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The Wise Borderless Account: Receive & Spend Money in Multiple Currencies

Those of you familiar with Wise (formerly Transferwise) will know that it is the cheapest way to transfer money between countries. It helps you avoid bank fees and gives you the real exchange rate.

I have written about this service in another post and it's been hugely helpful to other expats who've used the service.

One of Wise's other offerings is the borderless account. This account enables you to send, receive and spend money around the world with the real exchange rate, which saves you money.

I was lucky enough to be one of the people selected to trial the borderless account when it first came out, and I've continued using it since.

In this post, I'll walk you through exactly how the Wise Borderless account works, help you identify whether or not you need one, and run through all the finer details on set-up, fees, and how much you can save in comparison with traditional banking methods.

transferwise-borderless-review

What is the Wise Borderless Account?

The Borderless account gives you bank account details for the USD, GBP, EUR and AUD currencies.

You also have the option to add your local currency to hold in your balance. So even if you don't live in the US, UK, Australia or Europe, you will effectively have a bank account there. This means you can send and receive money in these currencies.

A Borderless account is a bit like having local accounts all over the world. It’s a multi-currency account that lets you receive money in 10 currencies and hold money in 56 currencies, and convert between them at the real exchange rate whenever you need to.

Holding multiple currencies is completely free, and they use the real exchange rate to convert.

Who Can Benefit from a Wise Borderless Account?

The Wise Borderless account will appeal to those who want to receive, hold and spend money in different currencies, and those who travel a fair bit.

You can use the card in 200 countries, spend with Apple and Google Pay, and withdraw anywhere you like.

I'll explain how it has been useful for me.

I regularly receive payments in US Dollars, and occasionally Euros too.

Historically, payments were made to my PayPal account or my UK bank account.

With PayPal, I have to pay a receiving fee, and then pay another fee to transfer this money to my UK bank account. That final transfer to my bank account means I am also subject to PayPal's horrible exchange rate.

If the money is paid into my UK bank account, then I'm usually subject to a wire fee,  and if not a wire fee, I always have to suffer the poor exchange rate given by my bank.

But now, with the Wise Borderless account, I just give my US account number to the person or company paying me and have the US Dollars paid into my account.

I can then spend in US Dollars using my Wise (formerly TransferWise) MasterCard, or I can transfer the US Dollars to my UK bank account at the market exchange rate.

wise-borderless-account-personal-dashboard

Here's a screenshot of my personal account dashboard. As you can see, it's just like an online bank account. I've blanked out personal details and some of the transactions.

I incur a small fee from Wise for withdrawing to my bank account and converting the currency. However, I save so much money compared with having the money paid into my PayPal account.

Moreover, if I receive Euros or Australian Dollars, I can also keep a balance of these currencies in my Wise account. I can then spend the balances of these currencies in any country I choose, even here in Thailand.

The Borderless account will benefit people who work in professions where they receive money from a source based in America, in Australia, in the UK or in Europe; think people like freelancers, expats, second home-owners, international students, overseas contractors, etc.

You can receive the money into your Borderless account and then spend the money using the debit card, either electronically or through withdrawal.

Or you can send the money on to another bank account linked to your Borderless account.

wise-borderless-account-card-status

As you can see, you can make ATM withdrawals, contactless payments, online purchases, chip and pin and more.

+ Get a FREE Borderless account here

The Borderless Debit Card (MasterCard)

The debit card is super cool, not least because it is a fluorescent green colour :). When you whip it out in the supermarket, the cashier is always like, ” Oh, what bank is that?”

I don't actually use the debit card that much, though. My main use is having money paid into the account and then transferring money to my bank account in the UK.

I do use it in Thailand when I'm short on funds in my Bangkok Bank account, which, incidentally, I often top up by using the Wise (formerly Transferwise) money transfer service to send money from my UK bank account to my Thai bank account.

wise-debit-car-box

My debit card arrived in this cool, minimal style box

On a side note, Bangkok Bank are no longer issuing Visa debit cards, and those who do have Visa cards won't be able to get a replacement if they lose the card or it expires.

Instead, they are issuing Union debit cards, which are pretty much useless because you can't really use them anywhere, though you can use them to withdraw money. So this is another good reason to have the Borderless account debit card.

For the record: there is no real difference between MasterCard and Visa. The two are both widely accepted in over two hundred countries and it is very rare to find a location that will accept one but not the other.

