. Although leather tends to be the most expensive of the three, it’s not necessarily the best. Which material you choose should be dictated by what you want to get out of your wallet, and where you spend most of your time.

Leather: This is the most traditional mens wallet material on the market. Leather, and nylon as well, is ideal because it's smooth enough to easily slide in and out of your pockets without catching on anything. Leather also ‘breaks in’ over time, resulting in a smoother, unique finish that represents the different experiences you and your wallet have shared. Leather wallets are also known for durability and longevity, so it’s not unlikely that you and your leather wallet will go through quite a bit together.

However, leather isn’t water proof and it’s not the thinnest material on the market, especially when it’s high quality. Also, if you want your leather wallet to last as long as possible, you have to properly care for it, which may involve cleaning and polishing a few times a year. These drawbacks may direct you to more rugged materials such as metal or nylon.

Metal: Metal wallets are becoming increasingly popular, especially as digital payments become more and more common while cash and coin payments are in decline. What metal wallets and card holders lack in elegance they make up for in durability and protection. High quality metal wallets tend to be made from strong, lightweight materials like aluminum or titanium.

Metal outperforms nylon and leather when it comes to physically protecting the contents of the wallet. Not only does the metal offer better protection from drops, the structural rigidity ensures that any documents within, such as checks or tickets, won’t be improperly creased.

Nylon: Although nylon isn’t the most luxurious material to choose from, high quality nylon wallets can strike a balance between the look and flexibility of leather with the enhanced durability and practicality of a metal wallet. Nylon is lightweight, thin, flexible, waterproof, and in many cases also slash resistant. Nylon wallets are also quite easy to wash, which makes them ideal for anyone who frequently finds themselves outdoors, for work or for pleasure.

However, like men’s metal wallets, nylon wallets usually don’t look as sleek or professional as their leather counterparts. On the other hand, this often makes them significantly cheaper. In fact, nylon wallets are likely to be the cheapest of the three.

Size

Before deciding on a new wallet, take into consideration the dimensions of your current wallet. Think about whether you want something larger or smaller. If you have a lot of cards to carry, for example, look for wallets that spread card compartments across the wallet footprint, so you don’t end up with unusually bulky sections where cards are piled on top of one another. On the other hand, if you don’t carry too much, you want to consider a smaller wallet with fewer pockets. Also, keep an eye out for wallets that make the most of their footprint by adding additional features, such as a single card-sized cardholder with an attached money clip for easy cash storage.

Capacity

Most standard wallets and card holders have space for 7-10 cards, in addition to a small amount of cash. Take stock of what you currently have in your wallet – whether it be old receipts or business cards, chances are you’re carrying around unnecessary items. Once you’re familiar with what’s currently in your wallet, try to get rid of whatever you can. What you’re left with should play a large role in determining what size wallet you get. Best practice is to get a wallet that has slightly more space than what you plan to put in it from the start, so you can add to it as needed.

Design

While there are countless wallet designs to choose from, there are a few that dominate the market.

• Bi-fold construction: Without a doubt, this is the most popular shape for a mens wallet. While you won't find many metal wallets in this category, there are a number of leather and nylon options. Bi-fold wallets for men typically contain a cash slot and 4-8 card slots in addition to an ID window. Although bi-folds can be on the slim slide, they definitely aren’t the go-to minimalist option.
• Tri-fold construction: These wallets offer heightened security and storage over their bi-fold peers. The triple folding structure ensures that your wallet is completely sealed on the edges, which adds security and mitigates the risk of losing a loose card. However, tri-fold wallets tend to be bulkier than bi-folds, and they often rely on velcro to stay shut, which isn’t a very durable or elegant clasp material.
• Card holder: Although it’s not uncommon to see vertical bi-fold wallets advertised as card holders, these wallets don’t typically have any type of fold. Card holders are often the slimmest option, and are ideal for minimalist travelers and consumers who rely on digital payments. Another benefit of card holders is that you truly have the full spectrum of materials to choose from. Not only can you get leather, metal or nylon, there are high-end card holders that make use of multiple materials.
• Money clip: Don’t let the simplicity of the name fool you, as money clips are actually quite versatile. Ideal for men who subscribe to the age old ‘cash is king’ mentality, money clips offer a slim profile and easy access to your notes. While money clips can be slimmer than card holders in their most pared down form, which consists of the clip and nothing else, they are limited in what, and how much, they can hold. Money clips are also limited in the add-ons they can provide, such as RFID protection.
• Hybrid wallets: Hybrid wallets combine the best features of different designs to maximize practicality and ease of use. For example, you can choose a bi-fold construction with an internal money clip instead of a cash sleeve to hold your notes. Alternatively, there are tri-fold wallets with removable card holders so you can swap from maximal practicality to sleek minimalism without having to switch wallets. Be on the lookout for high-end hybrid wallets that offer versatility as well as practicality.

Security

Unlike buying luggage or other accessories where your main concern is durability (and, perhaps, style), you may have to consider the unexpected when it comes to buying a wallet: Can it thwart a criminal from afar? One of the drawbacks of relying on new technologies for payments is the presence of nascent threats to your personal finances. Hackers and other online criminals are constantly looking for new ways to exploit credit cards and other methods of digital finance. Thankfully, the wallet industry has adapted to offer wallets that can mitigate these threats.

Look for wallets that provide built-in RFID blocking, which prevents those with bad intentions from electronically swiping your credit information as you walk past them. Another great security feature that’s increasingly being incorporated into men’s wallets is built-in tracking ability or a dedicated space for an external tracker, such as an Apple Airtag. If you’ve experienced the sinking feeling of not knowing where your wallet is, you can appreciate the value of being able to track its exact location, even if it’s just lost under a stack of papers on your desk.

How we tested and selected the best wallets for men

We conducted in-depth research into a variety of men’s wallets at differing price points to make sure that we took into consideration as many high quality wallets for men as possible. We accounted for customer satisfaction, specification sheets, third-party reviews, and our own experience to make our selections. All of our recommended wallets have met rigorous criteria for material quality, storage capacity, design, and size. To make the final cuts, we considered additional criteria such as security, versatility and the reputation of the brand for luxury and budget wallets alike.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How much should I spend on a wallet for a man?

Depending on the materials you choose, expect to spend between $40-$60 for high-quality, affordable wallets and between $80-$120 for high-end wallets that don’t have a luxury brand name. If you are interested in purchasing a luxury wallet from a famous designer, expect to spend between $250-$500, depending on the size and brand.

Are luxury wallets worth it?

Thankfully, luxury wallets aren’t the only option to get a high-quality, long-lasting, and good looking wallet. There is an undeniable premium for wallets made by high-end brands, but if you’re willing and able to shell out the cash, you can rest assured knowing that you're investing in something that’s going to last a long time. High quality leather ages beautifully and can last for years, even with consistent heavy use.

How can you tell what a quality wallet is?

First and foremost, look at the materials. If you are looking at leather wallets, make sure that the leather is genuine and able to be cleaned with standard maintenance. Quality metal wallets, on the other hand, will be made from durable materials such as titanium. The materials are less important for nylon wallets, but high-quality options often offer slash-proof and water resistant fabrics.

Also, regardless of what material you choose, quality wallets will be thoughtfully designed. For example, it can be tricky to get cards out of a stuffed metal card holder. Top quality wallets will be designed to mitigate issues like this.

Do I still require a coin pocket?

In all likelihood, no. If you work a job that generates a lot of change, or regularly find yourself dumping large amounts of coins out of your pockets at the end of each day, you might want to consider a coin pouch. However, if you usually pay with a card, or another form of plastic or digital currency, a coin pocket may be bulkier than it is useful.