I don't get how you can end up with so many cards, it's seems like a very american problem. I have 5 cards in my wallet:
* Debit card and a Visa credit card: both with chip&pin and allowing me to do secure transaction on the internet
* A public transport card: RFC, also allow me to rent bikes
* An ID card, also with a chip&pin, allow me to sign documents and fill my taxes
* An insurance card which is not even a magnetic or electronic card, it's just a piece of plastic with my client number printed on it
And I don't really see why I should need or want more cards
I'm an American, and I have no idea how someone ends up with that many cards. I carry two: my credit card and by debit (ATM) card. I could easily leave the latter behind, since I very rarely use, but it feels prudent to keep it with me in case I need cash in an emergency. Beyond that, I could understand having a single company credit card if it makes sense for your job (it doesn't for mine).
For gift cards, I suppose it would be nice to have those all aggregated, but I do very little brick and mortar shopping, and virtually no impromptu brick and mortar shopping where having a library of loyalty cards with me at all times would be useful.
The same applies to loyalty cards. I do have a Macy's card, but they can just look that up for you at the store, so I don't carry it. I've probably lost the physical card.
I'm am American. Lets talk about cards for a bit, then?
I have a debit card, a credit card, a student ID that doubles as a payment card and rfid to get me into work. I also have a second rfid card for another building on campus that isn't part of the network, because apparently doors aren't on the internet yet, and a car insurance card that's basically a small slip of paper. That's my everyday wallet carry.
I also carry some keys: 3 for work, one for my car, and one for the apartment. I also have some loyalty cards on the keyring, for grocery shopping, and for the public library.
I also have several cards I leave at home: a debit card that's only for medical expenses paid out of my HSA, a visa gift card from the grandparents, a debit card from the local credit union (which I signed up for because my online bank didn't accept checks at the time and I needed to deposit my first paycheck), a different credit card I don't use often because the cashback is crap outside a narrow set of rotating categories (but can't close because it's also my oldest credit account).
I'm am American. Lets talk about cards for a bit, then?
I have a debit card, a credit card, a student ID that doubles as a payment card and rfid to get me into work. I also have a second rfid card for another building on campus that isn't part of the network, because apparently doors aren't on the internet yet, and a car insurance card that's basically a small slip of paper. That's my everyday wallet carry.
I also carry some keys: 3 for work, one for my car, and one for the apartment. I also have some loyalty cards on the keyring, for grocery shopping, and for the public library.
I also have several cards I leave at home: a debit card that's only for medical expenses paid out of my HSA, a visa gift card from the grandparents, a debit card from the local credit union (I signed up for because my online bank didn't accept checks at the time and I needed to deposit my first paycheck), a different credit card I don't use often because the cashback is crap outside a narrow set of rotating categories (but can't close because it's also my oldest credit account).
Well I have no fewer than 4 checking accounts. I have a debit card for all them. I don't use any of the debit cards except at the ATM once in a while so I could probably go without three of them on my person.
Then I have 4 credit cards.*
That's 8 cards right there. Then I do my shopping at 3 different grocery stores, so they all get their cards. 3 because I take advantage of the sales at each and the selection. One doesn't have some of the stuff I want but the others do. This is pretty common, I know if I want a particular product I have to go to a particular store to get it. I go grocery shopping probably 3-4 times a week because I only buy enough stuff for 1-3 meals. This is to reduce waste. Less often shopping leads to food waste for me.
Sure they can look me up, and I used to not carry the grocery store cards, but I find flashing the card about 1000 times more convenient.
We are up to 12 cards.
I have to carry two IDs, driver's license and US GOVT ID. Card count 14.
Then I have a drugstore card that I use to get "points" for filling my prescriptions. These points are really worth it - you cash them in for merchandise and they are very generous with them. While they have ALL MY INFO (after all, they need it to fill the prescription) but about 70% of the time they want my card, I don't know why. It is just a billion times easier to have it on me.
Card count 15.
Library card - card count 16.