There are also those who regularly visit Thailand but struggle to get a bank account, or just can't be bothered to go through the process. The Wise Borderless account is very well suited to visitors who would like to have a debit card that provides them with favorable exchange and withdrawal rates.

transferwise-debit-card-borderless

Inside the box is the ostentatious card > your key to stress-free spending.

It is really useful when visiting other countries, too.

I was recently on holiday in Bern, Switzerland.

When I ran out of Swiss Francs, it made sense to use the Wise debit card because it gave me a favorable exchange rate. As I spent, it transferred the US Dollars in my Borderless account to Swiss Francs.

Wise Borderless Account Benefits Summary:

  • Lets you spend anywhere in the world at the real exchange rate. You'll pay low conversion fees, and zero transaction fees.
  • Receive money in 10 currencies, including GBP, USD, CAD, EURO, AUD, NZD, RON, HUF, & SGD
  • Hold money in 56 currencies.
  • Free to pay with currencies in your account: convert money into your required currency and it will be free to spend or pay in your chosen local currency.
  • Free first two ATM withdrawals (up to £200) a month.
  • Only pay a small conversion fee when you convert your money — typically between 0.35% and 1%.
  • Pay in any currency, anywhere and it will automatically convert the currency in your account with the lowest conversion fee.
  • Free same currency withdrawals for personal account users ( there are a couple of exceptions).

How Do I Set up an Account?

To get set up, you'll need to:

  1. Create a free account ( you might need to wait a day or so to have your account verified)
  2. Select a currency. You can set up each currency with just a couple clicks. You can have more than one currency.
  3. Add money to your account. You can top up via debit card or bank transfer

Once your account is set up and you have access to it, you can do the following:

  • Convert money between your currencies in seconds at the real exchange rate with low conversion fees
  • Send money from any currency in your account to pay bills, send money to friends and family
  • Spend money with your Wise debit MasterCard
  • Receive money with account numbers and IBANs. Get paid to your account (zero fees)

+ Click here to set up your account now

Account Fees

It's free to set up your account.

It's free to get your international bank details, and free to receive money using those bank details.

The only cost you’ll be charged is a fee to convert between currencies – either in your account or if you spend on your Wise debit MasterCard in a currency you don't have in your account.

When you convert money in your account it's always with the real exchange rate, and you always see the fee before you make the exchange.

If you spend on your MasterCard in a currency you don't have, Wise chooses to convert the balance with the lowest fee, so you never have to worry about getting the best rate.

I have pictured the fee tables for the US and UK accounts below.

transferwise-borderless-review-account-pricing-US

transferwise-borderless-review-account-pricing

Here's an example of some of the currency conversion fees:

  • from GBP to EUR 0.35%
  • from GBP to INR 0.55%
  • from EUR to GBP 0.5%
  • from EUR to USD 0.5%
  • from USD to GBP 0.85%
  • from USD to EUR 1%
  • from AUD to GBP 0.7%
  • from AUD to USD 0.7%

Is Wise Really Cheaper Than My Bank?

In a nutshell, yes, much cheaper; at least for this type of banking where you're dealing with foreign currencies and spending abroad.

Consumer Intelligence conducted research comparing the Wise Borderless account to 21 current accounts offerings from banks in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia.

The research concluded that in comparison to the 21 current accounts included in the study, the Wise borderless account is cheaper, quicker and easier for consumers across all categories.

In the UK, the research found it’s up to 9x cheaper to use Wise instead of a bank to send money from GBP to AUD, EUR or USD for £200 and £1,000. And it's up to 7x cheaper to spend the same amounts abroad with the Wise debit MasterCard.

In Australia, the research found it’s up to 12x cheaper to use Wise instead of a bank to send money from AUD to EUR or USD for $250 and $1,000.

In Germany, the research found it’s up to 4x cheaper to use Wise instead of a bank to send money from EUR to AUD, USD for €250 and €1,000. And it's up to 2x cheaper to spend the same amounts abroad using the Wise debit card.

transferwise-review-bordless-fees-GBP

transferwise-borderless-fees-EUR

There is no doubt that a Borderless account will save you money.

In Summary

The Wise (formerly Transferwise) Borderless account is the first platform offering true multi-country banking to anyone who needs it, no matter where you live.

You can receive and send money all over the world, hold and convert money in 56 currencies, and get a contactless MasterCard debit card for spending abroad.

