Those of you familiar with 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 over the last 2 years.
And now I am pleased to report on the global rollout of the TransferWise borderless account. With a TransferWise borderless account you can now send, receive and spend money around the world with the real exchange rate.
I was lucky enough to be one of the people selected to trial the borderless account last year. Based on the feedback of people involved in the trial, this service has gradually been rolled out to a wider audience in different countries over a number of months.
In this post, I'll walk you through exactly how the borderless account works, help you identify whether or not you need a borderless account, and reveal all the details on set-up, fees and how much you can save in comparison with traditional banking methods.
What is the Borderless Account?
The borderless account gives you bank account details for USD, GBP, EUR and AUD. 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 or UK, Australia or Europe, you will effectively have a bank account there
A borderless account is a bit like having local accounts all over the world. It’s a multi-currency account that lets you keep money in 40+ currencies, and convert between them at the real exchange rate whenever you need.
Who is the Borderless Account For?
The account is for anyone really, but I'll explain how it has been useful for me.
I receive regular payments in US Dollars, and occasionally Euros too.
Historically payments were made to my PayPal account or my UK bank account. With PayPal, I would have to pay a receiving fee, and then pay another fee to transfer this money to my UK bank account; in doing so I am 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 on transfer.
But now, with TW, I just give my borderless 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 TransferWise MasterCard, or I can transfer the US Dollars to my UK bank account at the market exchange rate.
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 sone of the transactions.
I incur a small fee from TransferWise for withdrawing to my bank account and converting the currency, but I save so much money compared with having the money paid into PayPal.
Moreover, if I receive Euros or Australian Dollars, I can also keep a balance of these currencies in my TransferWise 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 borderless debit card, either through withdrawal or electronically. Or you can send the money onto another bank account linked to your borderless account.
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
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. My main use is having money paid into the borderless 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 TransferWise to send money from my UK bank account to my Thai bank account.
My debit card arrived in this cool, minimal style box
*On another note, I recently found out that 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 TransferWise borderless account is very well suited to visitors who would like to have a debit card that provides them with favourable exchange and withdrawal rates.
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 Switzerland. When I ran out of Swiss Francs it made sense to use the TransferWise debit card because it gave me a favourable exchange rate. As I spent, it transferred the US Dollars in my borderless account to Swiss Francs.
The large majority of people can get a borderless account right now, but they are still rolling out the debit card to a number of countries. Currently it's only for personal use, too, but they have a plan to roll out the card to business users soon.
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.
- 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 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).
A list of countries where the card is available can be found here.
So those based in the US can't get the debit card right now but can open a borderless account. I'm pretty sure the card will be rolled out in the US soon.
How Do I Set up an Account?
To get set up, you'll need to:
- Create a free account ( you might need to wait a day or so to have your account verified)
- Select a currency. You can set up each currency with just a couple clicks. You can have more than one currency.
- 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 TransferWise debit Mastercard (if your country is eligible for the card)
- Receive money with account numbers and IBANs. Get paid in AUD, EUR, GBP or USD in 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 TransferWise 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 debit Mastercard in a currency you don't have, Transferwise 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.
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 TransferWise 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 in January 2018 comparing the TransferWise borderless account to 21 current accounts offerings from banks in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia. Additional data research was conducted in March 2018 and on an ongoing basis since then to ensure accurate and up to date information.
The research concluded that in comparison to the 21 current accounts included in the study, the TransferWise 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 TransferWise 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 TransferWise debit Mastercard.
In Australia, the research found it’s up to 12x cheaper to use TransferWise instead of a bank to send money from AUD to EUR or USD for $250 and $1,000. The TransferWise card isn't available in Australia yet.
In Germany, the research found it’s up to 4x cheaper to use TransferWise 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 TransferWise card.
There is no doubt that a borderless account will save you money.
In Summary
The 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, and hold and convert money in over 40 global 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 TransferWise borderless account will save you money.
If you have been using PayPal to receive foreign currencies and then transfer them to your bank account, you can get those same companies or individuals to pay you into your TransferWise borderless account and avoid those evil PayPal fees.
Do note that you can't transfer money from a PayPal account to your TransferWise borderless account. PayPal would never allow that to happen! Trust me, I phoned them to see if I could get my TW account added to my PP and they were brutally honest about why they wouldn't let this happen.
You can also do favourable currency conversions within your TransferWise account, but that's optional. With the TransferWise debit card, you can spend the money from any currency inside your TransferWise bank account in any country around the world.
This is modern a modern day banking revolution. It will save you money. I have saved thousands in fees already. Enjoy!
