This is a thorough review of the Ekster Parliament wallet. We’ll go through all of the pluses and minuses of this wallet to help you decide if this is the perfect minimalist wallet for you. So, let’s see if you should buy the Ekster Parliament wallet.
Ekster Parliament Wallet Review
The Ekster Parliament is a tactical minimalist wallet made of fine leather. The wallet has a few key features that allow smart storage and quick card access. Additionally, you can make the Ekster Parliament wallet unlosable by adding a tracking card.
Should you buy the Ekster Parliament wallet?
The Ekster Parliament is suitable for modern men who enjoy well-designed and practical accessories.
I would recommend the Ekster Parliament to anyone looking for a leather, quality minimalist wallet.
If you appreciate the innovativeness of the quick card access trigger, then you should also buy this wallet.
And, if you always find yourself looking for your lost wallet or phone, the Ekster Parliament may be an ideal solution to your problem. Adding a tracer card to your minimalist wallet will make your life easier and less stressful.
Buying
The Ekster Parliament wallet is available on Amazon and the official Ekster store. In general, the Ekster store will provide a better deal overall, but check the Amazon listing as well just to make sure you are getting the best price possible.
Price and value for money
The Ekster Parliament wallet costs $89.
At the moment, there is a discount on the official Ekster website. If you plan on buying the wallet now, you can purchase it for $76.
Either way, the wallet is relatively affordable compared to other minimalist wallets on the market. Also, you can pay in 4 interest-free payments with Afterpay.
Shipping
Ekster offers free shipping to US customers for orders of $50 or more. For orders that cost less than $50, custom shipping will be calculated at checkout. Because orders are delivered from the United States, additional customs and taxes may apply when ordering from another country, depending on the international location you select.
Typical delivery time is 2 – 6 business days for U.S. orders and 10 – 15 business days for international orders. Keep in mind that this is only an estimate and not a guarantee. Delivery time may vary depending on the service you choose and your address. All expected shipping times are in business days.
Ekster offers shipping almost everywhere, with a few exceptions that you can check on Ekster’s shipping page.
Discounts, coupons, and deals
With ID.me verification, government employees, hospital workers, medical providers, military, first responders, students, and teachers receive a 20% discount just by confirming their community status.
Customer support
You can get in touch with the Ekster Team via email at [email protected]. If you have a question about an order you placed, don’t forget to include your name and email address when messaging the Ekster customer support team.
Warranty
Ekster pays a lot of attention to quality control. So, all of their products come with a one-year warranty from the date of delivery. Any manufacturing flaws are covered under this warranty. However, the warranty does not cover product damage caused by regular wear and tear and user-induced damage.
If you bought your wallet from a third-party seller, such as Amazon, the Ekster 12-month warranty will also apply. The replacement, however, will be handled by the relevant third party, so it’s better to contact them directly.
Return and refund policy
You can return your Ekster Parliament wallet for a full refund after 45 days of receiving your order if you are unhappy with it.
Returns must be unopened, in the same condition as when they were delivered, and in their original packing. Note that leather that has been stretched or scuffed will not be accepted for return. The Ekster team may request images of the product as well.
It’s important to send a prior notice and wait for approval from Ekster’s team before sending the product back.
Customers in the United States can return their items for free. Customers outside of the United States, on the other hand, are responsible for returning the goods as well as the shipping costs.
Once you return the wallet, a member of the Ekster team will process your refund and send you an email to let you know. Within 10 business days, a credit will be given automatically to the original mode of payment.
The Ekster brand
Ekster products are designed to be efficient, safe, minimal, and timeless. The company is socially responsible, so they use recycled and sustainable materials like vegan recycled leather made from car windshields and ECCO DriTan leather.
The company is based in the Netherlands. Two Dutch students founded Ekster through a Kickstarter campaign after realizing that their consumers desired thinner, leather wallets. Since then, they’ve expanded into other everyday carry things such as phone cases and a few other accessories.
