Wallets

Toward a hygienic credit card

Merlin — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:06:06 -0400

You've probably heard the advice to photocopy your wallet's contents; in the event that you lose your wallet, this makes it easy to know what you need to cancel and replace. Smart.

I recently received a new credit card and had forgotten what a hassle it is to change the info across all my various online accounts. Here's a few suggestions based on things I did this time around that should make it easier (or at least more interesting) the next time this happens.

Write it down now

Create an OmniOutliner (or text or Excel or Google Docs) document, and capture the name of every account, site, or other location where you needed to update your credit card information. Also, create a second column where you paste the exact URL for the page you had to visit to make your change. (I'm already up to about 15 of these).

I really wish I'd already done this one of the other times I've gone through this; feels like it'll really be handy for the next time.

Related: consider also creating columns where you paste in URLs, email addresses, or phone numbers for each company's customer service department -- particularly in case you need to escalate your updating to a live human.

Get cheap

Feeling like trimming back your lifestyle? Try hanging back a day or two or ten, and just wait for vendors to contact you about your "invalid card." It can be astounding how many accounts you have set to run or renew automatically, and, believe me, merchants will let you know when they can't run your card for some reason. This gives you a nice opportunity to verify for yourself that you really want all that stuff people are running your card to buy. Hell, I'm feeling tempted to "lose" my card every six months, just for the personal audit it provides.

Obviously, you don't want to get critical services accidentally cancelled, but, at least in my experience, merchants are accustomed to users with multiple cards that sometimes just stop working for non-nefarious (if sometimes seemingly incompetent) reasons. Still, use this one with care.

One card for online

I'm tempted by the idea of using one credit card just for online purchases. I'm not sure this buys me any particular protection over mixing usage, but I'm attracted to the idea of making it a little easier to track down where abuse might have occurred, and "life" versus "the internet" seems like a satisfying taxonomy to start with.

I suppose if you're some kind of mogul, you could get really granular, although I'd stop at the point where you have, say, a dedicated "Thai food card," or the like.

As I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of "Be Prepared" ideas like The Sick Box and The Blackout Box, but what do you think?

The Question to You

What’s your best practice for safe and convenient credit card hygiene? If you've had to go through updating your accounts tomorrow, what would you do differently from the last time?

”Toward a hygienic credit card” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on October 11, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Open Thread: What's your favorite minimalist wallet?

Merlin — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 08:55:36 -0400

Like most 43F articles on economical carriage and stowage, the Jimi post attracted a lot of interest. Makes me think it's time for an open thread: What's your favorite minimalist wallet? Jimi? Slimmy? Moneyclip? Coin purse? Goin' commando? Spill in comments (and feel free to link to canonical product pages or price compar-i-nators like Froogle).

My own winner for minimalism? Starting before a trip to New York in the late 80s, I started wrapping my driver's license, ATM card, and a bill or two in a couple of my Goody pony tail holders (shut up). I think that was my wallet for at least the next two years -- until I got my first real job and decided to go cowhide again. Still, it remains one of my favorites.

”Open Thread: What's your favorite minimalist wallet?” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 21, 2006. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Jimi: The wallet for people who hate wallets

Merlin — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 08:45:12 -0400

Pocket Change - New York Times

I learned about the Jimi wallet from a guy named Stephen Houghton who I met at the David Allen seminar last month. We were swapping contact info, and I couldn't help but notice his weird little plastic wallet (I think his was bright orange).

As this Consumed piece from the NYT Magazine agrees, Stephen said the appeal of the wallet (even its basic philosophy) involves seeing how little you could get away with carrying at a time -- a subject I know is dear to many 43F readers, as well as your author.

This is where the ideology and mission come into it: the Jimi (which sells for about $16) does not hold as much stuff as a traditional wallet, and that is by intent. It's a bit slimmer than a regular wallet and unfolds to reveal two compartments, one with a money clip, the other to hold credit cards. "Do Not Overload," the instruction sheet warns, "Jimi holds five cards. . .plus three folded bills." And since it's made of hard plastic, you can't simply fatten it up by stuffing more cards and receipts and other things into it, as you can with a normal wallet. Basically, if you want to use a Jimi, you will have to play by Jimi's rules, and that probably means you have to pare down. As O'Neill says, this is a borderline anti-American notion. "It's funny how many people write us and say, 'If I could just get one more card in there..."'

Ordered one for myself yesterday. You can pick one up from the Jimi website or from Amazon for under $20.

”Jimi: The wallet for people who hate wallets” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 19, 2006. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"