The rest are just random rarely used loyalty cards I don't need to carry but at this point why not carry them?
I don't get gift cards.
People ask why I have so many checking accounts, and it is to better manage my money (for example, I get just enough of my paycheck auto deposited to cover automatic withdraws and put that in a separate account so I know that's my "no touch" money) and take maximum advantages of all the rewards and benefits of each card or bank account.
I don't find any of this that daunting. When you already have to carry a few adding a few more isn't that big of a deal. I don't really have a problem with carrying these around and I prefer separate cards to some "smart card" that is some electronic thing to charge and break.
*I want to mention even with 4 CCs I don't have any CC debt.
"Everyone" is a far stretch. More like "people who like to (or don't mind) managing their finances at a finer level and also don't spend above their means."
Which is maybe 35% of the American population.
Some people are just fine not bothering with credit cards because convenience/simplicity/ease is more important to them. It's all about individual preferences and priority.
You could also easily have 5 store credit cards (J. Crew, Banana Republic, etc.) for extra discounts, a few gift cards you haven't spent yet (Starbucks, Best Buy, etc.), an extra 3 credit cards (they have different promotions), a handful of loyalty cards for discounts (a couple supermarkets, three or four coffee shops, a couple of restaurants), various forms of ID and access cards (company, school, gym, apartment complex front door)...
You can see how it adds up. The reasons for almost all of them are discounts or extra value. Keeping track of all these cards and carrying them around could easily save you several hundred dollars a year if you're willing to do it.
I've never seen one of those gift cards in plastic forms. This seems indeed to be very american ;) Every gift card I ever got or bought was just a piece of paper. And my only store loyalty cards are actually from the US (although they exist here as well).
Here they are much more commonly plastic. They look like a credit card and are on display at stores. It is just a much nicer presentation for a gift than a piece of paper you printed. It's also more convenient to hang onto. It doesn't have to be folded and get beaten up in your wallet when you don't use it for 2 months.
The only time you have something printed on paper is if you got it off a credit card rewards site for the most part.
In America, almost every store has its own loyalty card. Some places (God bless 'em) just let you use your phone number but most require you to have the card. There's 10 right there, easy. Everyone shops at a couple different grocery stores, a drug store, home good store, etc. Clothing, restaurants, gym. It adds up.
Then there's your driver's license. Health insurance. Car insurance.
On top of that credit cards. You're a fool if you don't have a few different ones, because they have rotating reward categories that give you bonuses. I bet a get a few grand a year that most people don't. But even still, I only have 3. And 1 ATM card on the off chance I ever need cash.
Plus gift cards. On the one hand, you don't want to carry those on you all the time. On the other, you'd often use them impulsively so you can't just leave them at home.
It adds up quite easily. It isn't that I want to carry all those cards. It's that I get substantial rewards for doing so.
Add in a driver's license, three more credit cards to take advantage of various bonus point offers which depend on what and where you buy things, a corporate credit card, corporate access key car, and three loyalty cards for the supermarkets where you shop most often. Now imagine you have a birthday party and your six of your friends give you gift cards to various stores and restaurants.
I've been minimizing my wallet, but still plenty of cardboard buy-5-get-1-free coffee cards somehow make their way into it. It really depends on the individual. In any case, I think that the idea of this one-card-to-rule-them all is wonderful. I realize it is wishful thinking, but I want to see them pull this off.
The only extra I can think of is gym card. I carry 4 cards. Gym, ID, credit and transport card. Don't see why you need credit and debit card? What's the difference?
Gift card for restaurants? It's that seriously a thing? What message are you supposed to get when you receive one, "I would like to offer you dinner but can't spare one hour to eat it with you"?
Yes, it's an American thing. In the US every retail entity that you interact with will offer you discounts to scan a plastic card in addition to your credit card (it allows them to trend you as a consistent customer for their data modeling, send you targeted advertising, and so on).
If you want to take advantage of these discounts, you build a significant stack of plastic.
And I don't really see why I should need or want more cards