To use wise card or not.

[JohnGc]

Staying for 5 nights in Singapore before cruise and not sure if to use a Wise card to pay the hotel on arrival and living expenses etc or just use my Commbank debit Mastercard. Wise card sounds good until you look at product review. Not really a fan of negative reviews so thought maybe my fellow cruise pals who use the wise card or others could give me some guidance. 

 

Cheers John.

[lyndarra]

Not heard of this one.

Watching.

Edited April 30 by lyndarra
typo

[mum and son]

41 minutes ago, JohnGc said:

Staying for 5 nights in Singapore before cruise and not sure if to use a Wise card to pay the hotel on arrival and living expenses etc or just use my Commbank debit Mastercard. Wise card sounds good until you look at product review. Not really a fan of negative reviews so thought maybe my fellow cruise pals who use the wise card or others could give me some guidance. 

 

Cheers John.

I use a Wise card for all my travels, especially when in Asia. So easy and has the best rates going around. The app is easy to use and you get a digital card. For an extra $10 they'll post you a physical card which I use most often. 

 

I also use Wise to transfer funds if I'm purchasing something in an Asian country (from Australia) and it works like PayPal or Western Union or whatever. Fees are incredibly low.

 

I recommend Wise 👌. 

 

[MicCanberra]

There has been a bit of hype over these Wise cards lately, emails, ads etc I haven't taken notice as I am happy with my current methods, Mastercard (28 degrees lattitude) or U Bank debit card, both of which have great currency conversions and no fees.

[JohnGc]

3 minutes ago, mum and son said:

I use a Wise card for all my travels, especially when in Asia. So easy and has the best rates going around. The app is easy to use and you get a digital card. For an extra $10 they'll post you a physical card which I use most often. 

 

I also use Wise to transfer funds if I'm purchasing something in an Asian country (from Australia) and it works like PayPal or Western Union or whatever. Fees are incredibly low.

 

I recommend Wise 👌. 

 

Thats great thank you. It sounded ideal for what I need and was disappointed to see all the negative Product reviews. If I use the Mastercard with Commbank it looks like it would cost me another $150 AUD  and thats just paying the hotel.

[MicCanberra]

Definitely don't use that card then

[JohnGc]

2 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

There has been a bit of hype over these Wise cards lately, emails, ads etc I haven't taken notice as I am happy with my current methods, Mastercard (28 degrees lattitude) or U Bank debit card, both of which have great currency conversions and no fees.

Thank you, I will definitely have a look at them as well. The no fees is what I am after and also no limit on the amount I can put on the card as the hotel is a fair amount of SGD. 

 

Cheers John

[Pushka]

I'm currently loading mine with Yen. Exchange rate is excellent and the Yen a bargain currently 

[jland]

Wise is not attached to any Australian bank therefore your money is not FCS protected. When doing my research Upbank, part of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, came with good recommendations. When transferring funds Upbank use Wise therefore the rates are very good. I have used them for a year, very impressed so far. Money transfers are instant. A very small cherry on top, every now and then if I purchase a coffee Upbank pay for it. I never have very much money on the card unless I am purchasing from overseas or transferring funds.

[cathaana]

I've been using Wise for years and never had a problem. I'll check out Upbank though. Never hurts to have a backup card. 😄

[Pushka]

1 minute ago, cathaana said:

I've been using Wise for years and never had a problem. I'll check out Upbank though. Never hurts to have a backup card. 😄

We also have ING cards that are only used for travel and both Wise and ING have excellent exchange rates and very low, if any at all, ATM fees and other fees. 

[Elorac123]

If it means anything Noel Whittaker is wrapping it up in the Sunday Sun.

Cheers Carole

[cruiser3775]

You need two kinds of card for overseas travel - a credit card for purchases, and a debit card to withdraw local money from ATMs. Don't take a cash advance on a credit card - you need a debit card.

All the usual Australian debit cards on bank accounts charge large amounts for any overseas money transactions, so best avoided, but useful to take as an emergency backup.

Look for cards in Australia that offer "No foreign exchange fees".  

I have a Latitude 28 Degrees credit card, and an UP debit card. Latitude is owned by a consortium of financial businesses, mostly German, and UP by Bendigo Bank.  They both give excellent rates for overseas travel.  

This article might help:

www.canstar.com.au/travel-insurance/best-travel-debit-cards/

 

It is very quick to set up a debit card for overseas travel online, as it is your money in the account, so you don't need to pass a financial check, just prove your identity.

[LittleFish1976]

I’m overseas with the Wise card at the moment. I love it. I like being able to put particular currencies on there and knowing how much I have in those currencies. I’ve learnt through an experience in February not to give it to a hotel or cruise ship on boarding as they will place a hold

of a certain amount (seems to be everything you charge to your account as you go) which took 31 days to be released. Now, I give them a credit card for their ‘hold’ and then change it on checking out to using the Wise card to pay. 