=> Click here to register Borderless Account
Last Updated on
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?
Jul 29, 2019 at 9:16 pm
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
Jul 03, 2019 at 8:19 am
TheThailandLife says
You could both have a borderless account. You could send money from your borderless account to hers. She could withdraw that money to her Thai bank account. If you just want an easy way to send her money, user Transferwise money transfer to send money directly to her Thai bank account. See that info here: https://www.thethailandlife.com/how-to-send-money-to-thailand-no-bank-fees
Jul 03, 2019 at 8:47 pm
James E says
Just an FYI. Transferwise has opened a waitlist to get a MasterCard branded debit card for borderless accounts.
Jun 06, 2019 at 11:30 pm
TheThailandLife says
Ooh, nice. I’ll add that to the Borderless account review once it is fully rolled out.
Jun 06, 2019 at 11:37 pm
James E says
I just got the announcement that the card is available in the US.
Jul 31, 2019 at 10:28 pm
TheThailandLife says
Nice one!
Aug 01, 2019 at 2:46 am
James E says
Sadly, it was too good to be true. ATM use with the TW debit card is free – up to a point – beyond which it carries a 2% fee when using it to withdraw cash at an ATM. The catch – sorry, not a better word – is that you withdraw up to 200GBP, 250USD or equivalent in a rolling 30-day period. Not a calendar month. The 2% fee does not cover any local ATM charges either. Details at https://transferwise.com/help/18/transferwise-debit-mastercard/2935769/what-are-the-atm-fees-for-my-transferwise-debit-mastercard
Aug 02, 2019 at 7:07 am
TheThailandLife says
This is the same for the Revolut card, which I am currently reviewing for the blog (will post up shortly). That has a limit of 200 GBP/Euros per month and 1 or 2 % after that. Of course local ATM fees will apply. The best thing to do is limit withdrawals and use card payments. I must admit I use the banking facility of Borderless far more than the card. The card is a ‘nice to have’.
Aug 02, 2019 at 4:37 pm
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
Mar 27, 2019 at 10:35 pm
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.
Mar 28, 2019 at 4:01 am
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.
Mar 29, 2019 at 2:50 am
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.
Mar 29, 2019 at 4:38 am
James E says
Follow up. BKK Bank is now offering the Mastercard branded debit card. Unfortunately the Rabbit Card version is still UnionPay. Details at https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Cards/Be1st-Smart-Card/Chip-Card-Conversion
Mar 28, 2019 at 10:16 pm
Martin1 says
I like Union Pay!
It gives me discounts at airports, and in BKK e. g. at Villa Market @ Ari.
You can use it with AliPay.
But sure: I wouldn’t want to have a UnionPay card as my only card!
Mar 29, 2019 at 11:12 pm
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
Jan 28, 2019 at 1:36 pm
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.
Jan 28, 2019 at 9:32 pm
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)?
Jan 03, 2019 at 10:29 pm
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
Oct 15, 2018 at 5:37 pm
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.
Oct 15, 2018 at 6:15 pm
steve o says
thai atm fees ???
Aug 25, 2018 at 4:55 pm
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.
Aug 25, 2018 at 5:22 pm
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.
Nov 30, 2018 at 9:10 pm
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.
Dec 03, 2018 at 1:41 am
Martin1 says
Try to find AEON ATMs in Thailand!
They charge only 150 THB per transaction, or Citibank’s! The latter ones allow up to 50 k THB per withdrawal.
Jan 03, 2019 at 10:22 pm
Nigel Reynard says
Hi Great article but can you give me some idea what the rates/fees are for loading up in euros/£ and converting to THB as this has has not been mentioned. Thank you.
Aug 25, 2018 at 3:58 pm
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.
Aug 25, 2018 at 5:20 pm
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?
Aug 25, 2018 at 1:37 pm
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).
Aug 25, 2018 at 5:25 pm
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.
Aug 26, 2018 at 1:07 pm
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.
Aug 26, 2018 at 6:14 pm
Martin1 says
Bangkok Bank allow you to open up FCAs (Foreign Currency Account).
In those you an keep non-THB currencies, and transferrals abroad are NP!
Jan 03, 2019 at 10:25 pm
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.
Jan 03, 2019 at 11:49 pm
Rick Thompson says
I read another review of TransferWise Borderless Account that says there is a way to get PayPal to transfer to a US TransferWise account. Don’t know if it works as I have not tried it.
Aug 25, 2018 at 7:13 am
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.
Aug 25, 2018 at 5:14 pm
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.
Aug 22, 2018 at 11:49 am
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.
Aug 22, 2018 at 4:40 pm