RFID Protected Wallets for Men
Most people and travellers will probably be familiar enough with the dangers of RFID fraud. There are ways of protecting yourself against that, and an RFID protected wallet is one of those methods.
Understanding RFID Security Concerns
RFID stands for radio frequency identification, and it surrounds us all in so many things in today's technological world. When you travel it is on your passport, your credit and debit cards and in our non-travelling life, it is in many other items.
RFID is a form of an electronic tag, which is either attached or implanted into an item. That means the details can be quickly read using radio waves. It makes it a fast service for the airports. In simple terms, they can read the information without actually touching your passport, or boarding pass.
Like anything else though thieves and crooks will always try to take advantage of such a loop hole. If you are familiar with bar codes and QR codes, then an RFID tag is a similar type of tagging system.
Credit Cards and RFID
RFID came to the fore with the introduction of contactless payments. The banks started to issue cards that could be tapped on top of payment machines, without needing to insert them and key in pin numbers. At the moment there is a £20 limit on those.
People are quite rightly concerned about their cards and passports being read by attackers intent on gathering their information, and committing fraud. That is why manufacturers came up with the idea of RFID protected wallets, passport cases and card holders.
These work by having a metallic material in them that simply block the radio waves from scanners. In this article we discuss the best RFID protected wallets for men.
Top Rated RFID Wallets for Men
Just below we have included what we believe to be the highest rated and best value RFID protected wallets for men.
No 1 Choice - TEEHON® Wallets Mens RFID Wallet
90% buyer satisfaction based on 12,000+ online buyer ratings
This is a very fashionable wallet and has 7 credit card slots, 2 sections for paper money, a coin pocket and an ID window.
The surface of the wallet has a metal RFID blocking material that blocks potential hackers.
It will not block the signal which some Hotel Room Cards as they operate at 125 KHz.
It measures 12.5 x 10 cms and is classed as a big wallet (almost square)
Buyers say the wallet is very well made, soft and stylish. It is a large wallet so plenty of room inside and the RFID works really well.
The one thing to be aware of is that some buyers bought this and didn't realise it was bigger than they had thought.
No 2 Choice - The Ridge RFID Wallet
92% buyer satisfaction based on 10,000+ online buyer ratings
This one is expensive but made from military grade materials and guaranteed to last a lifetime
The credit cards inside your wallet are surrounded by the metal body of this slim wallet and protects them from even the most powerful RFID Chip Readers.
Holds up to 12 credit cards and also has a cash strap for notes
It measures 19.69 x 7.62 x 1.27 cms
The reason this wallet is more expensive is that the Ridge company deliver 100% RFID protection and they offer a lifetime warranty on the functionality of the wallet.
No 3 Choice - RFID Blocking Men's Designer Buono Pelle Leather Wallet
92% buyer satisfaction based on 9,000+ online buyer ratings
This one comes boxed and will make a nice gift. It has a coin pocket, 2 note pockets and can hold 7 credit cards.
It comes in various black patterns and there is a tan option.
It measures 11.5 x 9.3 cms and is made from genuine soft leather.
We think it makes a classy gift for a man, and has the added advantage of protecting people from fraudsters.
No 4 Choice - STEALTH Wallet RFID Card Holders
90% buyer satisfaction based on 5,000+ online buyer ratings
This one comes in a wide variety of colours (22 of them)
It uses an aircraft grade aluminium covered in leather and can hold up to 5 cards
It has a very nifty ejector button for quick and easy access to your cards
It also has a tough elastic band with rubber grips for securely storing bank notes.
Although this is a popular choice for many UK buyers, be aware that it doesn't have a window to display something like a work ID.
No 5 Choice - POWR Mens Wallet, Slim RFID Blocking
92% buyer satisfaction based on 6,000+ online buyer ratings
This is a slim aluminium credit card holder, and is a very popular choice with many buyers who travel a lot.
It comes in a variety of colours, black, carbon, brown, orange, grey etc
This wallet uses dual-layer RFID blocking technology
It has a quick access ID window and can hold up to 7 credit cards and a side pocket for bank notes.
How do RFID Wallets Work?
Newly issued credit cards and passports all have very thin chips in them. The purpose of that is to help speed up transactions when you are using these cards. "Tap to Pay" is an example of an RFID chip in action.
While that does make life easier, it also comes with a security risk.
These small RFID chips do contain your personal information and account details.
Sadly there are thieves around who can all too easily buy a handheld scanner. If they get close enough to you (up to 10 feet) they can use these scanners to read the information on your cards. This is known as "identity theft."
The people most vulnerable to this are travellers who are in busy airports, coffee shops, trains etc
To counteract this from happening, an RFID wallet blocks any signals from these handheld scanners, and as such prevents the thief from stealing your personal details.
RFID Passport Holder
92% buyer satisfaction based on 2,000+ online buyer ratings
For someone who doesn't necessarily want a wallet, then you can also buy an organiser and keep you cards and passport inside that
The one shown to the left is very popular as it has many pockets including one on the front for phone
It can hold your passport and has enough room for 9 credit cards
It also has an open pocket for small items, a larger pocket for cash, and a convenient pen slot.
There are any number of these RFID wallets available on the UK market, and they are becoming more and more popular. We have picked out some of the best shown above, at what we think are affordable and sensible prices.