Wise card/app

[diogopcampos]

Hey guys! Do you know the Wise card/app (https://wise.com/) is acceptable along the Camiño?

Best regards,
Diogo

 

[jungleboy]

The Wise card is a card like any other. If cards are accepted at a certain establishment, there’s no reason why a Wise card in particular would not be. I use Wise for all my card transactions in Spain.

That said, there are places along the camino that don’t accept cards, so it is ‘wise’ to have cash on you.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I echo Nick (@jungleboy ) on this. I've used mine on both the Primitivo and the Inglès this year, anywhere they accepted cards. As do numerous other pilgrims on the forum - it's come up in several other threads.
Following the number of posts I've read about carrying cash on this forum, I was actually surprised at how little I used. ( I think around €200 in two weeks, and that included giving my share of a meal etc to others so they could pay with card). I started off with €350, I never carry more.
There will always be places that only accept cash ( although, for any purchase over €30 they are obliged BY LAW to offer alternatives - card, direct credit). Plus those that set a minimum limit - often €10, occasionally €30. - for the reason above.
As the Wise card functions predominantly as a debit card, the cost to the retailer is very low, unlike a credit card. But, of course, a second advantage of the Wise card is that you can use it as a Visa card on websites such as booking.com.
Another advantage is that you can block the card at anytime using the app on your phone should you lose it - and unblock it again, when you find it 19 minutes later!
In short, great choice.

Carry a credit card (separately, with the bulk of your cash) as a backup ( and to make it easy to transfer funds across - takes seconds) and your sorted!
Please excuse me if I'm teaching you to suck egg's, sometimes I get a little carried away......

 

[diogopcampos]

Thank you guys for the answers!! I will keep that in mind.

 

[diogopcampos]

I echo Nick (@jungleboy ) on this. I've used mine on both the Primitivo and the Inglès this year, anywhere they accepted cards. As do numerous other pilgrims on the forum - it's come up in several other threads.
Following the number of posts I've read about carrying cash on this forum, I was actually surprised at how little I used. ( I think around €200 in two weeks, and that included giving my share of a meal etc to others so they could pay with card). I started off with €350, I never carry more.
There will always be places that only accept cash ( although, for any purchase over €30 they are obliged BY LAW to offer alternatives - card, direct credit). Plus those that set a minimum limit - often €10, occasionally €30. - for the reason above.
As the Wise card functions predominantly as a debit card, the cost to the retailer is very low, unlike a credit card. But, of course, a second advantage of the Wise card is that you can use it as a Visa card on websites such as booking.com.
Another advantage is that you can block the card at anytime using the app on your phone should you lose it - and unblock it again, when you find it 19 minutes later!
In short, great choice.

Carry a credit card (separately, with the bulk of your cash) as a backup ( and to make it easy to transfer funds across - takes seconds) and your sorted!
Please excuse me if I'm teaching you to suck egg's, sometimes I get a little carried away......

Thank you mate!

 

[diogopcampos]

The Wise card is a card like any other. If cards are accepted at a certain establishment, there’s no reason why a Wise card in particular would not be. I use Wise for all my card transactions in Spain.

That said, there are places along the camino that don’t accept cards, so it is ‘wise’ to have cash on you.

Thank you, I will carry some money with me, just want to make sure about my options!

 

[makingtrax]

I echo Nick (@jungleboy ) on this. I've used mine on both the Primitivo and the Inglès this year, anywhere they accepted cards. As do numerous other pilgrims on the forum - it's come up in several other threads.
Following the number of posts I've read about carrying cash on this forum, I was actually surprised at how little I used. ( I think around €200 in two weeks, and that included giving my share of a meal etc to others so they could pay with card). I started off with €350, I never carry more.
There will always be places that only accept cash ( although, for any purchase over €30 they are obliged BY LAW to offer alternatives - card, direct credit). Plus those that set a minimum limit - often €10, occasionally €30. - for the reason above.
As the Wise card functions predominantly as a debit card, the cost to the retailer is very low, unlike a credit card. But, of course, a second advantage of the Wise card is that you can use it as a Visa card on websites such as booking.com.
Another advantage is that you can block the card at anytime using the app on your phone should you lose it - and unblock it again, when you find it 19 minutes later!
In short, great choice.

