These are the credit, debit and loyalty cards I’ll be using this year.
Though I’ve dozens of debit, credit and loyalty cards, I don’t actually use that many on a regular basis. So rather than carry them all with me I’ve slimmed them down to just a handful in my physical wallet, and put the rest in a digital one (aka my phone).
I thought it could be useful for you to see which ones I’ve picked and how I’ve managed to carry far less than I used to.
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On my digital wallet
I’ve got an iPhone, and I actually tend to use it for the bulk of my spending via the Apple Pay feature. The higher contactless limit is also pretty handy.
I add bank and credit cards to Apple Wallet and use it both to pay in shops and also online where the Apple Pay feature is available.
Really, I only use three or four cards regularly, but I’d probably have a couple more on there just in case. All are listed below.
I’ve then got the bulk of the other non-bank cards I would have had in my physical wallet in another app called Stocard.
Amex Platinum
The American Express Platinum is my main spending card at the start of the year – but only for another month. I took advantage of a boosted welcome offer that ran until early January which will earn me a huge number of points once I hit a spending threshold, which should be in the next week or so and certainly before the end of February deadline I need to meet.
After this it will only earn me 0.5% back on spending which can be beaten, and it comes with a huge £650 annual fee. I will however keep hold of the card in the short term. First up I can get £100 in dining credit in the UK and another £100 overseas between now and the end of June. Then I can get both of these again from July onwards.
It also comes with travel insurance which I’ll need for some trips I’ll be making this year.
But, I’ll be looking to get rid of the card before the annual fee is due again. Without the welcome bonus points I’ll have made it’s not worth continuing to pay for this.
I might actually do this earlier as Amex still offers a pro-rata refund on what’s left on the fee, though I think the £200 credit from restaurants after July and travel insurance cost for my autumn trips probably mean doing so won’t make much difference.
However, I won’t be cancelling the card. Instead I’ll downgrade this to an Amex Rewards card. This keeps the points I’ve earned active without a monthly fee.
PayPal debit
If a retailer won’t take Amex I’m currently using my PayPal debit card, and I expect it’ll be my main way to pay once that Amex bonus has been triggered.
It pays 1% on most spending, making it very hard to beat right now, and that can be increased if you’re a big spender.
If I spend a total of £25,000 on the card this calendar year, I’ll move up to Gold tier in 2027, where my points will be worth 1.2%, or 1.5% if I use them on food and drink. Plus I’ll get access to extra discounts on subscriptions for that year.
The challenge will be that there is no supplementary card I can get to give to my wife so both our spending counts towards this target. Looking at our normal monthly spending I think we’ll still be ok for this total, but there’s no guarantee
This card is aready set both as my ‘Express Travel’ card on my iPhone which means I don’t need to use Face ID when using London public transport.
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Other debit cards
Apple Pay used to be limited to 16 cards, but since iOS 17 you can add more. However, from experience, the more you have the longer it takes to pick a card you do need!
I have though put a load of other debit cards in my Apple Wallet. The main ones are Halifax, Monzo, Barclays, Natwest, Lloyds, Virgin Money and Santander. This is handy in the rare times there’s a cashback offer running with those banks which requires me to use that debit card.
I also have the Trading 212 card on there. The Trading 212 debit card is often boosted to 1.5%, so a very good rate. However, cashback on that card is capped at £15 each month, meaning I’ll only earn on your first £1,000 spent.
In the very unlikely situation where I need to get cash out of an ATM and don’t have my Starling debit card, I can use the Natwest or Barclays apps to withdraw some money.
Other credit cards
In addition to my main Amex, I’ve got an Amex Vitality card, and this will replace the Platinum when I need credit card protection on purchases from next month onwards. The rate on this can increase from the standard 0.5% to 1% or 1.5% depending on how much exercise I do each month.
Check out this article with details of boosted referral bonuses and other extra offers with your American Express card.
Loyalty cards
Other than the one or two that are paper-based, all my loyalty cards are now on my phone. Though you can access most via the retailers’ own apps or even the phone’s own digital wallet. I used to keep them in an app called Stocard, but that’s been bought by Klarna and you now have to use that for the same features.
You simply scan the barcode or enter your membership number and it’s there to display when paying. This has really removed a lot of cards from my wallet.
Gift cards
I used to use Stocard/Klarna’s app to add gift cards that have a barcode, as they can be scanned too. These are usually digital ones I’ve acquired as cashback site payouts or discounted via cashback apps. However I’m now taking photos of the cards and storing them in albums.
Other cards
Finally, there are a couple of other cards. I’ve put my library card on Klarna. I also have a free Priority Pass from the Platinum Amex, and that’s on there to get airport lounge access too.
I’ve also got a Two Together Railcard at a massive discount, which was digital only and accessed via the Railcard app.
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In my physical wallet
I’d love to just have everything on my phone, but not only are there a few things that I can’t add digitally and I also worry about what would happen if the battery died. So I still have an actual wallet with actual cards in it.
Ideally, I’d carry just two banking cards on me at any time. A debit card for cash withdrawals and a credit card for when I want additional consumer protection.
Sadly I’ve also got to factor in that I do sometimes need to use alternative cards, whether that’s for specific offers, spending for work, places that don’t take Amex and a handful of non-payment cards I need to have. However, I’ve managed to limit it to just a handful.
American Platinum credit card
Since it’s my top-paying cashback credit card, it’s the main card I keep on me. This will change to the Vitality card.
Starling Bank debit card
Right now, Starling is my main bank account, so I’ve got that in my wallet for the very rare occasions that I need to take out cash.
Barclaycard Rewards credit card
This card is my backup to the Amex and PayPal cards. It earns 0.25% cashback, so I really only use it when I need a credit card and Amex isn’t accepted, or if I need a credit card abroad (as it’s fee-free).
The best cashback debit and credit cards
Check out my list of the best cashback cards
Cash
Right now I’ve got £40 in notes as well as some change. This is rare! It’s not something I make a choice to have as I use it so rarely, though there’s no harm in having a little available just in case.
Gift vouchers
I’ve about £2 left from a Book Token, picked up via a TopCashback bonus. It’s possibly the same gift card I had in the wallet a year ago – which shows the risk of having too many gift cards. The good news is these last for eight years so it won’t have expired.
Receipts
There are a handful of receipts, I normally clear these out but right now there are some business expenses I need to claim.
Other cards
The main card I can’t add to my phone is my driving licence. Though I don’t need to use it very often (especially as I rarely drive), I like to have it on me. Next year though this should be available digitally, so I can ditch having it on me.
I’ve also got my NUS / Totum Pro alumni card for student discounts. I don’t use this much anymore either, but it’s handy to have when a retailer offers money off (find out here if you’re eligible for one).
That’s mainly it. The other items haven’t changed since my update last year. I’ve still got a paper loyalty card from the Indian restaurant chain Dishoom (I’ve enough stamps to get a free breakfast), a plaster and a photo of my wife.
Everything else I used to carry, like Clubcard, Nectar and other loyalty and banking cards, are instead on my phone.
