Using Wise Card in New Zealand: [2024 Guide]

In today’s world, Wise is something many people can’t live without! Its account allows seamless & cost-effective transfer of funds in different currencies, and their Mastercard or Visa card is accepted worldwide. Besides, they provide totally free foreign bank accounts.

Wise and Wise card is also commonly used in New Zealand & Australia, and you won’t have any issues when paying at the counter or online.

Wise card is connected to your multi-currency account, so you can store and spend across over 40 currencies. With a Wise debit card, you can pay at the counter or online, everywhere where cards are accepted.

This card is ideal for anyone who wants to spend money abroad, online, and in multiple currencies. The typical Wise users are expats, frequent travelers, and businesses, but anyone can benefit from their offers.

Revolut has just their international bank account in New Zealand. Read more.

About Wise and why you should get it today

The Wise card is a MasterCard/Visa debit card that belongs to your Wise account. Your Wise card is linked to your multi-currency account, which allows you to pay with over 40 currencies at the current exchange rate. It’s a very convenient solution for frequent travelers that want to get the best exchange rates possible.

Because Wise is the only company that uses a real market exchange rate, you will save a significant amount in fees and conversion rates. Wise only charges a small upfront transaction fee, saving you, on average, 6x more than the traditional banks.

Wise cards can be used anywhere where card payment is accepted. In addition, you can pay online if the merchant accepts MasterCard & Visa. Wise is the best solution when traveling and paying in multiple currencies.

Ultimately, Wise card is a perfect solution if you travel often, shop online and internationally, or live abroad and don’t have a local bank account. Wise always uses the real mid-market exchange rate, which means no markups and no hidden fees. This is where you will spend a lot of money with traditional banks, like ANZ.

Besides, you can even withdraw up to a certain amount for free! In New Zealand, for example, it’s NZ$350 per month.

Revolut in New Zealand: Yes, It’s Here!

Can you use a Wise card in New Zealand?

Yes, absolutely, you can use a Wise card in New Zealand, in fact, you can use it everywhere! My Wise card is always accepted whether I go.

Wise card is super handy for both, living and traveling in New Zealand. Regardless of the original funds that you have on your Wise account, you can use the card for online and in-person purchases, and you can also use it for cash withdrawals from ATMs.

New Zealand is included in the list of countries that provide a Wise debit card, and to be honest, since I moved to New Zealand, I have been using nothing but a Wise card for my daily purchases. Additionally, Wise offers a free New Zealand bank account number.

This card is a necessity for everyone with savings or income in other than currencies. Wise provides the best exchange rates when paying in local currency with foreign funds.

The card works like a regular debit card and can be used for contactless payments in stores, online payments, etc.

Besides, you can even withdraw up to NZ$350 per month for free! Although, cash is really unnecessary in New Zealand. I only use a few coins per month for a car wash.

But what Wise offers in the end? Is it better than your local NZ bank, like Kiwibank, Westpac, or BNZ?

Here is an overview of what you can do with the multi-currency Wise account:

• Receive your salary, pension, tax benefits, etc.
• Pay offline and online with a Wise card
• Have your personal bank account as a part of the Wise account
• Have various bank accounts across several currencies
• Hold up to 40 currencies and spend this money in any country and in any currency
• Transfer funds to other people or businesses just by knowing their email address. However, you can also send them money directly to their bank account via Wise if you don’t know their bank details.

Wise gives you instant access to your fund anywhere in the world without you needed exchanging money manually.

It doesn’t matter which currency you have on your Wise account; it will be converted to NZ$ when paying here in local currency. And I must say, Wise has incredible conversion rates! If your currency is other than NZ$, you will lose as little as less than 1%.

When I pay in New Zealand with US$ using a Wise card, I barely see the difference between the current exchange rate displayed on Google and what Wise has charged me.

I haven’t come across something more useful and affordable when it comes to transfers and payments across different currencies. So, I am not planning to leave Wise anytime soon. In fact, I don’t even have a New Zealand bank account yet, although I can get it easily. I just haven’t seen the benefits which an NZ bank account will offer compared to Wise.

That said, Wise is the best option if you spend or receive money in different currencies. If all your money is in NZ$ and you live in New Zealand, there isn’t a significant benefit between using Wise vs your home bank. However, for someone who travels to New Zealand from overseas, Wise is lifesaving!

If you are an international student in New Zealand, read this article on the best NZ student bank account.