If you are paid in a different currency than that of your home country, or perhaps even receive income in multiple currencies, the Wise Borderless account will save you money.

If you have been using PayPal to receive foreign currencies and then transferring them to your bank account, you can get those same companies or individuals to pay you into your Wise account and avoid those evil PayPal fees.

Do note that you can't transfer money from a PayPal account to your Wise Borderless account. There are some articles online saying you can do this, but I wasn't able to.

I even phones PayPal to see if I could get my Wise account added to my PayPal account so that I could withdraw money directly. They were brutally honest about why they wouldn't let this happen. Say no more.

You can also conduct favorable currency conversions within your Wise account, but that's optional. With the Wise debit card, you can spend the money from any currency inside your Wise bank account in any country around the world.

This is a modern day banking revolution. It will save you money. I have saved thousands in fees already.

+ Click here to register Borderless Account

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Comments Sort by : newest | oldest

  2. Neil says

    Does having a wise bank card mean you can withdraw thb without paying the extortionate fees Thai banks charge for withdrawing cash using foreign cards?

    Is it therefore worth tourists getting one for their visit?

    Thanks
    Neil
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      You can hold Thai Baht (or convert another currency in your Wise account to Thai Baht) and withdraw it from a cash machine. However, the fee charged by the bank or company who own the ATM is unavoidable. What you will avoid is an unfavorable exchange rate. The most cost-effective way to spend is on the card.
      Reply

  3. SM says

    I'm in the process of setting up an account and have not found it easy. The info here is much better than anything on Wise.

    Setting up the account wasn't free, for the business account it's 21GBP. I'm hoping next I'll get my account details and can withdraw from PayPal. Hopefully it'll be a borderless account and I've not wasted my time and money.

    I don't know why these payment services can't have FAQs or somewhere for information. Like so many things these days you can only find out by trying which can cost time and money. No where on the site does it explain the procedure, it just keeps telling me there's more to do.

    I've sent them an email two days ago, still no reply. Supplying little info, changing things without warning or explanation seems the norm for all these payment services.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Th personal account is free, the business account is 16 GBP to set up. I thought the process was pretty easy. I did it on desktop though and I can imagine it's more difficult to find the information on mobile as there's quite a lot packed into one page. All the details for the business account can be found here: https://wise.com/gb/business/. There's a menu to navigate the different aspects of the account at the top of the page.
      Reply

  4. RS says

    It seems like with Wise you can send money out of Thailand to the EUR account that you get with Wise.

    I'm really not sure if that's true or not, I was under the impression that you can't send money outside Thailand unless by bank to bank transfer using SWIFT, or other options like DeePay. WU, crypto, and in your pocket over a border (or I guess in some kind of secure courier service!).

    You can't send GBP, and USD want an extra fee (I haven't looked at other currencies on the list in the app).
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      I've updated my comment here because I just checked and... You have to open a balance in the currency you want to receive within the Wise account. When I select GBP I am given an account number so that I can receive payments in that currency. However, when I select Thai Baht, it says "You'll be able to hold THB to pay for future transfers. You can't add THB directly but you can still get THB by converting it from another currency in your account".So you can't receive Thai Baht from a Thai bank directly into Wise. You can receive USD, GBP, AUD, EUR, etc, and then convert to Thai Baht within the Wise account.I wrote about a few options for sending money out of Thailand here: https://www.thethailandlife.com/transfer-money-thailand
      Reply

      • rinky stingpiece says

        Maybe I'm missing something, but it looks like most of your comment isn't related to what mine is about.
        I was talking about sending money from a Thai bank account to a Wise balance, which necessarily involves a conversion, and as far as I can tell EUR (or maybe SGD) look like the viable options.
        I haven't tried it, I opened a DeeMoney account. I'm not sure what the options are with buying crypto using a Thai account. I can see about a dozen options in the form of apps or websites for it, with one that is specifically Thai. Perhaps you can add a section to your article that you linked to?
        Obviously, it's not for everyone and comes with caveats.
        Reply

          • Martin1 says

            Peter,
            I don't want to be the smartass, but as far as I know it is possible to transfer money from Thai accounts in at least five ways:
            1. Transfer from Thai bank a/c using SWIFT transfer to all countries in the world.
            2. ... using Western Union ...
            3. Cheque
            4. DeeMoney
            5. Withdraw using an ATM in target country and then deposit.

