Believe it or not, there are Facebook groups dedicated to what people carry in their pockets, purses, briefcases and assorted carry devices. Actually, this is probably not a surprise to anyone seeing as there are Facebook groups dedicated to every imaginable cause or activity.
However, although I am always interested in new leather wallets, bags and briefcases, I am one of the people who is trying to reduce what I carry in my pockets on a day to day basis.
In the past I carried what is called a Tradesman’s wallet. I could fit a lifetime of receipts, business cards, credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, health care cards and what-not into that wallet. The problem with carrying a wallet of that girth was that it would not fit into the front pocket of any pair of my trousers and after carrying it in the back pocket of my dungarees, I found my back was all torqued and twisted out of shape which I knew would lead to long term back pain.
So I no longer carry a Costanza-sized wallet that is bursting full of credit cards, debit cards, healthcare cards, business cards and receipts from long forgotten purchases.
My choice to not carry cards is being made all that much easier with the payment revolution that is coming to the consumer side of things. I no longer carry a Starbucks card. I use their mobile device app. I no longer need to walk into a bank or credit union to deposit a cheque – I can snap a picture of it with my mobile device and with a few swipes and touches the cheque is deposited to my account.
Now credit card companies are also getting in on the mobile device app side of things. The most recent one is the TD Mobile Payment App. Rather than carrying another card, you connect your mobile device to your TD Canada Trust credit card and at any Visa PayWave eligible merchant you pay with a wave of your mobile.
One less item to jam into the wallet. The TD Mobile Payment App is a different way of thinking. A new way of thinking. I like it. Will there be a day when all of our cards are linked to our mobile devices? It is certainly looking like that now.