Wallets & RFID
Types of Men's Wallets: Card Holder, Bifold, Trifold or Long Wallet
The main types of men's wallets compared by what they hold and how they fit a pocket: card holder, bifold, trifold, long wallet, coin purse and passport holder.
At a glance
- A card holder suits mostly cards and a few notes.
- A bifold folds once and keeps notes flat across the wallet.
- A trifold folds twice into three panels with ID windows and note pockets.
- A long wallet keeps notes flat and has room for a zip pocket.
Leather Trifold Wallet for Men. RFID Blocking, Dark Brown £29.99 · Free UK delivery Shop The main types of men’s wallets are the card holder, the bifold, the trifold and the long wallet.
Wallet types compared
Card holders carry the fewest items and long wallets the most. The table shows what each type holds and its listed size.
| Type | What it holds | Pocket fit and size |
|---|---|---|
| Card holder | Cards, plus a few folded notes on some models | Varies by model |
| Bifold | Cards, ID and notes laid flat | No pocket fit listed, 11.5 x 9.5 x 2cm |
| Trifold | Cards, ID windows and note pockets in three panels | Front or back pocket (supplier-listed), 12 x 9.5 x 1.5cm |
| Long wallet | Cards, notes laid flat and a zip pocket | No pocket fit listed, 18.6cm long |
| Coin purse | Coins plus a few cards | No pocket fit listed, 12 x 9 x 2cm |
| Passport holder | Passport, 4 cards and boarding passes | Inside jacket pocket (supplier-listed), 14 x 10 x 1.5cm |
What is a card holder?
A card holder is a small case for cards and sometimes a few folded notes. It has no full-length note fold and usually no coin section.
The card holders here come in pop-up, pull-strap, zip, sleeve and AirTag styles. They are made in leather, PU, aluminium or carbon fibre. The slim wallets guide compares them by size, weight and card count.
The photo below shows the pop-up style.
What is a bifold wallet?
A bifold wallet folds once down the middle. It keeps notes flat across the full length.
The crazy horse leather bifold has card slots, an ID window, a snap pocket and a full-length note section. It weighs about 120g.
What is a trifold wallet?
A trifold wallet folds twice into three panels. It gives cards, IDs and notes separate sections.
The dark brown leather trifold has 9 card slots, 2 ID windows and 2 note pockets. It weighs about 100g.
What is a long wallet?
A long wallet is a full-length wallet that holds notes without folding them.
The tan long leather wallet has 10 card slots, 3 note slots, a photo slot and an inner zip pocket. The zip is a pocket inside and not a closure around the outside.
The photo below shows the long wallet in tan.
What is a coin purse?
A coin purse is a small pouch with a compartment for change. The black leather coin purse here closes with a fold-over flap and a press stud. Its supplier lists it for both men and women.
What is a passport holder?
A passport holder is a travel wallet sized for a passport, cards and boarding passes. The leather passport holder here has a hidden SIM pocket and a brass pen loop. The supplier says it fits standard biometric passports from the UK, the EU and the US. It weighs 110g.
What other wallet types are there?
Money clips, chain wallets and zip-around wallets are three other types. None of them is stocked here.
| Type | What it is | Stocked here |
|---|---|---|
| Money clip | A metal clip that holds folded notes | No |
| Chain wallet | A wallet fixed to a belt loop by a chain | No |
| Zip-around wallet | A full-size wallet closed by a zip round the edge | No, the zip card holder is the nearest |
Card holder vs wallet
A card holder suits you if you carry mostly cards and little cash. A bifold, trifold or long wallet suits you if you carry notes, receipts or a photo.
Bifold vs trifold wallet
A trifold folds twice and is thinner at 1.5cm. A bifold folds once and adds a snap pocket. The trifold adds a second ID window.
Both wallets here are cowhide. The trifold lists an RFID blocking lining and the bifold does not. The trifold ships from a UK warehouse in 3 to 7 working days. The bifold ships from an international warehouse in 7 to 12 working days.
The photo below shows the crazy horse bifold in this range.
Do men’s wallets need RFID blocking?
No, RFID blocking is an optional feature. Only some models here list it.
The RFID blocking wallets guide compares the models that list it.
How many cards does each type hold?
