Where do men keep their ATM & credit card(s)
 

Heading to Italy in a couple of weeks on a guided tour this time. We've looked @ the money belts and they seem like a hassle. The neck job would be easier. What or where do you men keep your ATM & credit card(s)? I will be carrying a messenger/sling purse across the front me of that has zippered compartments, and am not worried about my set of cards... The husband seems to think I'm over reacting about him keeping them in one of those small slotted wallets that are made for carrying cards (also has a magnetic money clip on reverse side) in his front pocket? Any suggestions or ideas, is greatly appreciated so I can pass it on for him to read. He's nuts!

I keep mine in my wallet in my pocket just like I do at home.

In my man-purse. It's European.

Seriously tho. I keep mine in my wallet in my pocket just like I do at home.

In a crowded situation (public transport or waiting in line) I'll move my wallet to my front pocket.

I carry a wallet, like I do at home. However I have noticed that a lot of men's pants now offer a zippered pocket inside the front right hand pocket. This is where I carry my wallet... or in an inside zippered jacket pocket.
It is less about the fear of being pick-pocketed in Europe than it is about the hassle of being relieved of these items while away from home.

We keep our wallets in pockets just like we do at home. My Dad used to put a thick rubber band around his wallet because he thought it would be more difficult to lose a wallet that had some traction as opposed to smooth leather which could slip out easily.

If you are on a guided tour you most likely will be together most of the time. Why not keep the cards in your bag?

However, if your husband is as nuts as mine, all suggestions will fall on deaf ears. Sorry & good luck.

Ditto J62. When I get off a train in Amsterdam I instinctively move my wallet from my rear pocket or jacket breast pocket to my left front pants pocket. My passport is always in my left front pocket. Wear slacks with deep pockets.

One more: in my wallet, as at home, but like J62, I move my wallet to my front pocket in crowds.

Hi robjame. I like the idea of a zippered front pocket ... I must look for that.

Anselm

I keep a small amount of paper cash (less than $20) and one of my several credit cards in my front pocket.

I leave everything else in the hotel safe.

I wouldn't recommend keeping credit cards anywhere near a magnetic money clip.

We spend 2 months in Europe every year - mostly France & Italy. While in public areas, I keep my wallet in my front picket, where I can feel it's presence more easily than in my back pocket. Last year on a crowded bus in Rome, I felt someone elses hand inside my front pocket - he only got a couple of knuckles in. This was the first time anyone ever tried.

About 5 years ago there was an ATM strike in France (and no cash available in banks either). We needed a couple of thousand Francs for Gite deposits and payments, plus spending money, so we took a money belt.

Stu Dudley

My husband always keeps his wallet in his front pants pocket, no matter where we are.

My OH also always carries his wallet in his front trouser pocket, no matter where we are.

I use an Eagle Creek belt pouch (I cut off the shoulder strap) which has a flap held my a clip and under the flap has a zippered pocket for my wallet with money and credit cards. It also has an outside zippered pocket on the loop side that can hold my passport, and has other pockets for my address book and pen. The flap itself has a zippered pocket that holds a small comb, a pocket knife, a Pak-Lite flashlight. It all sounds much larger than it is. It measures 6X6.5X2. I've traveled like that for years with no problems.

Hi Anselm - Tilley is one obvious choice in Canada... and now their pants don't all look like you are going on safari
However I have found this zippered security pocket as a feature in other high end lines as well.

I carry the cards in my wallet, usually in my front pocket. I use the front pocket not for safety, but because I found that sitting with my wallet in the back pocket was putting pressure on the sciatic nerve. Front pocket - no more sciatica. :-)

This is a recent idea, I put my credit cards and driver's licence in a business card case and kept it in my front pocket. Less bulky and easy access. I did however, keep on slapping my backpocket to see if my wallet was there. But not too often as to avoid being arrested.

We have a small laminated list of all our credit/debit cards, with the number to call if they are lost or stolen, and who (wife or me) carries the card. We do not carry the same cards for obvious reasons. My wife keeps the laminated card below the liner in her shoe.

Stu Dudley

My hubby carries his wallet in his front pants pocket also. However, there have been a couple of posts on the Italy board about front pocket wallets being stolen.

Julie

My husband 'lost' his passport in Amsterdam when he kept it in his front pants pocket. Now he keeps it in a 'leg stash' style belt. (as do I).

He keeps one credit card and small amount of cash in a moneyclip in front pocket, with fat rubberband wrapped around it. I have an alternate card in my daybag, in a string wallet that I safety-pin to the inside of the daybag. I can pull it out but it's still attached.

Hi J,

I keep 1 CC amd some cash in a side pocket with a safety pin on it.

Everything else is in a travel wallet under my clothes.

((I))

I usually keep mine in my wallet in my front trouser pocket as I do here at home.

BTW...have you ever seen the look on someone with a purse across the front of their body after that purse has been snatched by someone riding by one a scooter or by someone who sliced the strap with a sharp knife?

I just carry my wallet in my front pocket or jacket pocket as I do at home, but I usually leave extra credit cards at the hotel. I carry my cash in a money clip in the other front pocket. I also leave items I will not need -- membership, library and metro cards etc -- at home. Never needed to take even these simple precautions.

I ALWAYS have my (small) wallet in my front left pocket, save rare occasions when it gets zipped into a jacket pocket. First off, sitting on a wallet puts your pelvis off kilter, then your back.

