The Modern Purse: Why We Still Carry One in a Contactless World

With contactless cards, mobile banking and digital wallets now part of everyday life, it would be easy to assume that the traditional purse was becoming obsolete. Yet purses remain consistently popular—and, if anything, the variety of styles available has grown.

That has certainly been my experience at Sassy Spirit.

From compact card wallets to roomy fold-out designs, customers are still buying purses, but the way they use them is changing. A modern purse may carry less cash than it once did, yet it still has an important job to do.

Are we really becoming cashless?

There is no doubt that the way we pay has changed dramatically. According to UK Finance, card payments accounted for 64% of all UK payments during 2025, while nearly two-thirds of the population are registered for a mobile wallet.

Paying by tapping a card, phone or watch is quick and convenient. Many of us can now leave home without giving cash a second thought, but contactless payment has not removed the need to carry the cards themselves—and it has not made cash completely redundant either.

Most of us still have a collection of bank cards, a driving licence, loyalty cards, membership cards and perhaps an emergency credit card. Then there are the less obvious things that find their way into a purse: receipts, stamps, appointment cards, shopping trolley tokens and the occasional family photograph.

Cash also continues to have its place. It is useful for small independent businesses, charity collections, parking, tips and those moments when a card reader or phone refuses to cooperate. I am sure I am not the only one who has been left embarrassed at the checkout with a full shopping trolley and suddenly my payment provider decides it will only let me chip and pin payment. UK Finance reports that most adults still use Cash Machines and pay for something in cash at least once a month, despite the continuing decline in cash payments.

So perhaps the purse has not disappeared because it was never only about money.

From money holder to personal organiser

The traditional purse was designed around notes and coins, with card storage added as our habits changed. Today, many people need the opposite: plenty of room for cards, with just enough space for a few coins or an emergency note.

Others still prefer a full-sized purse that keeps everything together. Some want something small enough to slip into a coat pocket, while others value a larger design that can hold a mobile phone and be carried on its own.

There is no single “modern purse”. The best choice depends on what you genuinely carry and how you prefer to organise it.

What should you look for in a purse?

Before choosing a new purse, it helps to empty your existing one and look honestly at what is inside.

• Mostly cards: A slim card wallet will avoid unnecessary bulk.

• Cards plus a little cash: Look for a compact design with a secure zipped coin section and space for folded or full-length notes.

• Plenty of cards and paperwork: A fold-out purse with several compartments makes everything easier to find.

• A phone and daily essentials: A larger purse with a handle can become a practical grab-and-go option.

• Loose coins: Choose a design with a generous, easily accessible coin compartment rather than squeezing them into a card-focused wallet.

Size is only part of the decision. The arrangement of the compartments can make a greater difference than the overall dimensions. Below is a closer look at the six purse styles currently stocked by Sassy Spirit and the type of customer each one suits best.

1. Velvet Coin Purse: soft, simple and flexible

Measuring approximately 13cm x 9cm, our Velvet Coin Purses are the smallest and softest option in the collection. They have a secure zip-top opening, a silk-lined interior and enough room to hold approximately three or four cards alongside a useful quantity of coins.

Their flexible construction means they slip easily into a smaller handbag or coat pocket without taking up much room. There are no separate card slots or complicated sections, making them ideal for anyone who prefers one simple compartment and easy access to everything inside.

The velvet purses are available in a variety of colours and decorative designs, including embroidered flowers, birds, animals and other nature-inspired motifs. They make lovely small gifts, but are equally useful as an everyday purse, travel money holder or separate place to keep loose change.

Best for: coins, a few essential cards and anyone who wants a lightweight, flexible purse.

2. Saira: the vintage-style coin purse

Saira measures approximately 15cm x 9cm and combines a traditional metal frame fastening with a playful mix of animal prints. Made from recycled leather with a hair-on-hide animal-print exterior, it has the character of a vintage coin purse while offering a little more organisation inside.

The roomy main section will comfortably accommodate three or four cards plus coins. A separate zipped pocket built into the side is particularly useful for keeping folded notes apart from loose change.

The wide framed opening makes the contents easy to see and reach, which is helpful for anyone who dislikes searching through a narrow zipped compartment. Saira is still compact, but its structured shape and distinctive clasp give it a very different feel from the soft velvet option.

Best for: people who mainly carry coins, need only a few cards and enjoy a traditional clasp-purse design.

