Whether you’re considering buying a wallet with RFID protection, you’re not sure whether you need a wallet with RFID protection or you’re just not sure what it’s all about, then this article is specifically for you.
In this article, I’ll look at what RFID crime is, how it works, and how you can protect yourself (and your bank accounts) from becoming a victim to such a sneaky crime.
If you’re looking to also protect yourself and your car from car key relay theft, you can also pull up this article here which details what car key relay theft is and how to protect against it. (It opens in a new window so you won’t lose access to this article).
Below is a handy table of contents. Clicking on any of the article headers below will jump you straight to the place on this page you are interested in. I am an Amazon Associate, and earn commissions on qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
Best Wallet With RFID Protection (UK Top 3)
For your convenience, here’s 3 of the best wallets with RFID protection that you can buy in the UK right now.
Further down the page, I’ll look at each one in detail.
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1. Vulkit Wallet With RFID (WINNER!)
The Vulkit RFID wallet comes top of the pile due to it’s sleek design, reasonable price point and its many features.
First, it comes in four different colours: black, dark olive, brown and espresso – which in my opinion offers the more traditional wallet selection of colours.
Talking traditional, this looks like a ‘traditional wallet’. It’s made of leather, feels nice in the hand, and fits into standard jean or trouser pockets without any problem.
That being said, I only have 4 cards to protect anyway, so no problem there.
So what is the quality of the wallet like? Well, as I’ve already said, it feels ‘nice in the hand’. The leather is soft and has the contours you’d come to expect from a good quality leather product. It’s not too big, and it’s not too small, and it feels well made, with the stitching feeling well done and quite solid.
To test, I tried to pay for something at a shop by scanning my wallet over the till card machine, and sure enough, nothing registered – I had to remove the card from the wallet in order to pay.
This is a fantastic wallet with traditional looks which also offers great RFID proetction.
At this price point, and for the quality, it’s my personal favourite and best wallet with RFID protection money can buy.
To check the latest price of this wallet or buy this wallet, click this link here: Vulkit RFID wallet
2. POWR Wallet Card Holder (MODERN)
The POWR Wallet/Card Holder is a modern take on the design of a traditional wallet.
It comes with 3 choices of colour: Army green, black and titanium.
The frst thing to say is this: this is by no means a traditional wallet. It’s a piece of metal, that looks modern, sleek and moves away from the traditional leather or fabric look and feel of a traditional wallet.
In fact, it actually reminds me of a portable power bank that you can buy for phones and other electronic devices for charging on the move.
But there is an appreciation of the design, and if you want to stand out from the crowd, something like this will do just that.
Aesthetics aside, this RFID wallet feels well made. Its lightweight and very small, and fits in your pocket easily – just don’t put it in a back pocket and sit down on it, because I can’t imagine it would be very comfortable.
This RFID protection wallet also features a slide up mechanism, meaning you can access all of your cards quickly and easily by sliding the switch across.
It will comfortably hold up to 5 cards, maybe a few more at a push, but be warned, it won’t carry cash (banknotes) unless you go for the banknote clip (at no extra cost).
The overall uality of the wallet is really good. I was expecting something quite flimsy, but it is in actual fact quite solid and sturdy, and very well made.
I did the same test here as I did with the last one. I put 1 card in, and attemptied to pay for my goods at Tesco by sliding the wallet over the card reader and I can conform, nothing registered, and I had to remove push the switch to reveal the card before it would register.
This is a modern take on a classic wallet, and for the price, offers exceptional value for money for the modern man (or woman), and also comes with a presentation box (kind of), so is perfect for a gift, because it gives that added perception of cost and it being something special.
To check the latest price of this wallet or buy this wallet, click this link here: POWR Wallet/Card Holder
3. Eono RFID Wallet (BEST VALUE)
The Eono RFID Wallet is the cheapest wallet on my top 3, and therefore offers excellent value for money – especially considering it’s an Amazon brand.
For those in the know, Amazon are fiercely protective of their brand and the value the brand brings. Meaning, they don’t put their name to anything that is shoddy, or not well made.
And I can confirm, this RFID wallet is an excellent budget choice when looking for a wallet with RFID protection built in.
The wallet comes with 10 colours to choose from, including various shades of purple, pink and yellow. There’s also the option of more traditional colours, as well as the option to have pre defined messages inscribed on the wallet to sons and daughters etc. This will help with the gift market, if nothing else.
It’s a minimalist wallet as well – meaning it’s one piece, with no fold out parts. Instead it has compartments on the front and back of the wallet. Even with a 6 cards in the compartments, this wallet seemed the slimmest and lightest of them all, and I really enjoyed the non fussy style of the wallet when pulling it out of my pocket.
