For a long time, I carried a minimalist wallet with four card slots and a cash sleeve. But even the thinnest wallet is yet another thing to carry along with your phone and keys. So, I bought a MagSafe phone wallet to slim down my EDC for certain occasions, and something unexpected happened: it became my primary wallet.

All My Essentials in One Pocket

My "real" wallet is a far cry from George Constanza's situation—a Herschel Charlie with just four cards and some cash. However, I didn't like having an extra thing to carry when I was doing active things like running, biking, or kayaking. I couldn't ditch the wallet completely because I sometimes needed it, but I figured I could slim down my carry.

The idea was to use the MagSafe wallet only for those times when I needed the essentials: phone, keys, credit card, ID. For a while, that's exactly what I did. I'd grab my credit card and ID out of my real wallet, slap on the magnetic wallet, and be on my way. Afterward, I'd put the cards back into my real wallet and use that the rest of the time.

It's very freeing to have all of your essentials in one pocket (well, two if you count my keys, I guess). The magnetic wallet makes my phone a nice compact carry-all. I never lose sight of my phone, so having my wallet attached to it gives me one less thing to worry about when I'm traveling light.

You Don’t Need to Carry as Much as You Think

I soon realized that my essentials are "essential" for a reason. I didn't actually need half of the things in my wallet most of the time. I hardly ever use cash to buy things, and I can just add my less-frequently used cards and loyalty cards to Google Wallet on my phone.

That's the reality we live in nowadays. The U.S. was behind on mobile payments for a while, but things are changing. I'm using my phone and smartwatch for tap-to-pay more and more. It's still not quite at the point where I feel safe leaving my physical cards at home, but we're getting close. Plus, I'm not interested in putting my ID on my phone.

That's the big revelation I had from my magnetic wallet. I wasn't carrying a lot to begin with, but even that was more than I needed. The same could be true for you, too.

MagSafe Works With Android Phones, Too

One last thing to note if you're reading this from an Android phone—you can do this! One of the best purchases for my Pixel 7 was this cheap MagSafe-compatible case. The magnet is surprisingly strong; I've never had any problems with the wallet staying attached or falling off at inopportune times.

A simple case or even an adhesive metal ring that can be stuck to the back of a phone is a great way to take advantage of the massive ecosystem of MagSafe accessories. I also really like my MagSafe charging puck and battery pack.

Look, I get it. Not everyone can go about their daily life, only needing two cards on their person. However, I know for a fact that many people are carrying more things in their wallets and purses than they truly need. We could all benefit from some decluttering, and a magnetic phone wallet may be right for you.