[JohnGc]

2 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

You need two kinds of card for overseas travel - a credit card for purchases, and a debit card to withdraw local money from ATMs. Don't take a cash advance on a credit card - you need a debit card.

All the usual Australian debit cards on bank accounts charge large amounts for any overseas money transactions, so best avoided, but useful to take as an emergency backup.

Look for cards in Australia that offer "No foreign exchange fees".  

I have a Latitude 28 Degrees credit card, and an UP debit card. Latitude is owned by a consortium of financial businesses, mostly German, and UP by Bendigo Bank.  They both give excellent rates for overseas travel.  

This article might help:

www.canstar.com.au/travel-insurance/best-travel-debit-cards/

 

It is very quick to set up a debit card for overseas travel online, as it is your money in the account, so you don't need to pass a financial check, just prove your identity.

I think my problem with Latitude is that I am an aged pensioner and not eligible to apply. I notice they want confirmation of employment plus bank statements etc. I will have a look at UP. Thank you.

[JohnGc]

2 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

I’m overseas with the Wise card at the moment. I love it. I like being able to put particular currencies on there and knowing how much I have in those currencies. I’ve learnt through an experience in February not to give it to a hotel or cruise ship on boarding as they will place a hold

of a certain amount (seems to be everything you charge to your account as you go) which took 31 days to be released. Now, I give them a credit card for their ‘hold’ and then change it on checking out to using the Wise card to pay. 

Thanks LittleFish.When you used the Wise card that had the hold on it, could you still use the Wise card with the remaining balance also can you transfer more money from your bank to top up the wise card while in Singapore ? As I understand it that would have been Wise that held the hold for 31 days is that correct ? Did changing to using the credit card for the hold and paying with wise at the end of your stay allow the hold to be released earlier ?

[JohnGc]

Thank you for all the replies. Wise card seems to be very popular and I am just wondering if all hotels in Singapore accept them. I have sent the hotel an email to confirm that I can use that card as it is not listed on their web site. It does state that they do not accept cash. Still going to research all the other options mentioned. Cant thank you enough for all the information and still open for all suggestions 😊

 

Cheers John

[LittleFish1976]

2 hours ago, JohnGc said:

Thanks LittleFish.When you used the Wise card that had the hold on it, could you still use the Wise card with the remaining balance also can you transfer more money from your bank to top up the wise card while in Singapore ? As I understand it that would have been Wise that held the hold for 31 days is that correct ? Did changing to using the credit card for the hold and paying with wise at the end of your stay allow the hold to be released earlier ?

You can use the remaining balance but the hold on a certain amount of funds is ‘as though’ you had spent it (until they take the hold off that amount). 
 

in my experience, the banks who manage my credit cards take holds off (pending transactions) faster than the 31 days it took Wise. That’s sort of okay as long as you know about it. I was caught short the first time it happened and had to transfer more funds into the card so I could use it to pay a hotel bill ( I had a particular reason for wanting to pay in USD). Transferring funds onto the Wise card is easy. I did it in Argentina using my online banking (either via the bank’s app or via website). 
 

I checked that I could change the card I used for the hold at check in versus the card I would use at check out. That was all fine. You just need to know when they’ll want to do the transaction and to make sure you get to the front desk in time to give them the alternative payment method. 
 

I’m happier to have a hold on a credit card as I generally have more availability of credit limit than I would cash funds on the Wise card. I also have more than one credit card so can share the burden of holds between them. 
 

The Wise app enables you to see every transaction on the card as soon as it has occurred. In fact I get a banner notification on my phone screen immediately that there’s a message for me without even opening the app. 
 

Their exchange rate is very good. 
 

Let me know if I can clarify anything else about it for you. 
 

By the way, almost everywhere I went accepted the Wise card from big Buenos Aires hotels to tiny bars in Ushuaia except for a couple of businesses (cafe bars) in one small area of Buenos Aires. It was odd but so unusual that it didn’t bother me as I had some cash and other ways of paying anyway. You always need at least a couple of back ups though. 

Edited April 30 by LittleFish1976

[aussielozzie18]

Just spent 2  weeks roadtripping around Canada.  Exclusively used my 28 degrees cc with no issues.  Have an Up card as a backup which my well travelled daughter strongly recommended.  Had cash with me but not needed.  Only place that was cash only was a bakery on the Main Street of tourist town Tofino on Vancouver Island.  No issue - there were plenty of other places for to eat nearby.  All tips electronic.  Oh, a whale watching cruise strongly pushed for cash tips at the end of the cruise.

 

My son used Wise but switched back to 28 degrees as he had issues with fraudulent activity as soon as he started using Wise and it took a while to fix.  

