Wallet Slayer Vol. 2: The Best Card-Carrying Wallet Phone Case in the Universe

After carrying around an encyclopedia-sized wallet for decades, killing my back, and going through several shattered or otherwise ruined phones over the years, I finally decided to ditch the wallet, go almost entirely cashless, and live a freer life with a phone case that doubles as a wallet.

Here’s why I bought the Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 2, which now holds my most important cards, and why I haven’t regretted it since.

Why Switch to a Wallet Phone Case?

Last year, my wallet, which was packed tight with my various IDs, cards, cash, and random doodads (like an old Irish twopence a stranger had given me years ago), was becoming a literal pain in the butt. No, seriously: Experts say fat wallets can lead to a spinal imbalance and back pain. I was also starting to feel like I’d developed a permanent, wallet-shaped indentation in one of my butt cheeks.

And, as so many people hit with the double-whammy of pandemic restrictions and increasingly hot weather, I’d gotten accustomed to going casual and light around town and had no urgent desire to go back regularly to heavier, less comfortable but more wallet-friendly office outfits. But taking even a short stroll to get coffee and bagels with the equivalent of a pocket Bible swinging around in my loose, light, broken-in gym shorts could feel like I’d hooked a small wrecking ball to myself. Depending on how and where this pendulous weight smacked me, the results varied from annoying to downright painful.

I tried switching to a smaller, billfold-style wallet, which worked fine, but I found cards tended to fall out of it too easily, and it was just another thing to have to keep track of. It was not a perfect solution to downsizing. Carrying stuff in a fanny pack, backpack, purse, or carryall was definitely a big step in the wrong direction.

Then, believe it or not, Tropical Storm Ophelia came to the rescue.

The September 2023 storm dumped over 8 inches of rain over parts of New York City and up to 3 inches an hour in neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including my block. There were no fatalities, but the storm caused about $450 million in damage.

Since the basements on our block are prone to flooding when the storm drains overflow or are blocked, I went out during some of the worst of the storm to clear the drains on our street.

I was only out there for about half an hour, but by the time I came back in, I was soaked, and the pockets of my raincoat were brimming over with rainwater. Worse, my cell phone was completely submerged inside one of them. After a couple of days of seeming like it might actually pull through, it finally gave out.

As I waited for a newer model of my phone to replace it (I downgraded slightly to an iPhone 14 Plus because I needed a phone pronto and stocks of other iPhone models were out), I had an epiphany: I was already looking to get rid of my wallet and carry less stuff in my pockets, so why not turn my phone into a wallet?

After looking up several online reviews, both by professionals and consumers, I ordered the Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 2 for about $30. It arrived the day after I picked up my new phone.

What Is the Wallet Slayer Vol. 2?

The Wallet Slayer Vol. 2 is a slim but protective phone case made of plastic that’s neither too rigid nor too soft and tacky-feeling. It’s got a raised lip around the screen and the camera lenses, and its slightly pebbled surface texture makes it extra grippy.

Smartish^® iPhone 15 Pro Wallet Case - Wallet Slayer Vol. 2 [Slim + Protective] Credit Card Holder w/Kickstand - Drop Tested...

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I’ve dropped and cracked more phones than I can count, so this was the big reason why I picked Vol. 2 over Vol. 1. The case’s corners actually extend a little beyond the corners, creating little air pockets for extra cushioning — again, serial phone smasher here, so another plus.

What Fits in the Wallet Slayer Vol. 2

The primary feature, besides protecting a phone, of course, is the card pocket on the back of the case. Smartish claims it can hold 2 or 3 cards, but, at one point, mine carried:

• My driver’s license
• A New York City public transit OMNY card (about the same thickness as a plastic credit card)
• My Chase Sapphire Reserve^®
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express
• The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express (yes, I’m getting rid of one soon)
• A Priority Pass physical card that I keep forgetting to put away
• My Costco membership card (same)
• My membership card to New York City zoos and the aquarium (a little thinner than a plastic credit card)
• Occasionally, a folded-up $20 bill for getting water ices near the park

When it’s packed this tightly, though, it’s not easy to simply slide out the card I need. Instead, I have to take out a couple, find the one I need, and slide them all back in when I’m done. On the other hand, if I don’t put enough cards in, I find that the pouch material isn’t elastic enough to keep the cards restrained, and they can too easily slide out. Perhaps I’ve stretched out the material too much, or perhaps it’s because my 6-year-old has taken to using the compartment as a grip when he’s playing Pokémon GO? Still, all in all, it’s a minor gripe considering the fact that the case has freed me from wallet serfdom.

The card compartment rises a couple of millimeters above the rest of the back of the phone case, which means it’s not as slim as it looks in the product photos but is still so much better than my thick old wallet. There’s a cutout at the back of the wallet pouch so I can slide the card I need out (slightly) more easily with a thumb or finger. It also has the usual molded bubbles for buttons and cutouts for the silence switch, the speakers, and the charging port.

Additional Features of the Wallet Slayer Vol. 2

The case is too thick, especially loaded with cards, for wireless charging to work through it. So I take the case off each time I wirelessly charge my phone at night. Contactless payments seem to work fine, though.

An ingenious feature that takes advantage of the wallet in an unexpected way is a little slot parallel to the mouth of the wallet compartment. If you stick one of your credit cards in here, it can be used as a kickstand for your phone. I’ve almost never used this, though.

The compartment doesn’t have a flap cover or protective clasp or any other doodads, which I like because it keeps the weight down and means I can get my phone out without it snagging on anything or me having to go through extra steps to text someone or pay for something.

The case is flexible enough that it hasn’t cracked at the corners or around the cutouts at the top or near the bottom (the usual suspects) despite the continual twisting I put it through to do this.

Finally, it hasn’t accumulated dirt, scuffs, or grime the way other cases I’ve used have. After almost a year, it still looks almost as good as the day I slid it onto my new phone.

Perhaps the main downside? Smartish didn’t offer the greatest or widest selection of colors or designs, though it does have versions to fit several iPhone models. (I let my young son pick.) It looks like the company’s refreshed its selection and added more variety since last autumn, though.

Pros of the Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 2

• It’s slim, sturdy, and indeed protects phones.
• It can officially hold 2 or 3 cards but, in reality, holds several more.
• The pebbled texture and dimpled sides are nicely grippy.
• There’s a built-in viewing kickstand.
• It’s the perfect size to act as a grip for tiny kid fingers.
• It stays clean easily.
• It’s relatively inexpensive.
• It hasn’t yet left me in intense pain by smashing into my groin.

Cons of the Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 2

• Cards can slide out if the wallet compartment’s not packed tightly enough.
• Cards can be hard to slide out if the wallet compartment is packed too tightly.
• It doesn’t work with wireless chargers.
• The patterns are limited and may not appeal to everyone.
• It’s only available for iPhones.
• A fancy magazine photo stylist once wrinkled her nose at it and implied it was not stylish enough for her.

Final Thoughts

Though it won’t necessarily save my new phone from another tropical storm, the Wallet Slayer Vol. 2 is both a solid phone case and a great way for me to simplify what I carry around every day. My spine thanks it. My sensitive, pocket-level nether regions thank it. I thank it.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to cut down on the 18 keys on my keychain.