Wise Launches Traveler- and Immigrant-Friendly Debit Card

new-transferwise-debit-card

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

Updated · 1 min read
Profile photo of Chanelle Bessette
Written by Chanelle Bessette
Lead Writer
Profile photo of Carolyn Kimball
Edited by Carolyn Kimball
Assigning Editor - Banking

Wise (formerly TransferWise) an international money transfer service, announced this week the launch of a new Mastercard debit card alongside its foreign currency account that will make it cheaper and faster for customers to spend, send and receive money overseas. Travelers can spend on the card in any of more than 40 currencies and Wise will automatically convert the charge at the best rate from the customer’s account.

Dubbing it a “borderless account” that’s “like an international Venmo,” Wise aims to make it easier and less expensive for people to convert money quickly between currencies, especially when traveling or living abroad.

Card benefits include no foreign transaction fees, no annual or monthly fees, free ATM withdrawals up to $250 every 30 days, the ability to freeze and unfreeze your card, an app, and, for U.S. customers, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay capabilities.

AD
SoFi Bank, N.A. logo
Learn More

Member FDIC

SoFi Checking and Savings

SoFi Bank, N.A. logo
APY

4.00%

Min. balance for APY

$0

BMO Alto logo
Learn More

Deposits are FDIC Insured

BMO Alto Online Savings Account

BMO Alto logo
APY

4.30%

Min. balance for APY

$0

Barclays Tiered Savings Account

Barclays logo
APY

4.35%

Min. balance for APY

$0

U.S. Bank Smartly® Savings

U.S. Bank logo
APY

N/A

Min. balance for APY

$0

In addition to catering to travelers, the service is meant to ease financial complications for those who have moved away from their home countries, according to the company. The Wise website includes an area dedicated to the stories of immigrants to the U.S. and other countries, including narratives from company co-founders Kristo Kaarmann and Taavet Hinrikus and “Queer Eye” star Tan France.

The account converts money based on the mid-market exchange rate (the rate you’d see on sites like Google or Yahoo Finance) and charges a relatively small fee to do so. Wise also offers money transfer services to more than 70 countries.

Get more smart money moves – straight to your inbox
Sign up and we’ll send you Nerdy articles about the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more from your money.