            But I don't know if any of these meet rinky stingpiece's needs.
            Reply

              • Martin1 says

                Look, in my case Wise gave me an IBAN and a BIC (IBAN BE64 9?70 ???? 4711 BIC TRWIBEB1XXX).

                Having this information a transfer of funds (e. g. GBP or Euro) to my Wise accout should be possible from any other bank account on the world.
                Reply

                • TheThailandLife says

                  Indeed. The question is can you send Thai Baht out of a Thai bank account to your Wise account. I know they state 30 countries you can receive money from, but I couldn't find the list. I'm sure it didn't use to be possible but to check I have emailed them and will post back here when they respond.
                  Reply

                  • rinky stingpiece says

                    That's fine, just checking, and I have asked Wise to make their info a bit clearer on this.
                    I have transferred money via the usual bank ways from a Thai bank abroad, and I have got DeeMoney. It seems that Thailand is locking out competition like Wise with unattractive conditions. At least cryptocurrency is an option, and can suit some who want to do transfers quickly, and in some cases (but not all), cheaply.
                    Reply

                    • TheThailandLife says

                      I received this reply:Unfortunately we do not support funding FROM THB at the moment, so you wouldn't be able to top up your Thai Baht balance in Wise using your Thai account. You would need to top up via one of our supported 'send money from' currencies, which are listed here.Our team are working on opening up FROM THB as a route. No ETA just yet on this but know it's on our roadmap so hopefully will be able to do this one day.

  5. Carolina says

    If I have a balance in GBP and my employer is based in the UK and pays me in GBP, but I live outside Europe, do I have to pay taxes in the UK? Or in the country where I live? Do I have to pay taxes at all? Thank you!
    Reply

  6. Frankbank says

    Sorry. I didn't see that it is separate.

    So , again, I was asking if I should delete my Bangkok Bank
    account from Paypal and tell them I have this Borderless account instead ? And Paypal will deposit the money there?
    And then I can transfer it to my Bangkok or Kasikorn bank account ?
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      By them do you mean your employer? But I thought they only paid by PayPal? You should keep your Bangkok Bank linked to your PayPal account, as this is a useful way of transferring money. If you want to set up a Borderless account you can do that too. It's useful for when people want to pay into your bank account but in a different currency to the one of your home bank.
      Reply

      • Frankbank says

        No, By " them" I meant Paypal.

        I saw somewhere where you said something about being able to avoid Paypal's fees. As you know, they say they charge Thai baht (THB) 4.00%

        But, O.K. I give up.
        So in other words, it looks like you are saying to just forget about it and pay the fees, I guess. Oh, well.
        Reply

        • JamesE says

          Frank, Keep *all* of your bank accounts. Do you have a regular US bank account? The cheapest option is to get your money from PayPal into a regular US bank account. Then use Transferwise to move money from that account to your BKK Bank account. That will cost a bit more than 1% and you won't get screwed on the buy/sell spread. You don't need a borderless account to do this. If your employer is in the US then an even better solution is to get paid directly into your US Bank account, then Transferwise directly to BKK Bank and bypass PayPal and their onerous fees altogether.
          Reply

          • Frankbank says

            Finally some clear information ! Thank you so much ! So I don't even need the Borderless account , great !

            Unfortunately, I have to use Paypal because even though it's a U.S. company , they force everyone to use Paypal.

            But the problem with Paypal is ( I found out the hard way ) they apparently are in Singapore and charge $35 U.S. to send the money to my Citibank account in the U.S. , but don't charge to send it to Bangkok Bank here ! I don't understand why. It is really insane.
            So it looks like they will screw me anyway.
            Reply

            • JamesE says

              Hmmm... Typically the receiver does not have to pay the fees (unless it's a purchase). My guess is that your PayPal account is not in the US (it's a US corporate entity). Did you set your PayPal account up while you were still in the US or after you left? If the latter, I'd suggest setting up a new account linked to your Citibank. Do you have a VPN where you can spoof your location? If so I'd try setting up a US PayPal account linked to your US bank account. The problem is that if you type PayPal.com from country X you'll end up with a completely different legal entity than if you do it from country Y. There's got to be a way around this (there always is) that should save you a lot on the spread (that's why your transfer to BKK Bank is "free" you're paying for it elsewhere.
              Reply