3. Samira: the compact card wallet

Samira is one of our most popular purse styles. Measuring approximately 17.5cm x 10cm, it is designed for customers who carry plenty of cards but very little cash.

Inside are nine card slots, two full-length pockets for notes, a slightly smaller pocket for stamps, receipts and similar items, a zipped coin pocket and a photo holder. Despite that useful internal organisation, the purse remains relatively slim and compact.

This balance is the reason Samira works so well for modern payment habits. It provides a proper home for bank cards, loyalty cards and identification without the additional depth of a large coin compartment. There is space for a small amount of change, but frequent cash users may find one of the roomier styles more suitable.

Samira is made from recycled leather and comes in both bright and natural colour combinations, finished with a variety of hair-on-hide animal prints.

Best for: card users who want good organisation in a slim purse and carry only occasional coins.

4. Devi: the smallest fold-out purse

Devi is the smallest fold-out design in the range and is becoming increasingly popular. When closed, it measures approximately 13cm x 10cm, making it an impressively compact option for the amount of organisation it provides.

Opening the magnetic fastening reveals card slots across both sides of the middle section, with two additional storage areas beneath them. Behind the card slots are two separate sections for notes. A wraparound zipped section is divided into two compartments for cash, and there is another zipped pocket on the back of the purse.

Although Devi provides several places to organise money and cards, its small folded size naturally limits the amount of loose change it can comfortably carry. It is therefore better suited to cards and notes, with space for a modest number of coins, rather than as a traditional full coin purse.

Most Devi purses feature hair-on-hide animal-print panels, although a small number of all-leather designs are also available. All are made using recycled leather and come in a mixture of bright and more natural colourways.

Best for: anyone who wants the organisation of a fold-out purse in the smallest possible format.

5. Kanti: the grab-and-go purse

Kanti is our bestselling purse when customers can explore the range in person. Its appeal often becomes clear when I demonstrate that my mobile phone—even in its case—fits inside.

Measuring approximately 20cm x 11.5cm, Kanti is more than a conventional purse. Its fold-out handle allows it to be picked up and carried on its own, making it a practical grab-and-go choice when you do not want to take a handbag.

Inside, it is divided into four main sections: two open compartments and two with zipped access. Card slots run across the back of the purse and along the underside of the opening flap. There is also an additional pouch behind the card holder and a photo holder. A further full-length zipped pocket on the back brings the total to three generously sized zipped sections.

That layout gives you the flexibility to separate cards, cash, receipts, keys and other small essentials, while the larger dimensions provide space for many mobile phones. As phone sizes and cases vary, it is sensible to compare your phone’s measurements before ordering if this is the feature that matters most to you.

Kanti is made from recycled leather and finished with a hair-on-hide animal-print front panel in a selection of colour combinations.

Best for: customers who want their purse to hold a phone and double as a compact grab-and-go clutch.

6. Nidhi: the full-sized traditional purse

At approximately 21cm x 11cm, Nidhi is the largest purse in our current collection. Of all six styles, it is closest to the full-sized women’s purses that have been popular over the past twenty years.

It opens out to reveal storage on both sides, including 13 card slots, a full-length pocket for notes, two open compartments, a photo display, an additional full-length see-through mesh section and a central zipped coin compartment.

This is the purse for someone who does not want to pare back. There is room to keep cards, notes, coins, receipts and other everyday items organised in their own sections, rather than choosing which essentials to leave behind.

Nidhi is available in both bright and deeper natural colour combinations. Most designs feature a hair-on-hide animal-print front panel, with a small number of plain recycled-leather versions also available.

Best for: anyone who carries a substantial number of cards and wants the space and organisation of a traditional full-sized purse.

Which purse is right for you?

The best purse is not necessarily the smallest or the one with the most compartments. It is the one that matches the way you live.

If you mainly carry coins and a handful of cards, the Velvet Coin Purse or Saira will keep things simple. Samira offers excellent card storage without unnecessary bulk, while Devi brings fold-out organisation to a much smaller shape. Kanti is the versatile choice for carrying a phone and leaving the handbag at home, and Nidhi provides the greatest capacity for those who still like to carry everything in one place.

Contactless payment may have changed what we put inside our purses, but it has not removed their purpose. Instead, the purse has adapted—from a place to keep money into a compact organiser for the small but important things we rely on every day.

Explore the Sassy Spirit purse collection and choose the style that works for you.

Thanks for reading.