Basics
The Ekster Parliament is a tactical, bi-fold leather wallet equipped with a quick card access mechanism. It’s easy to use this wallet daily and store it inside any pocket.
Unboxing
Ekster wallets arrive in a sleek, black box, with the logo imprinted on the front. The packaging protects the wallet during transport with a touch of elegance. I advise you to keep the box since it can be a great holder for your wallet when you are not using it, and you may also need it in case you want to return the wallet.
How to use
The Ekster Parliament is made from premium European leather and you can feel that the moment you unbox the wallet.
The front of the wallet is clean and doesn’t have any external pockets. There is, however, a logo on the bottom right corner.
The backside has a single slot, where the tracker card would go if you order one.
While the Ekster Parliament is folded you can also see a button on the left corner. By pushing this button, you can access your most-used cards without having to open the wallet. The trigger mechanism is easy to use, and the cards will come out smoothly and will slide down smoothly, as well, when you are done using them.
An additional tip I can give you is to put your most-used card on the back since it will be the easiest to grab, making the payment process faster for you. Your cards will be very secure inside this pocket even when you have them out. No matter the number of cards you have inside, the mechanism is designed to hold each card in place.
When you open or unfold the wallet, you’ll see two vertical pockets on the left side. These pockets are slim, and inside you can place a few cards. On the other side, in the center of the wallet, there is an elastic strap for holding cash.
Overall, the Ekster Parliament wallet offers a lot of storage options for both cards and cash. Further, the wallet is user-friendly, and you won’t need much time to get used to it and use it daily.
Build quality
Quality-wise, the Ekster Parliament is a durable minimalist wallet made for daily carry. The wallet is made with quality materials that will withstand various conditions and are also sustainable.
Materials
The Ekster Parliament wallet is handcrafted with top-grain leather that has been tanned using ECCO Leather’s revolutionary DriTan technology under gold-rated environmental protocols to minimize the negative impact on the environment. The other material used for this wallet is 6063 T5 aluminum, anodized in space grey.
Known issues and problems
There are just a few issues with the Ekster Parliament wallet that have been reported. We’ll go through each one in detail in this part of the article.
The first complaint is about the wallet casing being very rigid. It may not be comfortable to put this wallet in your back pocket or in very tight pockets inside your jeans. However, you’ll probably be able to fit the Ekster Parliament wallet inside most jackets and front pockets.
Furthermore, buyers have pointed to another problem with the card ejection trigger. The button, in some cases, may not work as smoothly as it should. This will significantly affect accessibility during daily use. If you encounter such a problem with your Ekster Parliament wallet, contact customer support immediately. Don’t forget to include a picture or a video, as well as your name and address. This way you can apply for a refund or replacement of the faulty product as soon as possible.
A few consumers have expressed security concerns. If you shake the wallet and turn it upside down and notice some of the cards flying out, contact customer services. This shouldn’t happen, and there might be some manufacturing defect with your Ekster Parliament wallet.
Aside from the above-mentioned possible problems, most buyers have shared only positive experiences with the wallet. Don’t forget that the brand offers a 100% guarantee, so if you are not completely satisfied, you can return the product with a money-back guarantee within 45 days of purchasing.
Design
The Ekster Parliament wallet is built to last a lifetime. Its design is a perfect balance between a classy style and innovative technologies.
The bi-fold design and the leather material give this wallet a timeless feel and a look suited for any generation. With the addition of the Ekster Tracker Card and the practical card ejection trigger, the Ekster Parliament is a revolutionary and unique minimalist wallet like no other.
Colors
The Ekster Parliament is available in a wide range of colors, including:
- classic brown
- nappa black
- roma cognac
- juniper green
- steel blue
- merlot red
- navy
Fit to clothing style
The large selection of colors in which the Ekster Parliament wallet comes in, and its unique and practical design, make it fit easily with any style. Whether you want to dress casually or elegantly, the wallet will easily match your existing wardrobe.
