The Best International Money Transfer App: Wise

The best international money transfer could not be easier. I remember when moving overseas five years ago how I was going to transfer money from one account to another was quite confusing to me. I had a Spanish account and a US account, and I didn’t want to pay huge fees to simply send my money from one to the other. I was told about Wise and was hooked!

Wise boasts that making international transfers with them are eight times cheaper than using a traditional bank. They use the real exchange rates and don’t have any hidden fees. You can send money in up to 54 currencies and 80 countries!

An easy set-up

I think one of my favorite things about Wise is how user-friendly it is! You can download it as an app for your phone or simply use it on a desktop. You can log-in through your Facebook account, Gmail or you can simply create your own profile. I’m so bad with passwords, so I appreciate that I can just connect it with my Facebook and go from there!

I’ve been a Wise customer for close to five years and I haven’t once had to contact their support centre. I feel like saying that nowadays says a lot!

Making a money transfer

When I first moved to Spain, I had to set up a Spanish bank account in order to get paid each month. While simply converting thousands of US dollars into Euros and bringing them on the airplane was an option, it wasn’t a recommended one. Imagine loosing all that money or getting it stolen. It definitely wasn’t secure and honestly was rather foolish. If you are making an international move, DO NOT do this.

While I was never planning to do this, I thought “well maybe I’ll just eat some ATM fees and take out money using my US debit card to then deposit into the new account.” I would also not recommend that simply because Wise makes it so much easier. It’s simply the best international money transfer because it’s so user-friendly.

With Wise, all you need are the bank details to make the transfer. You choose who you want to pay to and then how you want to pay (which account you send from and which account you send to). You can choose to pay from an actual account, from a debit card or from a credit card. Each one has its own fees which are typically just a few dollars or euros. The amount of time can range from instant to within a few days depending on how you pay.

I used Wise my first few years in Spain to transfer large amounts between the two accounts. My fees were always low and the process was always very user-friendly.

Creating a Wise account

Wise also allows you to create a bank account right on the app. You can choose between 10 different currencies (including USD, Euro and British pound) and people would pay you as if you had a local bank account from that country. This is great if you have people who need to pay you from different countries.

With this bank account you can also request a Wise debit card. I remember before moving to Spain, I’d always worry about using my debit card when traveling. A Wise card is the solution to that! The fees are lower than your bank and you can spend in multiple currencies! This card works in over 200 countries!

But is it safe?

I’m sure many of you are already asking this question. With so many countries and currencies involved, it’s a legit worry. However Wise ensures that it is an incredibly safe service to use. When I log into my account, I have to go through a verification process where they send a code in a text. Furthermore in my almost five years of using the service, I’ve never had an issue with security.

In addition to protecting your data, they are regulated by the National Bank of Belgium. They are also audited regularly and take a lot of protections against fraud.

The best international money transfer

Overall, I cannot say enough good things about Wise. The fact that it’s safe, affordable and user-friendly makes it the best international money transfer. Have you used Wise before? What have you used before to make international transfers?

This post does contain affiliate links. They simply go towards supporting me and the creation of this blog.

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