When on the road I often switch to an even smaller version of my wallet: barely bigger than the cards themselves, holds DL and a couple of cards and bus cards, and falls way down to the bottom of a pants pocket where it's hard to find. Also is so slim that it's not very visible in the pocket, so any pickpocket would first have to figure out where it is. (That said, pros will often see you take out your wallet in a shop, etc, and then just follow a ways before making the pinch, knowing exactly where to pinch. Ouch.)

When out for the day traveling abroad I DO use a "looped onto the belt, then flipped over the waistband inside the trousers" flat zipper pouch for extra cash if I'm going to need it or for passport (or copy) and possibly one of the cards, just in case. As wise advisors above have mentioned, leave everything you won't need at home, and take enough care that you won't have the hassle of replacing things you really need.

I also advise keeping a decent amount of case folded in a pocket so you just don't have to get out the wallet so often. Put it away and leave it alone!

I usually wear jeans and I carry my wallet in my front pocket. I have a difficult time getting it out, so I know a PP would be really tough.

Plus, I'm over 6' tall, weigh 200 lbs, have a big moustache and look half crazy, so I don't think many people want to play games. I also have "the look", kind of the "Clint Eastwood Squint" which scares my college students.

:-)

dave

Shifting a wallet from back to front pockets all of the time sounds like a pain.

I keep my passport, cash, and credit cards in my neck wallet. I've never worried about security and have never been a victim.

The question that jumps out at me from the original post is why are you each taking a complete set of cards? I can see taking maybe a Visa and an MC, in the event something went wrong with one account, but taking extra cards just adds to the hassle. And for the record, he's not nuts. He correctly figures he's never been robbed using the wallet in pants method in the 99.99% of the time he hasn't been traveling, so it's quite reasonable he won't be robbed on vacation, either.

My boyfriend kept his small wallet in his front pocket, and when we were in crowded places, like the bus or Naples train station, he flipped the wallet and pocket backward, so that it was folded over on itself inside the pocket. Seemed like a neat trick.

In my purse, right behind the coin compartment, like everybody.

One or of warning about those magnetic money clips. I use one all the time to keep my cash in my front pocket. Never have had an incident. One trip I had a brillient idea; I would just tuck my credit card in the money holder so it would be handy.

Of course, the magnet erased the information on the magnetic strip on the credit card. I still use the money clip, because it is so handy, but I carry my credit card in another pocket.

:-)

My husband has a small wallet-money clip that he carries in his front pocket too - at home or away.

To minimize damage if we are pickpocketted or purse-snatched, we each took an ATM card for seperate accounts, a credit card for the account we wanted to charge things to, and then we each had a back up card (different accounts). Back up cards in hidden pocket or hotel safe. When we got cash, we took out the max daily limit to minimize fees and each carried half.

If his wallet or my purse was stolen, we would still have access to cash and credit until the cards were replaced - we would be able to continue enjoying our trip with minimal loss or hassle.

J, you sound like intelligent people.

I'm not saying where I keep mine. For all we know, Jen57 might be a pickpocket conducting research.

It seems to me that using a back pocket or carrying high-value stuff in a bag is a very bad idea.

Thanks all for your input, it's most appreciated! We've been over to Italy just once and France several of times in the past with no problems. Except being, once on the Metro in Paris. We were dressed up and going to dinner and had to stand and hold onto to the railing as all the seats had been taken. We were facing each other and I see this guy's hand slide right under my husbands sportscoat! I grabbed his hand and just started yelling at him and then some local Parisians realized what had happened and tore into this scumbag as well. I know it's mostly common sense, pickpockets can happen anywhere. In all of our past travels, I'm usually the banker and am charge of the cards, passports, etc. Just looking over the new bag I purchased for this trip, there's so many zippers and compartments, anybody including myself will have a field day getting into it! As far as the husband goes, he plans on wearing shorts during the day which have zippers or velcro. Guess he'll just carry some Euro shoved in his zippered front pocket & I'll take care of the rest. The wallet with the magnetic money holder is being returned! Thanks all of you again~ P.S. Padraig, sorry but I'm not pickpocket conducting any research, how ridiculous!!! I'm just a traveler like you looking to have a safe and good time is all!

I always carry my wallet, including cards in my front pants pocket. I used to put a wide rubber band around it which makes it almost impossible for someone to get out of the pocket -- but that included me and was such a pain, I stopped doing that.

<<sorry but I'm not pickpocket conducting any research, how ridiculous!!! >>

The first line of defense is entrenched denial. ;)

My beau keeps all his cards in his wallet. If wearing a jacket it's in the inside breast pocket. If not, in the front pants pocket.

daveesl,

Don't get too cocky. I pretty much fit your physical description, including the squinty look at high school students. That did not stop a team of pickpockets from going after me in Madrid. You have to remember that it is not one-on-one open combat. It's sniper and snatch. You don't know that anything happened until hours later when you look to see what time it is or reach for the wallet. I did survive the Madrid attack but only because of two things that happened earlier and fortunately had me on high alert.

Seriously tho...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF97-XVLc-w

<i>For all we know, Jen57 might be a pickpocket conducting research.</i>

and/or writing a book titled &quot;Pickpocketing 101.&quot;

bardo1, love it!!! Again everyone, thanks for your advice and input. Also to a couple of you, thanks for the good laughs, I need it!