Get a Real Minimalistic Wallet Courtesy of Wocket

The Wocket Wallet is the wallet that actually blends technology, sophistication, leather, and credit cards all in one. They sent me over their wallet to review, and I’ve been doing just that for the past month or so, and I can actually be the one to say this might be the way of the future.

Having six credit cards, two debit cards, and random loyalty cards that get lost in my drawer until I don’t need them, the Wocket is there to combine them all in your wallet, without adding that “coal lump” in your front pocket. The premise of the wallet is to have ONE card that will allow you to access every possible card you have appealed to me. it just made sense. I mean, why do I have to carry about 8 cards, when I only need one to make the purchase? What happens when you left that Target card at home but have all of the others? We’ve all been there.

As soon as I opened my Wocket I knew this was the wallet that I needed. The setup was as simple as it could possibly be. And the Wocket itself wasn’t cheap looking by any means. The soft black leather pocket on the rear of the wallet, the slim touch design on the front, the card inserted in the rear of the Wocket, it all made sense.

I wanted to use it IMMEDIATELY. So I went through setting up each individual card by swiping them with the included card reader. All six of my cards that I used the most were simple to set up and took me about 20 minutes, after asking my CVC code, and the like. But I knew ONE thing was certain, after being scorned by the COIN, which is a similar product that doesn’t do nearly HALF as much, to also bring my debit card with me in case the card the did not work. (Which happens 85% of the time with the COIN to the point, it now sits in my drawer, next to that Target card from earlier).

Out into the night I went. A friend was actually stunned to see my pull out the Wocket at the bar. Nervously I took my tab, and looked at my new favorite wallet, and pressed the appropriate button on the home screen of the Wocket to pick which card I needed to close out my tab for the night. Expecting the bartender to hand me my card back and say “you have another card?”, totally embarrassing me, I was surprised to see that it had worked, perfectly fine. WHAT? It worked? Oh yeah, I have to try this again. Off to get 2am sober food!!

After ordering my pizza and attempting to pay the difference, I will say the cashier had to swipe the card twice for it to register. But there was an issue that I thought was interesting that Wocket might want to address. The register actually registered the payment, and I was asked if I wanted a receipt, which I replied “no” as I typically do on food joints. Now this might be a fault of the cashier, but the transaction never posted to my account, thus I received a free pizza. Win for me? Yes. Unfortunately, since the card had only been swiped twice through the newer portrait-style POS systems attached to the screen, my card took a toll for the worse from the first few swipes, and I can only attribute it to that.

My Wocket is only a month old and starting to show more wear and tear than traditional credit/debit cards.

The front of the card, courtesy of the way that it sits in the Wocket slot, will eventually show a slight faded oval above the “Wocket Card” logo which is actually pretty unnoticeable, but still pretty tacky if you’re one of those types who hate when the silver comes off your debit card numbers (I cannot be the only one). I eventually got over this, but I know for a fact I am not happy with the wear and tear to the top of my pocket card. It looks as if the paint from the top of the card is coming off, exposing the silver material that is being covered by the paint. For a card that has it’s own slot, I feel as if there should be less scratching and wear on the card, but in Wocket’s first attempt at this, this is the LEAST I should be concerned about.

I’m sure in time, especially since the top of the card is showing wear, that the entirety of the card will wear, especially with frequent use. I don’t know if that’s a sign you should stop spending, but I haven’t experienced more than the top of my card wearing. I’m positive that will change in coming months.

So far I have only had ONE instant where the card itself didn’t work, and this was at McDonalds. I already should not eat this as is, but the card itself did not register at the self-swipe, even after doing this twice, so the cashier had to manually do it himself and that worked. This might be a problem at places that only have the option for you to swipe, such as H&M, or other department stores.

My biggest concern with the Wocket right now though is the wear and tear. The card DOES work, but I’m afraid that the magnetic strip on the back of the card will go the same way as the paint does, and eventually ruin the success rate of swiping your Wocket. The goal here again is to avoid using a back up card, and if the magnetic strip is ruined to the point you cannot swipe at “certain” stores, the point is moot when you need to carry a back up.

Overall though, minus the paint issue, the card is just snazzy, and a beautiful product to not only use but to have in your pocket. This is as minimalistic as it gets, and success rate for me is around 90% after a month. Sure, it could be better, or work at ATMs (which it does not, so please do not try this), but I wouldn’t suggest attempting to use this. If you need cash quick, they have given you the option for that back up card for that purpose which was a bit of forward thinking. The expandable leather will fit 3-4 cards comfortably, although not RIFD (which I prefer).

Source: Manufacturer supplied review unit

What I like: The card simply works. You can add an ENLESS amount of credit/debit and loyalty cards.

What Needs Improvement: The fading/Scratching is a huge concern that hopefully gets fixed soon, or on next update.