Going overseas? How a Wise Travel Money Card Can Help You Save

The benefits, at a glance

0 Yen How much it costs to keep your money in Wise

0.68% The cost to convert your Japanese Yen to over 140 currencies

70 Yen + 1.75% The fees for ATM withdrawals in any currency you require

• First 30,000 yen and 2 transactions are free
• For more savings, opt-in to swipe your card everywhere

Real-life case: Comparing an Airport currency exchange vs Wise Amount to exchange: 200,000 yen Depositing money to your Wise: $0 (manual transfer) Conversion fee to spend all of the 200,000: 1360

If you need to make a cash withdrawal, the following fees apply First 30,000 free: $0 170,000: 3045 yen

Airport Currency exchange 14933 yen

Veryt well master

The summary

• Wise is a competitive service that allows you to manage your money internationally, and online.
• A wise debit card makes it easy to withdraw and purchase while on holiday.
• Done with your holiday? You can easily withdraw or transfer your remaining money out of Wise.
• Wise does not charge you for keeping your money in your Wise account
• Wise charges low conversion and withdrawal fees.
• Wise conversion fees are always up to date with the current mid-market exchange rates.
• Wise has a bank account in every country you deposit your local currency. The deposit funds are then made available to spend from your card or Wise account.
• You can buy anything in any currency. Wise auto-converts to the paid currency with the lowest possible fee.

[Sign up for a wise card]

How to apply for a Wise Travel money card

Applying for an account and ordering a card takes 10 minutes online

1. Visit Wise and create an account.
2. Verify your account. This will require a valid identity card, proof of address and a selfie.
3. Order a Wise card from your dashboard. It currently costs 1200 Yen to order a card.
4. Wait for your Wise card to arrive in your mail. You can also start using your digital card immediately.
5. Activate your new travel card with one of the following ATM providers: Daily Yamazaki, AEON, or E-net. Activating involves making a withdrawal by using the card with your set pin.

What is Wise?

Wise is a financial technology company that offers various financial services. Wise provides a multi-currency debit card that allows users to spend money abroad without incurring high foreign transaction fees.

What are the benefits of using Wise?

The following are a few benefits of using the Wise Travel money card

Small transaction fees

Wise offers competitive currency conversion and withdrawal rates. Banks typically charge 1.5% to 3% for international card transactions, whereas Wise typically locks in at .68%. We recommend checking with your local bank to see your applicable rates.

No hidden fees

Wise only charges you for a physical card (1200 yen). Apart from that, there are no fees for keeping the account afterwards.

Fair conversion rates

Wise uses the mid-market rate (typically available when you search in Google), so you always get the fairest exchange rate. Compared to banks, Paypal and other providers, Wise shows you a detailed and fixed breakdown of what to expect when converting to a different currency. Higher market rates are a significant reason banks and other services are more expensive.

Smartly convert to a currency when the rates are reasonable (Auto conversions)

This is a not-so-well-known feature, but you can go through your settings and set an automatic conversion based on your targeted rate. Big family trips can benefit by preparing your Wise card and automatically purchasing a currency you know you'll use in your travels.

Excellent mobile app and dashboard

Wise provides a straightforward but helpful app to manage your Wise account. You also get regular updates via mobile push notifications and emails. You can also control your card from the app to add spending limits and easily free or unfreeze your card.

Easily share money

Apart from spending your money, Wise also excels in receiving payments. Easily share your email, phone or unique link to get deposits from other Wise users.

Get a digital card anytime

Lost or haven't received your card yet? You can create a new digital card that can be used just like any other credit card for online purchases. You can also attach this card to your Google or Apple Pay purchases to simplify expense tracking (and monitoring).

Excellent product support

You can quickly contact Wise support via email or phone. Simply log in to your dashboard to get started.

Widely accepted

The Wise card is accepted in most countries, shops and ATMs. This makes it a convenient option for travellers and international purchases.

Low fees

The Wise travel money card offers low fees for foreign transactions, saving you money when travelling abroad or purchasing in foreign currencies.