Card counts run from 3 on the coin purse to 12 on the zip holder.
| Wallet | Cards listed by the supplier |
|---|---|
| Zip card holder | 12 card slots plus 2 note slots |
| Tan pop-up holder | A stack in the case (photo shows six) plus 2 outer slots |
| Metal pop-up wallet | 8 comfortably and up to 12 |
| Trifold | 9 card slots plus 2 ID windows |
| Long wallet | 10 card slots plus 3 note slots |
| Carbon fibre wallet | 6 to 8 and up to 10 at most |
| Coin purse | 3 card slots |
| Passport holder | 4 cards |
The supplier gives no card count for the PU pop-up case. It lists a card slot position and a banknote position. The AirTag card holder has several card slots and no stated count. The bifold and the oil wax wallet give no count either.
Which one to choose
Choose by what you carry and where you carry it.
- Mostly cards: a card holder such as the pop-up, zip or oil wax card wallet.
- Cards plus a few notes: the bifold or the trifold.
- Lots of notes kept flat: the long wallet.
- Coins: the coin purse.
- Travel documents: the passport holder.
- Light carry: the oil wax card wallet at about 20g or the carbon fibre wallet at 45g.
- Tracker on your cards: the AirTag card holder.
- Lowest-cost pop-up: the brown PU pop-up case.
All men’s wallets and card holders are in Wallets & RFID.
Every wallet type in this guide
| Product | Price | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|
| Leather Pop-Up Card Holder with Aluminium Card Case, Tan | £24.99 | A tan leather card holder around an aluminium pop-up case with two outer slots and a note clip. |
 PU Leather Automatic Pop-Up Card Case, Anti-RFID, Brown | £16.99 | A brown PU leather pop-up card case on an aluminium alloy frame, listed at 95.2mm x 62mm. |
 Slim Metal RFID Blocking Card Wallet. Pop-Up Mechanism | £34.99 | An aluminium pop-up card wallet with a lever that fans the cards and an elastic cash strap. |
 Mens Carbon Fibre Tactical Wallet. RFID Blocking | £16.99 | A carbon fibre card wallet with a pull-strap mechanism and an elastic cash strap. |
 Oil Wax Leather Card Wallet, Slim Tan Cowhide Holder | £16.99 | A slim open-top tan cowhide sleeve with front card slots and a main pocket for notes. |
 Black Leather Card Holder with AirTag Holder, Gift Box | £17.99 | A slim black leather card holder with a ring for an AirTag. The AirTag is not included. |
 Leather Zip Card Holder. 12 Slots, RFID Blocking, Black | £22.99 | A black leather zip-around card holder with an accordion card layout and note slots. |
 Black Leather Coin Purse and Card Holder, Envelope Flap | £17.99 | A small black leather purse with a fold-over flap that closes with a press stud. |
| Crazy Horse Leather Bifold Wallet for Men, Red Brown | £32.99 | A red brown crazy horse leather bifold with card slots, an ID window, a snap pocket and a full-length note section. |
| Leather Trifold Wallet for Men. RFID Blocking, Dark Brown | £29.99 | A dark brown cowhide trifold with an RFID blocking lining, card slots, ID windows and note pockets. |
| Tan Long Leather Wallet for Men, 10 Card Slots, Zip Pocket | £29.99 | A tan cowhide long wallet with card slots, note slots, a photo slot and an inner zip pocket. |
 Leather Passport Holder & Document Wallet. RFID Blocking | £49.99 | A full-grain leather passport holder with an RFID blocking lining, a hidden SIM pocket and a pen loop. |
Questions answered
Which wallets fit a front pocket? +
The trifold, the metal wallet and the carbon fibre wallet are listed for front-pocket carry. The zip card holder is listed for a jacket or trouser pocket and the passport holder for an inside jacket pocket. The other listings give no pocket fit.
What size is a long wallet? +
The tan long wallet here is 18.6cm long and folds in half.
Can a card holder carry cash? +
Yes, some can. The zip card holder has 2 note slots and the tan pop-up holder has a note clip. The oil wax card wallet has a main pocket for notes.
Can a card holder hold coins? +
Yes, two here. The oil wax card wallet lists a change slot. The coin purse has its own coin compartment. The other card holders list no coin section.
