Five good tips on how to protect your wallet from loss and theft

This has happened to everyone before: You're on the move and suddenly get a huge scare when you reach into your pocket and realize that your wallet is not where it should be. Did you leave it somewhere? Has it been stolen? The excitement and trouble are sure to follow.

We want to give you five good tips to avoid such moments of shock and to prevent your wallet from being stolen or lost.

Tip #1: Keep your wallet in a safe place

Your wallet is best protected against theft if you carry it as close to your body as possible. If you have a large amount of cash with you, spread the money over several inside pockets if possible. Especially in the back pocket, where most men keep their wallet, the wallet is very unsafe. Here it can easily be pulled out. Besides, the standard wallet bulges out the trouser pocket unpleasantly and can cause back pain. It might be worth changing to a smaller version of the classic wallet or maybe a slim wallet. These can be carried deep in the front trouser pocket or in a narrow waist belt or old school in a breast pocket and are thus better protected against thieves. If you wear belts, there is also the possibility to use inner belt pockets, a money belt or attach a slim wallet to your belt with an elastic band.

Tip #2: Be especially careful in crowds

Thieves like to hang around especially in large crowds. So, here's tip no. 1, be on your guard and if you're travelling with a bag, wear it on the front of your body or place it under your arm. Avoid pulling out your purse when strangers are standing around you. Instead, keep some loose money ready to pay with. Thieves are very inventive when it comes to getting your money. They push and shove, ask for an exchange of money or the way, smear you with something "by mistake" or give you something superficially in order to then pull the purse out of your pocket. Therefore, be very careful when strangers approach you.

Tip #3: Carry only the essentials

Although this tip does not protect against loss or theft, it does significantly reduce its effects. We advise you to carry only the essentials in your wallet and to limit yourself to a card and some cash when going out. Blocking one card involves much less effort than having many cards blocked at several banks and then possibly having to apply for a new driving license and your health insurance card. A slim wallet can be a practical way to store card and cash together. It also looks smart and cannot be lost as easily as a card that is loose in your pocket.

Tip #4: Do not leave your wallet lying around open

There is a German proverb that says, opportunity makes thieves.  So, when you are eating in a restaurant or out shopping, don't leave your wallet lying around for everyone to see. Your wallet is not in good hands either on the table, in the shopping basket, the shopping trolley or in the car. This also increases the likelihood that you will lose it or forget it somewhere. Get into the habit of putting your wallet away in a safe place right after you pay.

Tip # 5: Protect yourself from data theft

Nowadays we are unfortunately also confronted with a completely new type of theft. The downside is that you often only notice when it's too late and data or money has already been stolen from your account. The thieves just have to be close enough to your card to be able to read it using RFID, which is also used to pay with the cards. Unfortunately, there is no protection against this kind of theft with the classic leather wallet. You would have to put RFID protection cards around your money cards to make them safe. It would be easier to switch to a wallet made of metal, where the cards are protected by metal against being read. Read our blog article HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM DIGITAL THEFT.