Generate digital cards as needed

Wise allows you to easily create new digital credit card numbers, so you can immediately start shopping online and in person. You can connect your card with Google or Apple Pay to make transactions even more seamless. It works like a physical card but only on your phone or laptop.

Easy to use mobile app

Wise provides a helpful app for tracking and managing your money and even setting up a foreign bank account.

Free deposits

No fees are incurred when you add funds to your account via manual bank deposit.

Free ATM withdrawals

You can take out money for free twice a month if the total amount is 30,000 JPY and under. But after that, Wise charges a fixed fee of 70 JPY per transaction. Transactions over 30,000 JPY in one month will accumulate a fee of 1.75%.

Competitive exchange rates

Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate, the same rate banks and other financial institutions use for large currency transactions. You can get a competitive exchange rate when using your Wise card.

No hidden fees

Wise is transparent about its costs and does not charge hidden fees for transactions or account maintenance.

Easy to manage

You can manage your Wise card through the Wise app, which allows you to track your spending, view your account balance, and freeze or unfreeze your card if it's lost or stolen. You will also get notifications for every transaction.

Some gotchas

It's a debit, not a credit card: you'll need to load funds before you can start spending with your Wise card. Replacement cards can take up to two weeks to arrive, though you can post them anywhere worldwide.

Breakdown: how much it costs to purchase a Big Mac in New Zealand Big Mac combo: 1030.00 yen ($12.40) Fee: 7 JPY (0.68%) Total price: 1037 yen https://wise.com/jp/pricing/card-fees?sourceAmount=80000&sourceCcy=JPY&targetCcy=NZD

Wise's core principles

Low, and getting lower

Wise charges as little as possible

Radically transparent

Wie is upfront about costs, uses the mid-market rate, and never hides fees.

Fair for all

You only pay for what you use. No more. No less. Wise believes no one should pay the cost of someone else's 'free'.

Checking Wise's claims

In this section, we'll review the claims made by Wise. We'll compare this with our actual experiences and share our thoughts if we agree with them or not.

"Spend in any currency worldwide, receive money for free, and convert currencies with low fees".

Yes - we agree. ​We've used the Wise card for destinations in the US, Canada, Korea, the UK and France. The debit card can be used anywhere cards are accepted. The conversion rates we are put on always match what we search for in Google - mid-market and fair.

"Say bye-bye to crazy bank fees. For good".

Yes - we agree. Compared to our local bank, Mizuho, we've noticed that spending from our Wise card on the go is much cheaper than our Bank credit card. Our bank charges 140 yen per transaction and higher conversion rates. For example, our seven-day trip in Korea totalled 295,000 yen for a family of four, and our Wise fees were only 2776 yen (0.95%). We made one withdrawal of 30,000 yen for cash-based activities and made sure we swiped everywhere else. With Mizuho's rates, that would've been around 14,000 - 20,000 yen lost.

Wise Reviews

非常に満足しています！！ 日本円をカナダドルに送金するのに６年前から使っていますが、全く問題ありません。このサービスは私のライフチェンジャーで、不可能を可能してくれました。高額な手数料を節約できたのは、言うまでもないです。今後もずっと使い続けたいです。 Yoko Trustpilot の評価

簡単で使いやすい 早い、安い、お得の 3 拍子が揃っている。駐在員の味方。 YT Trustpilot の評価

使うべきです 正直、ちゃんと送金できるのか不安で使わせてもらいました。 結果すごく送金も早くなんの問題もなく、しかも安い手数料で送ることができました。

Hideki Trustpilot の評価

https://wise.com/au/card/ https://wise.com/jp/pricing/

Our verdict on the Wise debit card

Since its introduction, Wise has become a staple for travellers. We've. Noticed that with our friends and family, more and more people are using Wise for their travels. Wise offers competitive exchange rates and minimal, transparent costs.