              • Noel ( Frankbank ) says

                No, I set up Paypal here in Thailand which is why they charged me $35 when I sent money to my U S Citibank
                When I complained, I think they said something about having to close this account down and opening a new one for Citibank in USA.
                I will check it out again.
                Thanks for your help.
                Reply

              • Noel ( Frankbank) says

                .
                I think I would need to change my name too because no one has my same 1st and last name together for sure ( it's not
                Frankbank)
                Actually, maybe it's better to close the Thai PayPal account since I don't need it. Then I could use my real email address and name
                Reply

                • JamesE says

                  Really, you don't have to worry about your name. It doesn't matter if your name is unique when most other people's aren't. Your identifying elements are your email and tax id. I have two accounts: same name, same tax id, but different emails. It's equivalent to having two personal checking accounts at the same bank. The big issue is to make sure you're connecting to the US PayPal site when opening your new account. This is NOT because you can't have another account in the same region but because you want the rules - free transfers to Citi - that apply in that region.
                  Reply

                  • Noel says

                    Thanks, but I mean I shouldn't even need this PayPal account here anymore if I can open a new one in the U S
                    So if I close this account first then open the American one I should be able to use my real email address , right?
                    I would rather do that than use another email address that I normally never look at.
                    Reply

  7. Ossie says

    I have a borderless account and use it however my gripe is this if I google TW and then go in and ask a particular rate in my case £ to Thai baht the rate is better than if I go into my TW app borderless account here is an example which I did 5 minutes ago google TW £1,000 =40,22100 go into my TW app account £1,000 = 39,92992 as you can see by using my borderless account I am losing out and as for trying to contact the company it’s a joke they don’t have a help desk ☹️☹️☹️
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      That's a fairly small difference and maybe due to real-time fluctuation, though it is worth asking them. Support is usually pretty good - within 24-48 hours. Pop off another email. Note that there's a small fee to convert currencies — either within your account, or when you pay with your TransferWise debit Mastercard in a currency you're not holding in your account.
      Reply

  8. Wayne says

    Hi, thank you for the informative article. I read from somewhere that you need to have a UK address to register for Borderless account with the debit card. So would like to ask did you register Transferwise with a Thai address or a UK address please? I am also living in Thailand, only have utility bills here. Many thanks.
    Reply

  10. Bela Gere says

    I used it only for money transfers the last 3 years but now I decided to use it as my everyday account. Best exchange rate and transfers sometimes immediate to other country. I have 13 bank accounts, the latest are Monese, N26, Starling. But I have issues with them suspending account for weeks and asking for further documents and than nothing. That's crazy.
    I even sent £30000 to Spain and had no issues with TransferWise. I wouldn't trust any other money exchange company to send this much.
    Reply

  11. Joao guilherme says

    Hello!
    Is it possible to withdraw from TW debit card in THB in thailand?
    I am afraid that the ATMs there don’t accept the TW card. Another thing that I can’t find in the internet, is it possible to withdraw in euros with the TW card in Thailand?
    Reply

      • Martin1 says

        James --

        I have seen a foreign currency ATM. At Suvarnabhumi airport in the security area (i.e. after check-in and immigration), where the shops are.

        But I do not see a point in that: one can always bring banknotes of almost any currency and let it exchange for a small fee into Euros.
        Reply

        • James E says

          I'll have to look for that. The only reason I could think of is if you're a Thai traveling out of the country and didn't want to stock up on cash before you got to the airport. It does seem like the opportunity for spending more than you should on the transaction is very high.
          Reply

      • Martin says

        Did they give you any bank card for your Thai bank account?

        Then you could withdraw funds at a local ATM and deposit it there on your local bank account.

        But in case of Sweden (which has transformed itself in a mostly cashless country, how stupid): are there still any ATMs around, and banknotes?
        ;-)
        Reply

  12. Koozi says

    A concur and big thumbs up with the use of Transferwise. I initiated a transfer from my US bank yesterday and the money was in my Bangkok Bank account in less than 18 hours! I was shocked, in a good way. I received .01 below the median exchange rate as shown on XE and the fee was around $10 for transferring $1000. All in all a very good experience. This is as opposed to XE which I used before. XE gave a good rate and wasn't much more expensive, it, however, took almost ten days for the transaction to be completed.

