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Wise Travel Money Card
Wise Travel Money Card

Wise Travel Money Card

Updated 9 August 2024

Wise cards can be preloaded with local currencies to avoid transaction fees while you travel or spend overseas ✈, or converted into the local currency in real-time using the mid-market rate. You’ll get exceptionally low ATM fees, no monthly fees and instant access when you add it to your digital wallet.
T&Cs apply.

Purchase Rate (p.a)

N/A

Annual Fee (p.a)

$0

$0

My transfer amount

Balance transfer from:

My annual fee

My interest rate

Pros and cons

  • Pay no currency conversion fee when you preload and pay in local currency
  • Competitive exchange rates
  • No fees when you make up to 2 withdrawals per month of $350 total
  • No monthly fees or minimum amounts
  • Track spending and manage money using the app
  • Syncs with Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay

  • If you withdraw 3+ times or more than $350 in a month, you’ll pay $1.50 per withdrawal
  • Withdrawals over $350AUD will be charged 1.75%
  • Not all countries accept Wise payments

Creditcard.com.au review

Editor Review

Wise Travel Money Card

Pauline Hatch
Pauline is a personal finance expert at CreditCard.com.au, with 8 years in money, budgeting and property reporting under her belt. about this card.

You can use the Wise card as an everyday debit card to buy groceries, pay for an Uber or send flowers to your mum - whether you’re doing it in Australia, online or overseas. Its big drawcards are simplicity and savings.

I’ll explain how the Wise debit card works, including how it's linked to an account that you can transfer money in and out of. It’s a very good alternative to credit cards with no foreign transaction fees if you’re not eligible, don’t want to earn points or don’t need access to credit.

Editor’s Review: What we love about the Wise Travel Money Card

Let’s start by looking at how Wise cards are linked to an account. When you apply for a Wise card, you’ll be directed to set up a Wise multi-currency account first. A Wise account is fully digital, has no monthly fees and allows you to preload money in various currencies, which you can access using the app and your Wise debit card.

For example: if you regularly travel to New Zealand, you could keep NZD in your account and Wise will automatically use it to pay when you tap your card. You wouldn’t be charged any currency conversion fees. If you don’t have any NZD in your Wise account, Wise will automatically convert the money for you at a competitive mid-market rate.

Once your Wise account is set up, you can order a card. It can take a few days for your physical card to arrive (or you can pay $26 to expedite it), but you’ll be able to use your digital card immediately by adding it to your phone or watch.

I’ll break down the features of the Wise card.

Sending money overseas. Wise also works like a regular account, allowing you to send and receive money to other accounts in local currency. The transfer process is the same as a savings account - when you start a transfer in your app, Wise will show you the totals in foreign currency plus any fees (for instance, sending AUD to GBP incurs a flat fee of $0.66 plus 0.45% of the amount that’s converted). You’ll be asked for the recipient's details and you’ll be able to track the transfer via your app. You can also receive money by supplying your account details.

Low or no withdrawal fees. Every month you can make up to 2 withdrawals (totalling $350) without paying a fee. After that, you’ll pay $1.50 per withdrawal, which is still very cheap compared to standard rates fees that can be as much as $5 or a percentage of the amount withdrawn (whichever is highest).

Cutting out the middle man. By preloading your card with the currency you’ll be spending overseas, you’ll avoid the conversion fees. If Wise needs to convert the currency from Australian dollars, it uses the mid-market exchange rate, which is generally a better exchange rate than you’ll get from banks or money transfer agencies. Wise says it can help you save up to 80% on international spending, according to a 2022 study by Alderson Consulting.

Three digital cards. You can set up three digital cards at any one time, each with different details to your physical card. You can cancel and recreate new digital cards anytime, which gives you some extra security.

A properly helpful app. I like that Wise’s app has decent functionality and seems fairly intuitive (it’s been downloaded over 10 million times, so it’s well-tested!). You can cancel or set up new digital cards, freeze and unfreeze your card, make online money transfers, track your spending and even cancel a money transfer that hasn’t been processed yet. The app is available for Apple(rated 4.8 stars) and Android(rated 4.7 stars) smartphones.

Transparent fees. I particularly like how transparent Wise is about its fees. It says that it will show you any fees that you’ll pay for making purchases or transferring money and there are no hidden fees. Since fees are a big concern for people travelling or spending online, it’s nice to have a little transparency.

What's not so great

There isn’t too much to pick on, but I should mention that while you can use Wise as your regular spending account and even have your salary paid into it, you’ll miss out on earning interest or offsetting a home loan. Consider whether you want it to be your primary account or one you use specifically for foreign transactions.

While Wise makes spending overseas as cheap as possible, there are still some costs involved. For instance:

Withdrawals: you’ll get 2 withdrawals up to $350AUD each month for free, but after that, fees are charged at $1.50 per withdrawal (still, not bad). If you withdraw over $350, you’ll also pay a 1.75% fee.

Physical card: $10, and $6 to reorder if the card is lost or stolen (digital cards are free)

Sending money overseas: Minimum is 0.33% but it will vary depending on the currency

Receiving USD wire payments: $6.11USD flat fee per payment

Wise does a good job of being available in more than 160 countries, but not all. You’ll need to check that you can use Wise in the country you’re travelling to or purchasing in. Wise’s website says it currently can’t be used in:

Afghanistan, Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo and The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen

Overall Rating

The Wise Visa card has one of the cheapest exchange rates in the world, plus the ability to spend overseas fee-free if you preload the card in the local currency. It doesn’t cost anything to open or hold an account and gives lots of flexibility in being able to send, spend and receive money globally.