Overall, the Ekster Parliament wallet will be the perfect modern yet practical accessory to add an edge to your outfit, regardless of your style, habits, and needs.
Features and functionality
The list of features for the Ekster Parliament wallet isn’t very long. However, this wallet has a unique mix of elegant and functional features that will meet all of your needs and more. The most notable features include:
- quick card access mechanism
- RFID blocking technology
- environmentally certified leather
- tracker to make the wallet unlosable
- multi-purpose cash strap
Portability, size, weight
The wallet weighs approximately 4.2 oz / 119 g when empty, which is slightly heavier than most other minimalist wallets. This is mainly due to the integrated trigger mechanism and the materials used in the wallet.
The Ekster Parliament is among the slimmest wallets available today, with the wallet’s dimensions being:
- width: 2.5 in / 6.5 cm
- height: 4.1 in / 10.5 cm
- depth: 0.4 in / 1.1 cm
Tracker card
You can make the Ekster Parliament wallet unlosable by adding a tracker card. Additionally, solar-powered tracking technology can be combined with any Ekster product. This ultra-slim tracker card prevents you from misplacing your minimalist wallet, and the two-way ringing option allows you to call your wallet from your phone or vice versa.
The Ekster tracker card costs 59$, but if you order it together with the Parliament wallet, you will get 15% off. So, with the added tracker, your wallet will cost a total of $117. This is not an enormous change from the original price especially considering the usefulness of the tracker.
The tracker card itself uses solar power. This way, it will only take 3 hours of solar charge to last you up to 2 full months. A bonus is that you won’t need any power banks and wires.
Another super practical feature of the Ekster tracker card is voice activation. The card is compatible with Siri, Alexa, or Google Home. It can also be used as a wireless selfie stick, so you can shoot photos from up to 200 feet away by simply using the tracker as a remote.
Finally, another perk of the Ekster tracker is the lost-and-found BLE technology that will locate your wallet even when it’s out of range of your paired device.
Does the Ekster Parliament wallet have RFID blocking?
The Ekster Parliament wallet has integrated RFID blocking technology that will keep your sensitive information safe and protect you against identity theft. However, the back pocket of the wallet is scanner-friendly to make commuting easier, but other than that, this wallet will protect your cards from skimmers and the growing threat of electronic pickpockets.
How many cards can the Ekster Parliament wallet hold?
The Ekster Parliament wallet can hold up to 12+ cards in total. However, the recommended number of cards to store inside this wallet is 9.
The built-in aluminum cardholder stores 6 non-embossed cards, or a combination of 4 – 5 embossed/non-embossed cards (depending on the thickness of each card).
The other three card slots can hold from 2 to 6 cards, depending on whether there is a tracking card in the wallet.
How much cash can the Ekster Parliament hold?
You can use the multi-purpose strap of the Ekster Parliament wallet for cash storage. Under this strap, you can probably place five to six folded bills regardless of the size of the currency. However, the wallet doesn’t have a space for holding coins. So, as they say on the official website, it’s best to keep your loose change in your piggy bank at home.
Ekster Parliament vs other wallets
On the market, you’ll often find tons of minimalist wallets, making it difficult to tell them apart and compare them.
That is why I have singled out two prominent rivals to the Ekster Parliament wallet, so you can easily decide which is ideal for you.
Ekster Parliament vs Skyborne Trigger
At first glance, the Ekster Parliament and the Skyborne Trigger are pretty similar in design and functionality.
Both wallets have a quick card access mechanism that fans out cards at the push of a button. Further, the wallets are crafted with premium quality leather, have RFID blocking, a slim profile, and cost almost the same (Parliament – $76, Trigger – $74.90).
However, there are e few significant differences between these wallets. The Ekster Parliament can hold more cards and cash despite being almost the same size as the Skyborne Trigger. On the other hand, the Skyborne Trigger comes with a 3-year warranty, whereas the Ekster wallet has only a one-year warranty.
Read my detailed review of the Skyborne Trigger wallet if you want similar features but a larger capacity, and you believe you won’t need the tracking features.
