Wondering if many members who sit internationally extensively use the Wise card. I’m in two minds about the benefits against a normal bank debit or credit card and if it’s really worth the hassle of using it and not the bank card. There’s a lot of fine print I’m just not sure about.
I’ve used Wise for over 7 years. I find it a useful addition to the other cards I use internationally, although I find Virgin Money CC the most useful as it doesn’t charge overseas fees, I don’t have to keep checking the balance and transferring money into the account as you do with Wise, and can just pay it off once a month.
The main benefit of Wise is that you don’t pay overseas fees when using for purchases abroad and also can withdraw a set amount of cash each month without overseas fees either (although the ATM will still charge you a withdrawl amount).
Thank you @BJane I do actually have a Virgin Money cc which I have always used OS for most purchases and also get the frequent flyer points. I was hacked big time recently on that card so am a little wary now. I need to be more vigilant with checking transactions. But also, a lot of times I want to use that card for large purchases e.g. flight bookings, or just to check my statements and they send a notification code which I can’t get because I don’t use roaming (away too long to use it). They don’t offer an option. So I’ve always needed a backup card for such things. I must look again though now at the Virgin card fees, also the Wise card only offers two free withdrawals a month? Not that I actually use cash much anymore but some places, particularly local Asian small stores still only take cash. Just not sure I want the hassle of additional cards. Is it easy to transfer funds from your bank account to the Wise account when OS?
Love using my WISE card internationally @ziggy. Excellent exchange rates and easy to use.
Thanks @temba I’ve read such diverse opinions, thought I would get some positive thoughts on here.
Yes it’s a big pain getting hacked, it’s happened to me too. Unfortunately I think one needs several cards in case that happens, especially if you’re out of the UK for many months at a time. I have a Halifax card too that offers the same benefits as Virgin, also a Monzo account (which is similar to Wise).
Yes you only get 2 ‘free’ withdrawls a month and only up to the combined sum of 200 GBP so it’s not a lot these days if that’s the main way you want to use it.
I mostly live in Thailand (I’m British) so I have a Thai bank account but if you’re in Thailand for short periods you can use TAGTHAi App and PAY&TOUR card to pay for things via QR code (even the smallest street vendor uses them).
Yes, it’s v easy to transfer funds to Wise, I do that all the time and also use Wise to pay for car hire/rent etc.
BTW you can get around the ‘roaming’ thing by just switching your phone to Wifi only, it works just the same. I always carry 2 phones, one with my UK SIM (for 2FA) and one with a SIM for the country I’m in.
Thanks for all that info, I do carry my Virgin card and my MasterCard in case of emergency, the Wise is yet another addition I haven’t used yet.. I have been trying to figure out how to get around the roaming thing, so much I need to learn. I am taking two phones but have already set up my UK eSim on my Oz phone so I can’t change it to my second phone. Also Virgin told me I can only get the 2FA on the mobile that is registered on my account so now I have 2 eSims in the one phone. I am going to have to buy a roaming pack from my Oz supplier to enable me to receive the codes. I don’t understand how the turning off Wi-Fi works to get the code. Now I’m trying to figure out if I can e.g. make my airline booking on my Virgin card through the UK eSim then switch across to my Oz registered eSim to get the code then back to the UK sim to enter it 
Next country I’ll put the specific sim in the 2nd phone
If you turn the mobile data off on your phone (in Settings) while the phone is connected to a wifi network it will automatically switch to wifi calling.
It’s also a good thing to always do this anyway if you’re on any kind of data restricted package as it forces the phone to use wifi not the mobile data, which I only use when I’m out and about or there’s a power cut.
The 2FA will occur to the phone number (ie SIM) that the bank (or whatever) has. It makes no difference what phone it’s in. I switch my SIMs to difference physical phones the whole time depending on what I’m doing/where I’m going.
The only thing that could be an issue is if one of the phones doesn’t have a suitably updated Software Package but turning on ‘automatic update’ will avoid that as long you ensure you’ve got enough storage free for it always to update.
If you’ve got a 2 SIM phone it shouldn’t make any difference, you can just switch between SIMS.
Good luck x
Hi @ziggy 
I think there are a few different things getting mixed together here… cards, fees, and the 2FA/roaming issue… and they don’t all need solving with another card.
On Wise - I’m a bit in two minds too. It can be useful (multi-currency, decent FX), but it’s not essential. If you’ve already got a card that works well overseas, that’s doing most of the job. For me, adding another card/app just starts to feel like extra admin.
Where it might make sense is as a backup, especially after a fraud scare. Keeping a separate pool of funds can feel a bit safer. But it’s definitely not a must-have.
The ATM limit you mentioned is real, but like you, I don’t tend to use much cash anyway… so it’s never been a deciding factor.
The bigger issue in your post actually feels like this:
not being able to receive the 2FA codes without roaming
That’s the part that would drive me mad… and it affects any card, not just Wise.
We’ve avoided that by using the authenticator app with our Macquarie Bank account, so we’re not relying on SMS codes at all. Much simpler when you’re moving around a lot.