We are confident that Wise debit cards are superior to other travel money and credit cards. This is because of the great technology, mid-market rates and customer support that Wise has to offer. It also offers more than bank debit cards. Banks usually charge a fee and higher conversion rates for international transactions. These can quickly add up, but switching to Wise can save you more. You can allocate those fees to fun activities and experiences for your trip instead.

However, Wise does have some limitations, being a debit card:

1. Your funds are stored untouched in your account, so you won't accumulate interest on your balance.
2. There's no overdraft facility, and joint accounts are not available.
3. Withdrawals are only free for the first 30,000 yen. The 70 yen + 1.75% fees can easily be avoided by simply swiping your card for purchases.

FAQs

Can I use my Wise card locally and overseas?

Yes. Your Wise card is similar to the typical debit card. You won't need to inform Wise when you spend your money in other countries, as it is meant to be an international card.

How long does it take the Wise card to be delivered?

According to Wise's website, it takes up to 2 weeks, but in our experience, it is quicker. We recommend ordering it at least 3 weeks before you intend to travel to ensure no delays.

Will I need to convert money before I travel?

Nope! You can load the card with your local currency, and Wise will apply the conversion rates whenever you pay in a different currency.

Can I save more by exchanging to a currency instead of converting it on the fly?

You can now do this automatically via the app - visit your settings page and set a target for the purchase rate. If you do a quick Google, you can see the lowest purchase for a currency and set this as your purchase price. Wise automatically converts your picked amount and currency if the rate becomes available. A big pitfall for this is if you need more time to prepare. In that case, don't feel too bad. Conversion rates stay relatively high during short periods. More importantly, you can access mid-market rates - so you know you'll buy the currencies at a fair price.

Will I need to pay conversion fees if I already have the required currency from my account?

If you're simply spending from your card, Wise will prioritise using the available currency before exchanging your principal balance again. Wise only charges based on what you need to convert. A cool feature is that Wise prioritises the currency that outputs the maximum conversion if you have multiple currencies.

Can I link my Wise debit card to my bank account? How do I top up my balance?

Your Wise card spends the funds that are in your account. Currently, Wise does not have the feature to connect your bank account with your Wise account, so you'll have to top up yourself. You may use the Wise app or dashboard to load funds, and Wise typically provides several ways: Via manual bank transfer - Wise gives you a bank account and reference to deposit funds into, and you'll have to use your bank account to make the transaction. It typically takes a few business hours to load funds, so plan in advance! Via credit card - we recommend using something other than this option as it typically incurs a surcharge. We recommend the first option to ensure zero fees.

If I already hold funds in a particular currency, like NZD, will the value of it be affected by changes to the exchange rate? No, since the rate will be locked to the time of purchase. However, Wise's regular fees will apply when you run out of NZD (or other currency).

Can I load funds into my Wise account from any bank?

Yes. Wise will provide you with account details to deposit against, so double-check your deposits before proceeding!

Is Wise the best card for travel?

In our travels, we've compared exchange rates for bank cards, currency exchanges and travel cards. We've found the best value in Wise as it provides a very convenient (and fair) experience when using your money for travel and overseas purchases.

Does money expire if I don't use it?

No, and you also won't incur any fees for leaving your balance on the card. However, the credit card does have an expiry date, and you'd typically get a notification from Wise two months in advance when it's time to order a new card.

Can I withdraw or transfer my remaining balance after my travels?

Yes. You can transfer it to your nominated bank account (which you set in your profile) or withdraw the remaining cash. Note that regular fees will apply if you decide to withdraw in cash.

What happens if I lose my debit card overseas?

Wise makes it easy to freeze your card and order a new one. Simply log in to your app and request a new one. It typically takes 2 weeks for it to arrive. As an interim, you can immediately create a new digital card from your app and connect that with Google and Apple Pay.

Can I sign up as a business account too?

Yes. Wise allows individuals to sign up for a business account for more competitive rates and extra features in the app to assist with reporting.

Can I export a summary of my expenses from the app?

Absolutely. Wise makes it easy to prepare detailed expense reports that businesses can use.

Video demo of how to sign up