Ekster Parliament vs Fidelo Hybrid
The Fidelo Hybrid wallet is a budget alternative to the Ekster Parliament.
The Fidelo Hybrid is a minimalist, slim, metal, and lightweight wallet. It comes in two colors: black and grey, and it is available in two versions: aluminum or carbon fiber. The Fidelo Hybrid wallet can hold up to 7 cards and 10 currency bills. Also, it has several handy features such as RFID protection, an elastic band, and a sliding button for easy card access. I recommend that you read my Fidelo Hybrid review and learn more about its pros and cons.
The Ekster Parliament is composed of fine leather and 6061 space-grade aluminum, which is sturdier and more durable. It comes in a variety of color options to choose from. Further, it has a storage capacity of up to 12 cards, nearly double that of the Fidelo Hybrid.
In my opinion, both wallets are great. It all depends on what you are looking for in a minimalist wallet and how much you are willing to spend, but in short, go with the Fidelo Hybrid if you are on a more limited budget.
Reviews and customer satisfaction
The Ekster Parliament has a lot of customer reviews, the majority of them are positive. According to users, this wallet is compact and offers a lot of storage space for both cards and cash.
Satisfied customers praise the Ekster Parliament for its simplicity and quick card trigger access system. This is an important feature since it allows you to access your cards more quickly than if you had to take them out one by one. Another great thing is the option to add a tracker card, especially for people who are always on the go or often lose their phone and wallet.
Who should not buy the Ekster Parliament wallet?
I can think of only a few reasons you shouldn’t buy this wallet.
The Ekster Parliament can be a bit rigid and bulky for some of you. The wallet is designed to be slim. However, in comparison to other paper-thin, minimalist wallets, the Ekster Parliament can be heavier and bigger overall, especially if you add the tracker card.
Another reason why you shouldn’t buy the Ekster Parliament is the storage size for cash. This wallet has a lot of card slots to hold all of your daily used cards. However, when it comes to carrying money or coins, your options are limited. To hold bills you can use the multi-purpose strap, but this is not ideal if you are someone who needs a wallet with a sizable space for carrying money daily.
The wallet is not exactly cheap, and if you’re looking to save some money, check out my guides on the best wallets under $50 and the best wallets under $30.
Lastly, you shouldn’t t purchase this wallet if you are worried about using the quick card access mechanism. This feature can be very helpful, but it may not be for everybody.
Who should buy the Ekster Parliament wallet?
There are many reasons you should want to buy the Ekster Parliament wallet.
First, if you enjoy leather-made accessories, you should get this wallet. The leather typically develops a patina as it matures. This look is something that a lot of people like and value. Also, leather products feel extra smooth on the touch.
Second, if you need a wallet with a quick card access mechanism, the Ekster Parliament is for you. With this wallet, you can see your most-used cards by pressing a button. This feature is beloved by many customers.
And lastly, the fact that you can make your wallet unlosable by adding a tracker card is a huge win in my book. Not a lot of minimalist wallets offer this option. So it’s great that you can choose to add a tracer. This way, you don’t have to worry about loоsing your Ekster Parliament wallet or your phone.
Additionally, the wallet is enclosed and has RFID protection. This makes the Ekster Parliament extra safe and secure minimalist wallet.
Where to buy the Ekster Parliament from?
Ekster Parliament wallet specifications
| Type | minimalist |
| Max n. of cards | 12+ |
| RFID blocking? | yes |
| TSA compliant? | yes |
| Materials used | top-grain leather, 6063 T5 aluminum |
| Height | 4.1 in / 10.5 cm |
| Width | 2.5 in / 6.5 cm |
| Depth | 0.4 in / 1.1 cm |
| Weight | 4.2 oz / 119 g |
| Features | quick card access mechanism, RFID blocking technology, environmentally certified leather, cash strap, + tracker card |
| Water resistance | some |
| Warranty | one-year warranty |
| Return period | 45 days |