Best Bank Accounts in New Zealand for International Students in 2024

Wise card: pros and cons

Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of the Wise card:

The ultimate pros are:

• No hidden fees: no annual account fees, no markups on foreign currency exchanges.
• Automatically convert your currencies using the best exchange rates on the market.
• Accepted anywhere MasterCard and Visa are accepted + Apple and Google Pay
• Very low conversion fees
• Issue up to 3 virtual cards for temporary usage
• Free ATM withdrawals for up to NZ$350 per month
• In-store contactless payments
• Businesses can issue employee debit cards with custom limits
• Multi-currency account in over 40 currencies
• Real-time notifications via phone
• Acceptance worldwide

Cons of Wise card:

• The support is provided only online
• No deposit cash from an ATM
• No credit line, funds must be available on the account

PS: If you don’t have a Wise card or Wise account yet, you are missing out, big time! I have been using my international card before, and oh my lord, I have spent a lot of money on commissions, bad exchange rates, and fees! Get Wise today, you won’t regret it.

Wise and Revolut offer two similar products in New Zealand: a free multicurrency bank account with a debit card. Read my comparison here (I was a customer of both).

Ordering a Wise card to New Zealand and delivery time

If you want a physical card from Wise, you can easily order it in New Zealand. In fact, I did it, and it took less time than anticipated! It generally takes between 7-10 working days, my card has arrived pretty quickly.

The Wise card is currently available in the UK, the US, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Canada, Brazil, and most of the EEA. There are a few exceptions, e.g., territories in European areas like Monaco or New Caledonia, so check the list of eligible countries.

Ordering Wise card is done visa Wise.com, directly on the website with just a few clicks. Generally, you must be a resident of the eligible country to order the card, e.g., live in New Zealand.

Requirements to get a Wise card are:

• Confirm your NZ address
• Provide an official ID

After Wise has verified your account and the ID that you provided, you can order the card. You need to pay for the card to be issued and delivered, but this should be expected as to why Wise would do it for free? But the fee is only NZ$14.

Once you get your physical card, you should activate it by paying with your PIN for the first time. Afterward, you can just pay contactless. Don’t forget to download their pretty Wise app to overseas the transactions straight from your phone.

Fees and conditions for NZ Wise card

Wise has minimal fees, but still, it’s good to know them. Here is the current pricing for the Wise account and card in New Zealand.

Function	Cost
Opening an account	Free
Fee for sending money depends on the currency	From 0.43%
Spending with your card
Withdrawing NZ$350 per month (max 2 times)	Free
ATM fees over NZ$350 per month	1.75% + NZ$1.50 per withdrawal
Account funding transactions	2%
Converting money, depends on the currency	NZ$14
Converting money, depends on the currency	From 0.43%
Account funding transactions, depend on the source	Free
Receiving money
Account details in 8 currencies (AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, HUF, NZD, SGD and USD)	Free
Receiving money in different currencies via Wise (AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, HUF, NZD, SGD and USD)	Free
Receiving US$ wire payments	US$4.14

In addition, some spending limits apply. However, you can always set it to the maximum, which means the amount of the entire balance that you have.

I found limits to be helpful as I know if my card gets stolen, they can only use a limited amount.

Transaction type	Single transaction limit	Daily limit	Monthly limit
ATM withdrawal	Default: NZ$1,750 Maximum: NZ$1,750	Default: NZ$2,700 Maximum: NZ$2,700	Default: NZ$5,250 Maximum: NZ$7,000
Contactless payment	Default: NZ$900 Maximum: NZ$900	Default: NZ$900 Maximum: NZ$1,750	Default: NZ$7,000 Maximum: NZ$7,000
Online payment	Default: NZ$1,750 Maximum: NZ$17,500	Default: NZ$1,750 Maximum: NZ$17,500	Default: NZ$3,500 Maximum: NZ$52,500

Travel overseas with a Wise card

A Wise card is arguably the best card for traveling abroad. You will get a much better exchange rate compared to traditional banks. Wise converts your money at the real market exchange rate without any markups and additional fees. Their pricing is transparent, with an average fee of 0.43% of the converted amount.

For instance, here is an overview of fees in some New Zealand banks:

Bank	Foreign currency fee on payments in foreign currency
BNZ	2.25% of the transaction
Kiwibank	1.85% of the amount converted
ANZ	1.3% of the amount
Westpac	1.95% of the transaction amount

The fees you see are just mind-blowing, considering that Wise charges about 0.43% from a foreign currency transaction!

Using Wise card in Australia

If you are heading to or living in Australia, you can also easily use your Wise card regardless of the account currency.

This post contains affiliate links. The affiliate link means we may earn an advertising/referral fee if you make a purchase through our link, without extra cost to you. It helps to keep this blog afloat. Thanks for your support.