Wise - International Bank Account

Summary of topic: A life saver

What is Wise?

Wise* is an online bank account service which offers bank details in many different currencies. If you are moving to France you can get Euro bank details very quickly and easily! This means you can put euros in your account and you can spend in France with no transaction fee.

Why is it a life saver?

Well the first thing is you can set it up instantly so if you are doing this the week before you go, it’s no problem!

Your account can be set up in minutes. You just need to add some details, verify your identity online and then you’re good to go. You need to put some money in your account to activate it but it's not a lot. You can spend that money, it is not a fee to them.

It also generates a RIB. This is what French people use to transfer you money, for example here we have a sort code and account number. However, if you are going as an ELA they may not accept it as for me it had to be from a French bank account. You can read more about this here*.

The Costs

It is mostly a free service which is great. There are only very minor costs.

The contactless debit card is only £5 including delivery. Mine came in 2 days but the delivery said between 2-4 days when I bought it. It was so quick and the card works so well!

Obviously there is a fee when you convert your pounds to euros. For a £200 conversion it was only 70p so the fee is really low. You can always choose how much you want to convert so it doesn’t have to be lots if you don’t need it.

To transfer to a French account, there is a small cost. Tip: if you do end up setting up a French bank account after settling in then they shouldn't have this fee.

Is it just for euros?

Nope! Your card will work for pounds and euros, just make sure you make an account for both of them online. It’s super easy.

If you were to use your card in UK, it would automatically deduct your UK balance and same for in Europe. It's really handy if you want to use that card for airports and travelling from UK to France! 

Customer Service

I have been through calls with a lot of companies and found it really hard to get good service but Wise is great. When I first called because I was really confused the guy took his time to explain everything to me and sent a follow up email which was useful.

Any time I’ve called the helpline they’ve answered really quickly too.

They also have an FAQ section on the website which answers pretty much every question which is ideal.

All in all, a great service. Had no problems using it in the UK or France and the app and website is fab! As always, any questions - ask away x

*Please note that all hyperlinks are in the colour red.