    So, bottom line, I highly recommend Transferwise for your overseas transfer needs.
    Reply

  13. Alberto says

    Hi, it looks like the Borderless account does not allow direct debit ACH. I allowed a USA bank to take the monthly payment of a small loan from transferwise (I provided the New York Transferwise branch details from the borderless account) but it did not work. Do you know any other banks that offer that?
    Reply

  14. Mike says

    So let me get this right.
    If i set up a transferwise borderless account with my Australian bank acc number and my partners siam bank account, can I transfer money into her account? At the current exchange rate?
    So she won't need the borderless debit card. And I control at my end the ins and outs of the borderless account?
    Thanks
    Reply

  16. Kevin Williams says

    Do you hold THB in your borderless account and can you transfer into it from Bangkok bank with no fees? I need a way to pay for things here in THB online but my bangkok bank debit card is as useless as a chocolate teapot! Thanks
    Reply

    • James E says

      Nope. Transferwise currently does not support a ₿ transfer out. You hold your money in US or AU $, €, or ₤ or any of the other supported currencies (which would entail some degree of FX risk). When you use your Transferwise debit card it's like getting an instant TW transfer. So your money wouldn't even need to go to BKK Bank. The last time I was in BKK Bank I asked about getting a new debit card as the Visa support was expiring. They told me I could do it right away or wait as they were going to add a MasterCard branded product sometime this year.
      Reply

      • Simon Robinson says

        Sorry, maybe I am misunderstanding, but I have the Borderless account and I hold money and transfer funds in THB. You cannot accept payment into the account in THB, but you can "hold the funds" and transfer THB out, I do this all the time.
        Reply

        • James E says

          Yes, you can hold in THB or any of the other supported currencies (with their attendant FX risk) but you can't load it from a Thai account. TW says they're planning Baht-out support at some time but right now it's very difficult to move large sums out of Thailand through traditional channels and I'm guessing TW will take a long time to get it approved. By Baht transfer out I meant out of a Thai account, not out of your borderless account.
          Reply

  17. jp leb says

    Good day.
    A lot of talk about the UK, EU, Australia etc .. but nothing about Canada. I have a bank account in Montreal and another here in Thailand, if i understand your procedure i would have to open an account with Transferwise, then transfer funds ( in CAD) from my Montreal bank account to my Tranferwise account via a bank transfer and then get Tranferwise to send the money (in Thb) to my Kasikorn bank account... correct ?

    Q1 -- Will Canadian banks accept to transfer funds to a Transferwise account ?

    Q2 -- If so then i would pay transfer fees twice .. Mtl bank to Transferwise and then Transferwise to Kasikorn bank and PLUS pay the Kasikorn service fee..

    Q3 -- How do i save ? Difference in transfer fees between the Montreal bank
    and Transferwise fees ?
    Thanks
    jpl
    Reply

    • James E says

      There are no "Transfer Fees" going from your CA bank to K-bank. Transferwise is the transfer agent so collects its fees once per transfer ($11.93CAD for a CA$1,000 transfer). There is no withdrawal fee from your bank (I'm guessing as Canada uses EFT which is basically the same system as ACH here in the US), it's more like paying an e-bill or e-check online. TW then works its magic in the ForEx market and a normal deposit of THB shows up at K-bank.

      So instead of a wire transfer with fees at both ends and getting reamed by a buy/sell spread at conversion you just pay TW's minimal fee and you're done.
      Reply

  18. Martin1 says

    Hey TTL!

    I have such a card. But I don't use it much.

    I always prefer to take cash into the kingdom and convert it into THB at Superrich (or Thailand Exchange (near MBK)).
    Their spread is only about 0.3 %! Nothing beats that!!!
    And after that I use a CDM to deposit it on my bank account.
    BTW: Did you know that you can use any CDM (not just the ones from your own bank)?
    Reply

  19. DUS says

    Hi,

    Thank you very much for your review!

    A couple of questions if I may:

    1/ Is your verified address with Transferwise your address in TH or an address back in the UK? Does Transferwise have any issues with its users changing their address from EU/UK to an address in Thailand?

    2/ I read that the debit card will only be issued to customers in UK/EU and maybe a few other countries. Is that still the case? Do you happen to know that?

    Thank you again!