Overall, I really like this wallet, and I especially liked the price – absolutely great for kids as well, to make them feel grown up without breaking the bank.
There’s 7 compartments including a slim middle section for bank notes, and there’s also a slot with viewport (which isn’t an RFID blocking slot obviously)
Of course, the test on the RFID blocker claim was done, and passed with flying colours on the Tesco self service checkout machine.
This is an excellent minimalist wallet with RFID protection, at an excellent price.
To check the latest price of this wallet or buy this wallet, click this link here: Eono RFID Wallet
Don’t Want A New Wallet? No Problem…
If you’re not looking at buying a new wallet or you want to keep your existing wallet, then the next best thing is to buy shields that can be placed in your current wallet.
These are a bit more cumbersome than a wallet developed specifically with RFID protection in mind, because essentially you’ll be opening your wallet and then pulling your cards out of another mini wallet, but if you’ve got a particularly expensive or even sentimental wallet that you don’t want to part with, then something like these are going to be your answer.
These one card tricks claim to protect all your cards in your wallet, and gets some excellent reviews.
Free Methods
There’s three ways to stop criminals obtaining a reading of your cards when you are out in public.
- Place all your cards within your wallet together. This will help almost ‘scramble’ the radio frequencies together, making it hard for any criminal to get a reading.
- Place tin foil on the insides of your wallet. I’ve not tested this myself, but heard it does work.
- Use cash only when out and about. (Nearly impossible).
None of these are completely failsafe, and the last one is nigh on impossible in our ever increasingly cashless society.
How Does RFID Skimming Work?
RFID skimming is like digital pickpocketing.
RFID stands for radio frequency identification. They are in most bank cards, and they make contactless payments possible.
When you purchase something in a shop, you hold your card near the payment machine to make a payment. What is happening here is the RFID in your bank card is transmitting data to the payment machine, which then transmits to the payment processor (or bank).
In milliseconds, the data is transferred and transmitted, and if all criteria are met (like having enough money in your bank for instance), the payment is successful.
That is how contactless payments work – in a nutshell.
It’s great for the consumer, because it’s quick and hassle free, with no need to insert your card and input a pin on purchases of up to £100.
It’s also great for criminals, because as technology evolves, so do they.
Criminals can get hold of special devices that can read your card when you don’t want your card to be read. For instance, let’s say you are at a bar, and you put your bank card in your back pocket of jeans.
A criminal can use a device that will read and store the data from your card – without ever physically touching you or your card.
With those details, they can create a fake card with your bank details, and go and make several quick contactless payments, buying goods that they can resell quickly for cash.
Can My Card Be Read Whilst in My Wallet?
Yes.
If you have a bank card in a normal wallet, and you’ve placed it in your back pocket, a criminal with the right equipment could potentially read the data from your card, without ever coming into physical contact with you or your bank card.
Criminals hide these reading devices in their pockets, bags and even inside their gloves. They are also cheap and readily available.
Like it or not, with criminals moving with technology and coming up with more and more ways to steal from you, you have to fight back and play them at their own game.
Summary
Becoming a victim to RFID skimming is a pain, it’s time consuming to sort out and it could potentially leave you short on funds temporarily until it is sorted out with your bank and you report it to the police.
For the sake of a few pounds, I recommend getting a wallet with RFID protection built in.
Above all, it will give you peace of mind that your cards are protected whilst out shopping, or visiting the pub for a couple of beers or a cocktail or two.
To stay safe, and prevent yourself from becoming a victim of RFID skimming, do try and:
- Use a wallet with RFID protection, or RFID protection sleeve.
- Set up bank alerts on your phone everytime a transaction is made.
- Check your bank often.
Just doing these 3 simple things will drastically reduce your chances of falling victim to this crime.
Once again, here’s my top 3 table of the best RFID wallets you can buy right now.
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Other Articles You May Like
Here’s a small selection of articles you may also like from this site:
- – Best Signal Blocker Box For Car Keys
- – Best Safe For UK Homes – Top 3
- – Safest Cities In The UK
- – Safety & Security When Out Running
Here’s the complete list of products and links mentioned on this page.
- – Vulkit Wallet (Winner)
- – POWR card Holder (Modern) https://amzn.to/3SV9Bqf
- – Eono Wallet (Best Value)
- – Minder Sleeve For Wallets
- – Blocking Card
Here’s the sources used for this article:
Questions & Comments
If you have a question or a comment on this article ‘Best Wallet With RFID Protection’, please use the comments box below. I’ll try my best to reply to each and every one of your questions, comments and suggestions.
Stay Safe. Stay Secure.
