Wise, previously TransferWise, is indeed a peer-to-peer money transfer business. It was founded by two Estonian Fintech visionaries, Taavet Hinrikus and Kristo Käärmann, who are both located in the United Kingdom. Even in the aftermath of the coronavirus, it offers a diverse range of products and services, culminating in over £5 billion in monthly transactions.
Every day, Wise claims to save consumers and companies £3 million in hidden costs. The service is now available in some countries. However, it is expanding its reach and already has offices in different cities across the world.
Wise has just introduced a multi-currency account. This allows you to keep over 50 currencies at once and exchange them whenever you want, as well as a Wise debit Mastercard, to its transfer service. Paypal, Azimo, WorldRemit, Western Union, Venmo, Zelle, and Moneygram, to mention a few major participants in the currency exchange business, all provide comparable services.
What you will see here?
Features
If you’re moving money, especially bigger quantities, having access to mid-market exchange rates as banks have always been a plus, which Wise achieves as part of its structure. TransferWise is a quick and easy option with a clear cost structure that you can view on its website and a swift money transfer service.
On a desktop browser, the website is adequate, but there is also a very nice accompanying app for iOS and Android, which may be handier if you need to transfer money on the road, whether for business or vacation. Wise also takes pride in being safe and secure, employing a two-step login and verification process.
The service is rounded up with a business account and a multi-currency Mastercard debit card, both of which are designed to keep expenses down while spending abroad.
Pricing of Wise
The Wise fees page clearly shows how the company’s costs are structured. A fixed cost is a percentage of the charge, accompanied by a variable fee, which is combined to offer you a total fee on every transaction. There really are three distinct transfer levels to choose from, with the fastest choice being the most costly, an advanced middle choice being the most expensive, and a low-cost transfer being the least expensive.
Wise also offers Business pricing, which includes additional free services such as the option to accept money in EUR, NZD, GBP, PLN, AUD, and USD currencies. To exchange currencies, there is a cost of 0.33% to 3.56%. The Wise debit Mastercard is indeed free, with a similar 0.33%-3.56% currency conversion cost and a 2% fee for ATM withdrawals exceeding £200 per month.
The Wise website, like many others in this sector, includes a dynamic calculator that allows you to calculate your costs before sending or receiving any money.
Support
The Wise website has a thorough set of Frequently Asked Questions that should answer the most, if not all, of your questions regarding the website and how to use it.
Ease of Use
There isn’t much in the manner of inner workings, at least for the consumer to view, that stymies progress if you use Wise, much like similar money transfer goods and services. It’s a web-based system that calculates your costs and current currency rates dynamically.
Overall, you’ll find Wise to be quite user-friendly. Wise has done an excellent job with its mobile app editions, which are accessible for both iOS and Android.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Wise
Advantages:
- Money transfers with a debit or credit card can deliver quickly.
- In many countries, the fixed cost is a mix of a flat fee of roughly $1 and much less than 1% of a transfer amount. Fees for using a credit card are greater. It is usually less expensive to use an ACH transfer through your bank account or even a debit card. Your price will be equivalent to paying by ACH if you pay through a wire transfer to Wise, however, your bank will most likely charge you.
- Wise does not impose an exchange rate markup on its transactions, contrary to banks as well as other money transfer companies. It aims for the midmarket rate, which changes by the minute.
Disadvantages:
- Because each stage of the procedure may take days, transfers paid using bank accounts can take more than a week. However, the average overall time for the four nations i.e. India, UK, Germany, and Mexico is 3 or 4 business days.
- On weekdays, customer care is only available via phone from 10 a.m. – to 3 p.m. ET.
Conclusion
Wise claims that its service is guided by three basic principles: transparency, charging as little as possible, and making transfers as simple and quick as possible.
Wise, for example, aims to focus on delivering premium services without overcharging for them, and it emphasizes its efforts to provide help to clients in their native language and time zone.
Even better, they want to make this help real, rather than relying on automated processes. There’s a lot to like here, with bold promises and what looks to be a straightforward price structure. Financial Conduct Authority regulates Wise, and its mid-market rates may be the most tempting feature of all.