[Aus Traveller]

19 hours ago, JohnGc said:

Staying for 5 nights in Singapore before cruise and not sure if to use a Wise card to pay the hotel on arrival and living expenses etc or just use my Commbank debit Mastercard. Wise card sounds good until you look at product review. Not really a fan of negative reviews so thought maybe my fellow cruise pals who use the wise card or others could give me some guidance. 

 

Cheers John.

I suggest you have a second option as well. Wise sounds good for paying for your hotel. I was in Singapore last June on the world cruise. Taxis wouldn't take cash cards but they would accept credit cards and Singapore cash.

[JohnGc]

8 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

You can use the remaining balance but the hold on a certain amount of funds is ‘as though’ you had spent it (until they take the hold off that amount). 
 

in my experience, the banks who manage my credit cards take holds off (pending transactions) faster than the 31 days it took Wise. That’s sort of okay as long as you know about it. I was caught short the first time it happened and had to transfer more funds into the card so I could use it to pay a hotel bill ( I had a particular reason for wanting to pay in USD). Transferring funds onto the Wise card is easy. I did it in Argentina using my online banking (either via the bank’s app or via website). 
 

I checked that I could change the card I used for the hold at check in versus the card I would use at check out. That was all fine. You just need to know when they’ll want to do the transaction and to make sure you get to the front desk in time to give them the alternative payment method. 
 

I’m happier to have a hold on a credit card as I generally have more availability of credit limit than I would cash funds on the Wise card. I also have more than one credit card so can share the burden of holds between them. 
 

The Wise app enables you to see every transaction on the card as soon as it has occurred. In fact I get a banner notification on my phone screen immediately that there’s a message for me without even opening the app. 
 

Their exchange rate is very good. 
 

Let me know if I can clarify anything else about it for you. 
 

By the way, almost everywhere I went accepted the Wise card from big Buenos Aires hotels to tiny bars in Ushuaia except for a couple of businesses (cafe bars) in one small area of Buenos Aires. It was odd but so unusual that it didn’t bother me as I had some cash and other ways of paying anyway. You always need at least a couple of back ups though. 

Great information thank you. I am just waiting to get confirmation from the hotel that they accept wise card. The tip about using the credit /debit card for the hold is a great help. 

[JohnGc]

48 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I suggest you have a second option as well. Wise sounds good for paying for your hotel. I was in Singapore last June on the world cruise. Taxis wouldn't take cash cards but they would accept credit cards and Singapore cash.

Good suggestion, I am looking at taking some SGD cash a Wise card and a Up card but at the moment still looking at all options. Thank you.

[cruiser3775]

The Wise card is linked to Visa. In general, most places accept Visa or Mastercard linked cards. So if your hotel states they accept Visa/Mastercard, it should be OK.

 

The main thing with credit and debit card use overseas is to make sure you notify them in advance that you will be going overseas. Otherwise, if they suddenly see new charges in a foreign country, they may think it is fraudulent and put a stop on the card.

 

As for getting a credit card when you are retired, there are some cards you can apply for, and a couple of them offer "No foreign exchange fees".  They are mostly very simple no frills cards with a low credit limit, but they will be handy when overseas, saving you carrying much cash. Applying for them does involve a bit of time and effort however.

Here's a recent article with a list:

https://www.finder.com.au/credit-cards/credit-cards-for-retired-and-pensioner-applicants

Scroll down to page 2 to see the ones with no foreign exchange charges.

Edited May 1 by cruiser3775

[JohnGc]

1 hour ago, cruiser3775 said:

The Wise card is linked to Visa. In general, most places accept Visa or Mastercard linked cards. So if your hotel states they accept Visa/Mastercard, it should be OK.

 

The main thing with credit and debit card use overseas is to make sure you notify them in advance that you will be going overseas. Otherwise, if they suddenly see new charges in a foreign country, they may think it is fraudulent and put a stop on the card.

 

As for getting a credit card when you are retired, there are some cards you can apply for, and a couple of them offer "No foreign exchange fees".  They are mostly very simple no frills cards with a low credit limit, but they will be handy when overseas, saving you carrying much cash. Applying for them does involve a bit of time and effort however.

Here's a recent article with a list:

https://www.finder.com.au/credit-cards/credit-cards-for-retired-and-pensioner-applicants

Scroll down to page 2 to see the ones with no foreign exchange charges.

Thank you, good to know Wise is a Visa card and can be used as such. Had a look at the credit card list, very helpful thank you.

[JohnGc]

@LittleFish1976

I have another question if you don't mind. Is it better to convert the AUD currency that is in your Wise account to SGD before leaving Australia for Singapore or let Wise auto convert as you spend. My main cost will be the Hotel cost. Thanks.