Using the WISE Card for Payments or Cash Withdrawals (Your Experience)

Hello,

I’ve heard a lot about WISE for low-cost money transfers (booking/paying for safari services). I’m looking for feedback from people who’ve actually used WISE to pay at a restaurant or withdraw local cash from an ATM.

Could you share what you consider the "pros" and "cons" of the WISE debit card compared to a traditional bank card? Also, do you think there are any risks? If so, what are they? Thanks in advance for shedding some light on this—I’m only interested in firsthand experiences.

Thanks!

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Aren’t there any WISE card users among the members of this forum???

Puma2A

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Hi, I’ve been using WISE mainly for my trips abroad for several years now, purely for security reasons. If my WISE card gets hacked or cloned, I won’t risk losing much money since I top it up as needed and never keep more than 1000 € on the account. I’ve never had any issues withdrawing or paying with this card, whether in Asia or South America. I’ve also used it to transfer money to pay service providers. As for fees, they’re really minimal.

Hello Fabienne,

Sincere thanks for your reply. Best regards.

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Hello,

I’ve heard a lot about WISE for low-cost money transfers (booking/paying for safari services). I’m looking for feedback from people who’ve actually used WISE to pay at a restaurant or withdraw local cash from an ATM.

Could you share what you consider the "pros" and "cons" of the WISE bank card compared to a traditional bank card? Also, do you think there are any risks? If so, what are they? Thanks in advance for shedding some light on this. I’m only interested in user experiences.

Thanks in advance!

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Hi! With a max of 200 € per month that you’re allowed, you can buy a pretty big pack of candy like Haribo (so cool 😎), not to mention the fees ATM owners charge despite the two "free" withdrawals 😎. After that, it’s as expensive as other cards—just tally up the fees and add the ATM-specific ones 🤪. Paying to access your own money—what can I say? 😅

Best regards!!!

Hi,

Have any of you used Wise for payments in foreign currencies, especially in Mexico, to book a rental directly instead of going through Airbnb, for example?

Hey, you exchange your euros for cash on the spot at the bank offering the best rate and pay everything in Mexican pesos. Your rental host will deduct the percentage that Airbnb takes, as well as the fees they pay for their clients' card payments (and maybe they'll even give you a better price because for them, cash is pure profit).

It's the same with all merchants in every country—they prefer cash that won't end up in their accounting books or taxes. Otherwise, you listen to the regulars on this forum who love paying more because they're too scared to carry cash on them 😄. You do like them and pay the full price by using WISE or other cards for everything, even the grilled sausage bought from street vendors 😄

Hey, you exchange your euros for cash on the spot at the bank that offers the best rate and pay everything in Mexican pesos. Your rental host will deduct the percentage that Airbnb takes, as well as the fees they pay for their clients' card payments (and maybe they'll even give you a better price because for them, cash is pure profit). That's how it is with all merchants in every country—they prefer cash that won't end up in their accounting or tax records. Otherwise, you listen to the regulars on this forum who love paying more because they're too scared to carry cash 😄 You do like them and pay the full price by using WISE or other cards, even for the grilled sausage bought from street vendors 😄

In this case, it's about paying a reservation deposit upfront.

In this case, it's about paying a reservation deposit upfront.

Hey again, that’s not what you wrote in your first message, which is what threw me off. You said you wanted to pay on-site directly with the owner without going through Airbnb.

In this case, it's about paying a reservation deposit upfront.

Hey again, that's not what you wrote in your first message, which led me astray. You said you wanted to pay directly on-site with the owner without going through Airbnb.

When I said "directly," I meant without a middleman, not on-site ;)

So, using Wise in advance is a good idea (rather than PayPal, for example)?

So using Wise in advance is a good idea (rather than PayPal, for example)?

I shared my approach, which is the most cost-effective (no cards, only cash for everything to pay less by negotiating directly with rental companies and other merchants). Other forum members do things differently and will chime in if they feel like sharing their experience with the Wise card.