If you’re a frequent traveller or spender abroad, a money transfer card like Wise can help you save money on fees without having to apply for a 0% foreign fee credit card, but you won’t earn interest or rewards points on your spending.

User reviews

Wise Travel Money Card ( based on 1 Creditcard.com.au user review )

28% rating based on 1 review

Rates
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Rewards
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Value

Rates and fees

Interest rates



Purchase rate N/A

Cash advance rate N/A

Interest free period on purchases up to N/A days

Credit limits

Minimum credit limit $N/A

Maximum credit limit N/A

Fees & repayments

Annual fee $0 p.a.

Additional cardholder fee N/A

Foreign transaction fee N/A

Minimum repayment

Cash advance fee N/A

Late payment fee N/A

Additional features

Complimentary insurance

International Travel Insurance No

Flight Inconvenience Insurance No

Transit Accident Insurance No

Smartphone Screen Insurance No

Purchase Protection Insurance No

Extended Warranty Insurance No

Rental Vehicle Excess In Australia Insurance No

Overview

Wise Travel Money Card

Key features

  • Pay no currency conversion fee when you preload and pay in local currency
  • Competitive exchange rates
  • No fees when you make up to 2 withdrawals per month of $350 total
  • No monthly fees or minimum amounts
  • Track spending and manage money using the app
  • Syncs with Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay

Minimum criteria to apply for this card

  • You have your personal details ready to complete the online application

Pauline

Pauline is a personal finance expert at CreditCard.com.au, with 8 years in money, budgeting and property reporting under her belt. Pauline is passionate about seeing Aussies win by making their money – and their credit cards – work smarter, harder and bigger

Recently Asked Questions

Something you need to know about this card? Ask our credit card expert a question.

27 questions (showing the latest 10 Q&As)

Angela

Angela

22 October 2024
Why do I need to pay $30 to order a card?
    Pauline - CreditCard.com.au

    Pauline

    25 October 2024
    Hi Angela, I’ve never seen anywhere that it’s $30 to order a card! It’s free unless you want to pay $10 express postage. I have seen that a minimum amount is required for the first transfer, which is USD$20 (about $30 for us). Maybe that’s what you’ve read or heard?
Rachael

Rachael

21 October 2024
Hi I’m travelling to Norway and Finland in December 2024. Is a wise card the best option for me as I need both currencies. I will not be using an ATM just specifically for purchases. I do not want to pay any conversion fees. How do I load money onto the card. Thank you
    Pauline - CreditCard.com.au

    Pauline

    22 October 2024
    Hi Rachael, yep the Wise card sounds like it would fit the bill, but just remember you will still pay a currency conversion fee when you initially load up your card in the foreign currency. But, you’ll pay in the local currency when you’re travelling, so you won’t pay an exchange fee every time which is where the savings comes in. Here’s a helpful guide from Wise on loading money (it’s easy!). Thanks Rachael!
Matina capsanis

Matina capsanis

14 October 2024
Just to confirm it is better to convert my Australian dollars to the currency of the country I will be travelling to . If have Japanese JEN on my card and I tap and go in Japan do I get charged a transaction free on my card .
    Pauline - CreditCard.com.au

    Pauline

    15 October 2024
    Hi Matina, so you convert your currency one time to YEN and you’ll pay a currency conversion fee. Then while you’re travelling you won’t pay any transaction or currency conversion fees (except possibly third-party fees from the retailer or an ATM). The idea is that you pay just one conversion fee and then pay like a local on your trip. I hope that clears it up for you!
KIM

KIM

14 October 2024
what are the costs and dose it pay interest if i park money in it
    Pauline - CreditCard.com.au

    Pauline

    15 October 2024
    Hi Kim, no the Wise card isn’t a transaction account that earns interest. It functions as a travel card that keeps currency conversion costs down. You transfer AUD into the currency you want, pay a currency conversion fee, and then spend the money while you’re travelling without transaction fees (unless the retailer/merchant has their own fees). If you’re looking for a debit card or savings account you can start your comparisons over at https://www.debitcards.com.au/. Thanks Kim!
Glenn

Glenn

10 October 2024
Can the Wise Card be used in Anchorage Alaska?
    Pauline - CreditCard.com.au

    Pauline

    11 October 2024
    Hi Glenn, you can check the list of countries where you can use your Wise card. The list doesn’t specify Alaska, but it’s also not in the excluded areas either. Thanks!
Yvonne

Yvonne

28 July 2024
Is Wise available in South Africa
    Pauline - CreditCard.com.au

    Pauline

    30 July 2024
    Hi Yvonne, I looked into this and see that the Wise Travel Money card is available in South Africa. You can check the official Wise website for more information.
Marion

Marion

23 May 2024
Hi, I am justing do an experiment to see if I like Wise. Something I don't understand is the costs on a simple withdrawal. For example: Today if I transfer $17.5 AUD I get 10 Euros. If I transfer the 10 Euros back I get $14.18 AUD. That’s a loss of $3.32 AUD. Why is this?
    Pauline - CreditCard.com.au

    Pauline

    28 May 2024
    Hi Marion, that’s a great question and observation! When transferring money between different currencies, there are often transaction fees and exchange rate differences involved. In your example, transferring AUD to Euros and then back to AUD results in a loss due to these fees and exchange rate fluctuations. With the Wise Travel Money card, if you preload your account with AUD and then convert it to Euros, you typically pay a small conversion fee. However, once the Euros are in your account, you can spend or withdraw them without any additional currency conversion fees, provided you pay in Euros. This can save you money compared to traditional banks.
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