Carry a credit card (separately, with the bulk of your cash) as a backup ( and to make it easy to transfer funds across - takes seconds) and your sorted!
Please excuse me if I'm teaching you to suck egg's, sometimes I get a little carried away......

Thanku. I see these cards advertised all the time on Facebook and wondered if they are worth the bother but after the horrendous bank charges this year in Spain and Portugal by using my eftpos and credit cards I'll look into getting one for next year.

 

[Germaine]

Hi, I thought I would post this question here:

Is a Wise card linked to Visa or MC? Or is it only a debit card? And do you think it’s worth having one on the CF? Thank you

 

[temiatwork]

Hi, I thought I would post this question here:

Is a Wise card linked to Visa or MC? Or is it only a debit card? And do you think it’s worth having one on the CF? Thank you

The Wise card comes with the app (if you request one) and it is a debit card and functions as a credit card as well. Wise is well-accepted in all of Europe as detailed by @Peterexpatkiwi . The card is MC.

 

[Germaine]

Thank you for your quick response.

Is it worth getting? I understand that it offers cheaper foreign transaction fees than other cards? Any other advantages?

 

[diogopcampos]

Thank you for your quick response.

Is it worth getting? I understand that it offers cheaper foreign transaction fees than other cards? Any other advantages?

From what I've read, it's well worth it. At least here in Brazil, the rates on purchases abroad are much lower (from 6.5% to 1.1%), and the exchange rate is also lower.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Thank you for your quick response.

Is it worth getting? I understand that it offers cheaper foreign transaction fees than other cards? Any other advantages?

Yes, definitely. For security alone if nothing else. As I posted above, it’s extremely easy to load, and you can block it/ unblock it at will. Unless making a major purchase, I only ever have around €500 at most on the card. If I need more, I load it up using the Wise app directly from my credit card. It takes less than a minute. It also counts as a purchase, not a cash advance, and it’s charged in the country of origin (home) not Spain, so no costly fees.
I use it predominantly as a debit card, so zero fees. And when used online as a credit card you also don’t pay fees. You get two free cash withdrawals a month, after that you pay. But I’ve never needed to- because I predominantly pay with the card.
Also, as you mention the exchange rate has always been very competitive.
Incidentally, mine is linked to Visa, not Mastercard. Perhaps that varies depending on where you buy it?

 

[sjdaotearoa]

Hey guys! Do you know the Wise card/app (https://wise.com/) is acceptable along the Camiño?

Best regards,
Diogo

I did the Norte in July with my Wise card (and my husband ;-) and it was great. Not sure if it's been mentioned above but highly recommend only getting cash out from an ATM machine at a bank during working hours. That way if something goes wrong with the transaction, you are able to approach the bank directly and hopefully won't be stranded somewhere waiting for the bank to open to retrieve your card. Buen camino.

 

[jungleboy]

Hi, I thought I would post this question here:

Is a Wise card linked to Visa or MC? Or is it only a debit card? And do you think it’s worth having one on the CF? Thank you

My first Wise card was Mastercard but my new one (which arrived last month) and my digital one are Visa, so I guess they switched.

I love Wise and I definitely think it's worth having. If you're coming from outside the euro zone, you can open a balance in euros in your Wise account, transfer into that instantly from your main currency at a good rate, and then you don't have to pay conversion fees every time you use the card while in Europe.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

. If you're coming from outside the euro zone, you can open a balance in euros in your Wise account, transfer into that instantly from your main currency at a good rate, and then you don't have to pay conversion fees every time you use the card while in Europe.

Thanks Nick, it's just become second nature, I forgot to mention that part!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Hey guys! Do you know the Wise card/app (https://wise.com/) is acceptable along the Camiño?

Best regards,
Diogo

I used it exclusively as my debit card of choice during my three months in Spain that (unfortunately) just ended. I even used it on busses in Valladolid and Valencia.

No issues, worked perfectly and I had (almost) complete control of how and when I converted my NZD to Euro.

My only issue, that was nothing to do with Wise, was when a busy restaurant chose (for me and without my permission) for my meal to be paid for in NZD rather than Euros.

 

[David Tallan]

The Wise card is a card like any other. If cards are accepted at a certain establishment, there’s no reason why a Wise card in particular would not be.

So it would seem. But ask anyone with an American Express, or even more so, a Diner's Club card whether all cards are equal. I think it was a reasonable question.