Other options I’ve seen people use:
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keep your home SIM active just to receive texts (roaming on, data off)
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switch anything important to app/email 2FA where possible
The SIM-switching mid-transaction idea… I get why you’re thinking that, but it does sound like a bit of a juggle to rely on long-term 
Re transferring money to Wise overseas - yes, that part’s easy. Just a normal bank transfer as long as you’ve got online banking access.
If it were me, I’d probably keep it fairly simple:
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one good debit card for everyday use
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your credit card for larger purchases / points
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a backup card tucked away
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and sort out a 2FA method that doesn’t depend on SMS
That last bit makes the biggest difference day-to-day.
I have Wise but never use it, keeping it strictly as an emergency card. For travel, I exclusively use Revolut, and have done so for the past seven or eight years. It works great, offers real-time exchange rates and free of charge transfers between Revolut cardholders. I do check competitors from time to time, but imho Revolut remains the best of the bunch.
They are also offering e-sim now, cheap and works great. You have data the second you enter a foreign country.
Thank you to all of you for such wonderful information, it’s really helpful. Going to sit and absorb all this tonight and learn how to do it all. I leave on Sunday so definitely have to sort it out. Again, appreciate your help, very good advice all round 
@ziggy as another Aussie the charges our banks force on us is always in my mind. Hate paying to use MY money. We travel with a Commonwealth travel card. Used it all over the place no problem. It’s just a debit card. Transfer money into it as needed from our standard com bank account. We tend only to use credit card in emergencies due to the fees and also because we too have been hacked. I had my phone plan going but no roaming on my plan. If we needed a code it was always when we were in accommodation with wifi so the codes came through. Didn’t use it often. Have to say the ease of tap and go almost everywhere these days is fantastic. We used very little cash both in the UK and Europe, card almost everywhere.
That’s good to know @Cathie , I might stick with my Westpac debit card, use my credit card for whatever I can (I get frequent flyer points) and keep the Wise card as an emergency backup. So, your plan had no roaming but you got the codes using Wi-Fi? So if I keep my phone plan active, I should get the codes then. I do use my credit card a LOT because it’s always paid out at the end of the month so no interest fees. I use my debit card for the minor things and also if/when I need to withdraw cash but as you say, I barely used cash at all in the UK and Europe last trip. Only time I needed cash was for a hairdresser that didn’t take card (I found that a lot with UK hairdressers). Thanks for your help.
No, it was recommended to me but I can’t be bothered to work it out so haven’t got one. I have two UK debit cards which don’t charge transaction fees if using abroad and I go online to see which banks in the country I’m in don’t charge either, or the lowest charges.
I’ve used Wise for years, almost 10. It’s brilliant, reliable, easy to use, secure and best of all the exchange rates are way, way better than either a credit card, or a bank debit card. I’ve used it in >20 countries and at least 10 different currencies and never had the slightest problem. I don’t have any affiliation to Wise, but I recommend it without reservation. I use Biometric log in to the app on my Android and have Wise in my Google authenticator app. Check the exchange rates that your bank offers, I bet it’s not as good as the one offered by Wise. Transferring money is a doddle, I don’t keep a huge amount in my Wise accounts and top up from my primary bank account whenever needed
Thanks @TheEnglishFlaneur, I’ll probably give it a go. Fear of the unknown and don’t like change sometimes but I know when I eventually do, I’m always glad I “got with the times” 
I use WISE. I put various currencies on it when sterling £ is strong… so I build up Australian dollars for when we visit our son, or I give the Aussie dollars as b’day or Xmas gifts as he has a WISE account too and its easy to transfer money.
I always get that fear when technology associates with access to my bank account. Too many stories of hacking and fraud. But a friend of mind recommended Revolut, I checked the rates and decided to give it a go. I have the free version, no hidden charges and it has saved me a lot of money over the last 5 years. At first, the difference in exchange rates with my regular bank card was huge, last year it wasn’t so much for dollars, euros and British pounds. It was great in Australia and New Zealand.
I guess Wise is similar but I haven’t used it.
Re. roaming. The best deal I ever got was with my Australian amaysim prepaid card. I just paid for 3 moths and bought a roaming pack that lasted for a whole year even though I wasn’t paying my monthly rate any more. I still think it must have been a mistake. 
That’s a great idea about gifting Wise dollars @BonnyinBrighton much easier than sending physical gifts.
@Newpetlover I tossed up between Wise and Revolut but opted for the Wise. Only time will tell now, I’ll give it a go.. Re the Amaysim, that’s who my sim is with, been with them for years! When I went overseas the last two times, for 6,/10 months, I actually stopped my payments and obviously had no service but the funny thing was, my monthly data that I wasn’t paying for kept banking every month so when I reinstated the acct, I had a massive data bank which I still have. This trip I am going to keep the account active and will be buying that 365 day roaming pack sounds like the go. I’ve thought about that for a long time so I’ll do it. Cheap as chips it is!
I’ve used wise for years and love the instant exchange rate, its fairly priced and doesn’t charge crazy fees or annual membership fees in the hundreds for it. It also doesnt charge anything to be inactive!