7 Things New Yorkers Should Never Carry In Their Wallets

While it might seem like a good idea to pack your wallet full of items and documents that you might need, it's not. As someone who travels pretty often, I understand the urge to carry everything with you. No one wants to travel to their destination and not have an ID or credit card, or something else they need. At that point, there is no "running home" to pick it up.

That happened to me, which is probably why I tend to carry extra items in my wallet. I went to Jacksonville, Florida, and the car rental company told me I needed to have two IDs. Like, WTF?! No one told me that before I traveled, and it wasn't in any of their policies. I was over 1,000 miles away with no second form of ID. Even after I called the corporate number and was vindicated by the customer service agent, the desk agent still would not honor my PREPAID reservation. It was a whole thing, but thankfully, I got a car from another company. I said all that to say, sometimes it's hard not to carry these extra things in your wallet.

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Never Carry These 7 Items In Your Wallet

There are 7 things that New York residents should not keep in their wallets. The reasons are that you could make it easier for scammers or thieves to rob you blind or steal your identity. With scamming at an all-time high, it's important to protect yourself.

1. Social Security Number

You should never keep your Social Security number or your card in your wallet. Your SS number is used to identify yourself for so many important things - jobs, bank accounts, investments, health insurance, etc. - that you wouldn't want a stranger with bad intentions getting hold of it.

2. Checks/Deposit Slips

I'm not sure how many people still write checks, but experts warn not to carry them in your wallet. They have your banking information printed on them, the exact info you don't want thieves to have. Even worse, a blank check could wipe out your whole account in the wrong hands.

3. Multiple Credit Cards

If a thief snatches your wallet, the more cards they have access to use on your dime. Or, if you lose your wallet, it's just more cards you'll need to place holds on and cancel.

4. Multiple Gift Cards

I'm a bit torn on this one. It's convenient to carry gift cards, especially for restaurants, just in case you're near the place. But if you lose your wallet, you're pretty much losing the entire value of the cards.

5. Password Cheat Sheet

As an old person, I know how hard it is to remember passwords to all of the things we need passwords for. We tend to create cheat sheets to help us remember, but it's a bad idea to keep them in your wallet.

6. Extra Cash

I do believe in carrying cash, even though we live in a digital wallet age. There are times that nothing but foldable money will do - tips, a person in need, gas stations that charge credit card fees under a minimum, etc. But, you shouldn't carry unnecessarily excessive cash with you. It could make you a target. Plus, just like or possibly even worse than gift cards, when you lose it or it gets stolen, it's gone. And, if you ever get pulled over by police, they could potentially seize your cash, and you may never get it back!

7. Spare Car/House Keys

With your home address (most likely) on your ID or driver's license, you don't want to give thieves a spare key to your home, in addition to your wallet. Find another place to store a spare key or give it to a reliable friend or family member.

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