It looks like it is connected to widely accepted networks (VISA, MC, and presumably the Plus or Cirrus networks for debit). But perhaps OP wasn't aware of that.

 

[trecile]

The Wise card comes with the app (if you request one) and it is a debit card and functions as a credit card as well.

I don't think that it technically functions as a credit card - you can only spend what's in your account.

 

[Former member 104756]

My first Wise card was Mastercard but my new one (which arrived last month) and my digital one are Visa, so I guess they switched.

I love Wise and I definitely think it's worth having. If you're coming from outside the euro zone, you can open a balance in euros in your Wise account, transfer into that instantly from your main currency at a good rate, and then you don't have to pay conversion fees every time you use the card while in Europe.

Very much agree. And both the website and app are excellent and easy to use. I have never had a problem with my card either withdrawing at ATMs or using as a VISA card to pay for purchases. You can have multiple currencies on the same account.

It’s also excellent for transferring money overseas, i.e. to ‘other currency’ accounts, where traditional bank fees can be very high

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I don't think that it technically functions as a credit card - you can only spend what's in your account.

Correct. But on online sites, where you need to pay with a credit card ( visa, MasterCard) you can use it to pay. As you rightly point out, assuming of coure you have the funds!

 

[temiatwork]

I don't think that it technically functions as a credit card - you can only spend what's in your account.

You are correct here, It is a debit card. What happened in my case using it was it deducted the charged amount in my other currency. I have multiple currency with Wise btw.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

You are correct here, It is a debit card. What happened in my case using it was it deducted the charged amount in my other currency. I have multiple currency with Wise btw.

That’s odd, because the restaurant can’t access that function. On the Wise website it says that the card automatically deducts the funds from the appropriate account - unless you have insufficient funds, in which case as I understand it, the funds will be deduct from an alternative account.
I, too have multiple currencies, the only time that happened was when I had insufficient euros, so it deducted the funds from my Norwegian account. With appropriate exchange rate etc

 

[temiatwork]

Yes @Peterexpatkiwi , if the debit card has insufficient funds in one currency, in my case its CHF (my main currency) and I use the debit card in EUR, it will deduct the amount to my main currency if funds get low under my EUR account.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Yes @Peterexpatkiwi , if the debit card has insufficient funds in one currency, in my case its CHF (my main currency) and I use the debit card in EUR, it will deduct the amount to my main currency if funds get low under my EUR account.

I have never looked at the Wise card (I am UK card holder who doesn’t pay ATM fees or fees from my bank) for EU transactions, but interested that folks from NO/DE/CH are using Wise in EU countries. Am I missing out? I tend to be a card customer rather than cash.

 

[temiatwork]

I have never looked at the Wise card (I am UK card holder who doesn’t pay ATM fees or fees from my bank) for EU transactions, but interested that folks from NO/DE/CH are using Wise in EU countries. Am I missing out? I tend to be a card customer rather than cash.

I normally use my Wise app or card whenever I cross the border, rate have been exceptionally good for the past 2 years using Wise.

 

[TravellingMan22]

I normally use my Wise app or card whenever I cross the border, rate have been exceptionally good for the past 2 years using Wise.

Thank you! I have ordered a card.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I have never looked at the Wise card (I am UK card holder who doesn’t pay ATM fees or fees from my bank) for EU transactions, but interested that folks from NO/DE/CH are using Wise in EU countries. Am I missing out? I tend to be a card customer rather than cash.

I'm based in Germany, with a German bank account (so euro, also no ATM fees,) originally got the card for ease of use in Norway. Then realised how useful it was, and carry/ use it for reasons of security as detailed above. As there's only ever a few hundred in it, that's all a potential scammer / thief can access ! I've actually used it at home to purchase things from online websites.
My teenage son has also borrowed it a couple of times ( trip's to Norway and England) , gave both of us an added feeling of security - if the s**t hit the fan, I could almost instantly send him fund's, he could then take a Taxi,/book flights/hotel etc as required.
I always have to remember to get it back! I'm quite looking forward to him turning 18 so I can get him his own. Not as much as he is though - at the moment I know within seconds when he's ordered takeaways, because the app sends me a notification,!
The first time I messaged him with 'Guten Appetit' shortly after he'd ordered he was more than a little bemused.....