    DUS
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Hi DUS,1. My verified address is my UK address. I'm not sure about the address change thing. I used the address registered with my home country bank account. 2. The debit card is also now available in the US, but it's in Beta mode. They will roll it out to everyone in the next few months I'm sure. Try contacting them and ask to be part of the beta trial. They might send you an invite.
      Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      The first 200 GBP (or equivalent) you withdraw every month (30 days) is free. After that, there's a 2% charge on withdrawals.Some ATMs charge their own fees on top of this, as some do in Thailand. Generally I still use my Bangkok Bank account to withdraw from in Thailand.To avoid extra fees from any ATM, be sure to choose the local currency where the ATM is. For example, if you're in the US, choose USD as the currency to be charged in. This will stop the ATM from marking up the currency exchange rate.
      Reply

      • Stuart says

        Good review generally - BUT I think you're missing the point about steve o's question. It's almost impossible to avoid fees for cash withdrawals from Thai ATMs with a non-Thai bank card. Aside from your own bank / card company fees, in Thailand it is MOST not just some ATM which charge for withdrawals with an overseas card.
        The cost is around 200 baht for each withdrawal and it is now extremely rare to find one that doesn't levy this fee. That is on top of any fees charged by your own bank.
        Reply

        • TheThailandLife says

          You'd pay the local withdrawal fee charged by the bank too, I'd assume. But as JPB mentions above, TransferWise has started also a ‘cash’ debit card (visa) that you can load with the currency you want. So you don't have to withdraw from ATMs all the time.
          Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      I've not done this so I don't know exactly, but given the examples in the post I assume somewhere around 0.5-0.7%. My usual scenario is receiving USD to Transferwise borderless and then sending that money to my UK bank account. I get the real market exchange rate and pay the conversion fee prior to it being sent, so it arrives in GBP. This has saved me a ton on previously receiving the money to my PayPal account or by wire.
      Reply

  22. Christian Watson says

    I would like to do the reverse as I get paid in Thailand (Bangkok Bank, sadly) and want to transfer the money to my US account. Do you know if it is possible yet to add money to your Transferwise account from Thailand?
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      You mean send money to your TW account from your Bangkok Bank account? Yes, but you wouldn't have Thai bank details so it would be treated as a foreign transaction by BKK Bank, as you'd be sending it to your TW Borderless US, UK, AUS or EURO account (these are the bank account details they give you).
      Reply

      • Charlie says

        Even though you can hold money in Thai Baht in your Transferwise borderless account, you can't send money to Transferwise via your Transferwise Thai Baht account. (You can only receive money into the account in Euros, US Dollars, British Pounds and Australian Dollars).

        Also, my Bangkok Bank account doesn't allow me to transfer money to an overseas account. So if your Bangkok Bank is like mine, the answer is no, you can't transfer money from your Thai bank account to either Transferwise borderless account, or to your US account via Transferwise.
        Reply

        • TheThailandLife says

          Yes, that's what I said. You don't get bank account details for a Thai bank account within the borderless account, only a Euros, US Dollars, British Pounds and Australian Dollars account details. Bangkok bank allows you to send via SWIFT to foreign accounts, and via the iBualang online banking system, if you have that capability.
          Reply

            • James E says

              All of the big banks allow FCAs. The problem is that when you need THB you are subject to their buy/sell spread. They also have fees wiring into or out of the account. Transferwise converts at the FX rate and has a very favorable fee structure. It's primary drawback is that (as of now) transfers out of THB are not supported.
              Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      I read the same review a while back. I called PayPal and they said no you can't add your TW US account and transfer USD out of PayPal. I think what you can do is make a conversion inside PayPal from USD to GBP and then ad your TW UK bank details. But that's pointless because you get stung on the exchange rate anyway. PayPal exists to make money on receiving money and converting currency at horrible rates. The best way forward is have people pay you directly into TW borderless.
      Reply

  24. Simon says

    I work in the offshore industry, all over the world and live in Bangkok. I get paid in GBP and USD, previously I had a USD account as well as my GBP account in the UK. Both accounts were with Lloyds, and they gave me "free" transfers between the accounts. This is the biggest con the banks make. They don't charge a fee, but they give you a horrendous exchange rate. TransferWise is by far the best bank and exchange mechanism on the market to the best of my knowledge and I use it all the time to transfer money and withdraw cash in Thailand and around the world.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      So a borderless account might be useful for you, because your employer could pay the USD into your account using the US account details. You can also hold a GBP balance. Agreed, TW beats the banks hands down.
      Reply

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