Although you need to carry important items in your wallet for daily life, like a credit card and your ID, there are a few items better left at home. Now is the time to review the contents of your wallet and make sure the following things are concealed:
Access to your workplace
If you need a badge to enter your workplace, it is best if you don’t keep it in your wallet. Just like you want to avoid thieves gaining access to your home, your workplace, too, should be a protected destination. If you are off the clock and you have no plans to head into work, remove your employee badge, suggests Harriet Edleson, writer for AARP.
Entry to your home
A spare key in your wallet is convenient if you lose your key ring, but it’s a dangerous convenience. A spare key in your wallet nestled next to your driver’s license or other ID that displays your address will lead thieves right to your door. Instead of tucking your spare house key into your wallet, Valencia Higuera of MoneyCrashers.com recommends trusting it with a relative or neighbor. If you don’t feel safe without a spare key on you, she suggests putting in on a string you can wear around your neck.
Health information
Carrying your insurance card is a must when you have to go to the doctor. Keeping your health insurance card or Medicare card on you all the time can be excessive, though. Since these cards contain personal identifying information, Edleson warns criminals can use this data to win benefits for themselves.
Identifying numbers
Your Social Security number should be under lock and key far from the confines of your wallet; it’s just too important to risk losing. Although you may need to recall the number at the Department of Motor Vehicles or when applying for a job, you may not need the physical card in your wallet. It’s best to just memorize the digits, advises Higuera. “It may seem like a convenient place to keep your card, but if your wallet is lost or stolen, thieves can use your Social Security number to open credit card accounts and apply for loans,” she warns.
Keys to your bank account
If your debit card is a direct link to your bank account, it should not be in your wallet. If you lose your wallet and it falls into the wrong hands, your bank account is at serious risk. “Unlike with credit cards, where the cardholder is not out any money while fraud is being investigated, debit cards take the money from your account immediately,” warns Bev O’Shea, writer for NerdWallet.com.
Although not as popular or prevalent as a debit card, checks still fulfill a financial purpose, and in some situations are a preferred method of payment. If you plan to write a check to purchase something or satisfy a bill, just plan ahead. “Never keep all your checks in your wallet — simply tear out what you need for the day’s purchases, and leave the checkbook at home,” Higuera suggests.
By keeping your wallet free of these items, you can help protect your identity, money, and workplace from thieves. When you do need to carry any of these items, just be sure to remove them when you get home so you’re not carrying them around longer than necessary.