There's a section on every itinerary we publish called Travel Services. It's where we share the things we personally use when we travel, not things we've been paid to promote, but things we've genuinely tried, tested, and wouldn't want to be without. Wise is one of them. We've used it on every trip we've taken in the last two years, across Australia, New Zealand, the US and Europe, and it's become as automatic as packing our passports.
It’s important to state clearly here that what follows is just my opinion. Don’t rely on me, you should do your own homework and be happy that Wise is for you. I should also add that rates and fees could change, so you should make sure you know what your exact fees and rates are.
A quick word on what Wise is
Wise is a multi-currency account with a debit card. You load money into it, and when you spend abroad it converts at the mid-market exchange rate, which is the real rate you'd see on Google, with a small transparent fee on top. No inflated bank rates, no surprise foreign transaction charges. You can hold money in 40+ currencies and the card works in 160+ countries.
The Cairns Moment
This was when Wise made me feel like a hero :) We were picking up a rental car at Cairns airport, at the Dollar desk, and the woman behind the counter clocked my card and said, "Oh wow, is that a Wise card?" Bright green, pretty hard to miss. Then she followed it up with, "Is it any good? We're going to the UK next year and we've been reading about it." I told her it had been great for us and explained how it worked. She seemed genuinely keen. Not exactly a scientific endorsement, but when a stranger at a car rental desk in Australia has heard of your travel card and is considering getting one, you know it's caught on.
(I'll link to our full Australia trip itinerary here, and when the article on this part of the journey is written I'll add that too.)
Why I use it instead of my regular bank card
The answer is simple: my regular bank card charges a foreign transaction fee every time I spend abroad, and the exchange rate it uses has a markup built into it. I'm paying twice for the privilege of spending my own money. Wise charges a small conversion fee, starting from around 0.41%, but crucially it uses the real mid-market rate to do the conversion, so you're not also being stung by a poor rate on top.
One thing I particularly like is that I don't have to pre-load specific currencies or decide in advance how much I'll spend in each country. I can just keep GBP in the account and let Wise convert at the point of purchase. It does it automatically, at the real rate, and it's done. If you do want to hold a balance in a specific currency, say AUD for a trip to Australia, you can do that too and it's free to spend from that balance with no conversion fee at all.
The honest caveat on Wise vs Revolut
I know people compare these two constantly. In all honesty they are both good, but because I’ve used Wise alot I know it works well. Wise doesn't charge a conversion fee in the same way that Revolut does at weekends, but where Wise doesn't add a fee, the rate they use is ever so slightly off the mid-market rate. I compared them side by side in the US and found the overall cost was roughly the same. So if you're weighing them up on pure cost, it's probably closer than either provider's marketing would have you believe.
That said, I personally prefer Wise. Part of it is psychological, I'd rather pay a small transparent fee than watch the rate quietly shift against me. And part of it is that I've never run into a situation where Wise felt like it was trying to catch me out. The fees are clear, the app shows you exactly what you're paying, and it's never surprised me.
What about cash?
I almost never need cash now. And in terms of card acceptance, Wise isn’t really its own thing in that sense, it runs on Visa or Mastercard depending on which country your card is issued in. So wherever you can use Visa or Mastercard, you can use Wise, which is pretty much everywhere.
If you do need to withdraw cash, UK cardholders get a free ATM allowance of £250 per month. Above that, a 2.69% fee applies to the excess. For most travellers on a typical trip that allowance covers the odd cash withdrawal without any cost at all.
One tip: always choose to pay or withdraw in the local currency if given the option. Some ATMs will offer to convert for you, and their rate is almost always worse. Decline that and let Wise do the conversion instead.
The Avios question, and when I don't use Wise
Wise has no rewards programme on personal accounts. No points, no cashback, nothing. So if you, like me, have a card that earns Avios or other airline miles, there's a real trade-off to consider.
I use a BA Amex for that reason. Avios are genuinely valuable to me as a regular traveller and I've used them for flights I wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford. So I don't use Wise for everything. On bigger purchases that are priced in GBP, like flight bookings or hotel reservations on OTAs where the price is already in pounds, I'll often use the Amex because I'd rather have the Avios. Even on some larger foreign currency costs, if the exchange rate difference is small enough, I'll take the Amex points over the Wise saving.
What I leave to Wise is the day-to-day stuff abroad: restaurants, supermarkets, smaller purchases, places where the foreign transaction fees on the Amex would quietly add up.
There's another consideration worth flagging. If you have a credit card that includes travel insurance, you may need to pay for flights or hotels with that card to keep the insurance valid. That's a decision each person needs to make for themselves depending on their card terms, but it's worth checking before you assume Wise is the right card for every purchase on a trip.
The app and getting set up
The Wise app is one of the cleaner financial apps I've used. Checking your balance, seeing your transactions, converting between currencies, all of it is straightforward. You can also set up a virtual card, which is essentially a card that lives in your phone's wallet, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and lets you tap to pay just as you would with a physical card. A lot of people are happy with just the virtual card and never bother getting a physical one.
I got the physical card too, partly out of habit and partly because there are still places that won't take contactless or need you to insert a card. It costs a one-off £7 and that's it, no monthly fee, no annual fee.
One thing I'd say: don't leave ordering the physical card too late. Delivery can take a couple of weeks. I made that mistake on our very first trip and the card arrived the day after we left. It wasn't actually a problem because the virtual card worked fine, but it would have been a shame if we'd genuinely needed the physical one. Get it ordered well in advance.
Our trips with Wise
We've used it across Australia, New Zealand, the US on a couple of stopovers, and across various European trips. In every case it worked without any issues. The conversion rates were fair, the app kept us informed, and it never let us down at the point of payment. At this point it's just part of what we pack.
If you'd like to sign up for Wise, you can get started here. (Affiliate link, this earns TripJuggler a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wise good for travel?
Yes, for day-to-day spending abroad it's one of the most cost-effective options out there. You get the real mid-market exchange rate, a small transparent conversion fee, no foreign transaction charges, and a free ATM allowance each month. We've used it across four countries and it's never let us down.
Is the Wise card free?
The account is free to open and the virtual card is free. The physical card costs a one-off £7 for UK customers with no ongoing fees. There are no monthly or annual charges.
Does Wise give you a good exchange rate?
Wise uses the mid-market rate, which is the rate you'd see if you Googled the exchange rate, and charges a small conversion fee on top, starting from around 0.41%. This is generally better than using a high street bank card abroad, which typically applies a marked-up rate and an additional foreign transaction fee.
Can I use Wise instead of getting travel money?
For most destinations, yes. We rarely get travel money now. Wise is accepted widely and you can withdraw cash from ATMs when you need it, with a free monthly allowance of £250 for UK cardholders. Always choose to withdraw in the local currency if the ATM asks you.
Does Wise earn rewards or points?
No. The personal Wise card has no rewards programme, no cashback, and no points. If you use a card that earns airline miles or cashback, that's worth factoring into when you use Wise and when you use your rewards card.
How long does the Wise card take to arrive?
The virtual card is available immediately after you set up your account. The physical card can take up to two or three weeks to arrive, so order it well in advance of your trip. Don't do what I did and order it a week before you leave.
Have a question about Wise or want to share your experience? Drop us a message at info@tripjuggler.com.