Wise Alternatives: See Which Transfer Apps Are Better For You

Why is Wise usually a popular choice?

It is safe to use

A lot of users agree that Wise is 100 percent secure to use for international money transfers. It has a 2 - factor authentication in place to protect customers' accounts and transactions. The company is a licensed electronic financial institution regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority  (FCA) and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the UK and also the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in the US. It also holds state licenses in the US. These are reputable agencies saddled with providing institutional-level security and encryption. 

In addition, its consumer account funds are separately kept from those of corporate accounts. Should bankruptcy or any financial difficulties occur, the consumer funds are secured.

To ensure transparency and security, its transfer process notification is through the Wise app or email. A recipient can get the money that was sent through Wiseapp even without having a Wise app account. This means as a user, you can wire money to a person without the person necessarily having a Wise account.

Low Exchange Rates

Wise rate is the exact middle between buying and selling rates which are mostly better than the rates offered by regular banks.

Wise provides users with a transparent chart rate. This allows users to know beforehand what fees they would be charged as regards exchanging and transferring.

Low Fees

Most banks or financial institutions take a 5 % cut in hidden fees when you carry out currency exchange and international money transfers. Also, both the sender and receiver are charged additional payment fees for the transfer.

Wise charges are much better and cheaper than the other alternatives mentioned above. It's also thoroughly transparent.

Wide Coverage

Not many platforms have a wide coverage as Wise does. With Wise, you can wire funds to 80 different countries in over 50 currencies. 

How to pick an alternative to Wise

Despite Wise's many great features, it has a few shortcomings. Some of them are: 

Slow Transfers

To be fair, Wise money transfer speed depends on how the transfer is funded. If the transfer is funded through bank accounts (other than credit or debit cards), the process can take a few days. This is because, in this instance, it would take Wise some time to receive, and convert before sending the money abroad. Some people also complain about the Wise transfer limits. 

Wise is not translated into all languages

Wise's website and the mobile app don't apply to all languages which can be a problem for a person whose primary language isn't among the languages available. Though, there are modern translation technologies that can help with that.

Limited customer Support

Their customer support can only be reached by phone within the regular work hours on weekdays. Though this also applies to most financial institutions, it is a red flag.

So, when picking Wise alternative, search for a service provider that better handles the issues above.

Best Wise alternatives

As we have established, Wise is a reputable platform with some obvious lapses. If you are looking for something more, consider these Wise alternatives.

1. Revolut

Revolut was initially established in 2015 and is a company based in the UK. It is a platform that operates like Wise. You can transfer funds to bank accounts or other Revolut account holders using the Revolut app. 

You can use Revolut cards to buy goods and services. An advantage it has over Wise is that, as an account holder, you have access to virtual cards and trading cryptocurrencies.

Revolut’s major consumers are international businesses and active travelers. Having an account with Revolut comes with multi-currency accounts that enable you to exchange and send funds at a low cost within a short period.

The Revolut cards can be used for payment online or at physical stores and can also be used for withdrawals at ATMs. You can manage your funds and access all your account features via the platform app. 

After creating a Revolut account, users get either a Visa prepaid debit card or a Mastercard. Cards can be used for withdrawals and charge-offs in over 120 countries. Using the Revolut app, you can carry out direct transfers in 26 different currencies. 

Like traditional bank accounts, Revolut provides users with bank account numbers and sort codes. Customers can use the account details to save or transfer money. There are several funding sources accepted for Revolut accounts which include, traditional credit and debit cards, Apple pay, Google Pay, and bank transfers.

You can only have an account on Revolut if you live in the European Economic Area (EEA), Japan, Singapore, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States. For business accounts, it only applies to companies who are registered to operate in the EEA and Switzerland and with a physical presence in the countries.

2. Transfergo

Launched in 2012, Transfergo is an international money transfer company based in London. It prides itself as a platform that provides convenient services which help its customers make transfers at a low cost. This may not be far from the truth, as Transfergo has an excellent score of 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot, making it one of the most trusted money transfer companies.

The company operates in more than 63 countries. Currently, you can only send money from Transfergo if you stay in either Europe, the UK, or Turkey. However, you can send money to several countries, including Canada, India, and the US.

TransferGo is one of the alternatives to transferwise if you prefer a wide range of payment and delivery options. Though it differs by country. It also offers different delivery methods, including bank accounts, mobile money, bank cards, and digital wallets.

Unlike Wise which provides real-time rates, TransferGo provides mid-market exchange rates. Also, TransferGo charges cheaply for its fees, While Wise, even for its low-cost transfer option, charges fees. Finally, TransferGo delivers funds faster compared to Wise.

3. Bunq

Bunq is an Amsterdam-based international mobile bank app. It was launched in 2015, by Ali Niknam who also founded TransIP, an IT company.

Bunq is officially permitted and insured by the Dutch Central Bank.

Bunq is officially permitted and insured by the Dutch Central Bank. However, it is an independent borderless European bank, with no physical presence whatsoever. The bank is totally mobile.

Bunq's mobile app and website is fully international, being available in 6 languages for both customer support and operation. By creating a bunq account, you get access to 25 sub accounts (multicurrency), 3 physical cards, and 5 virtual Debit Mastercards.

Bunq partnered with Wise in 2018 which saw Wise being integrated into the bunq app. This allows a user directly access Wise features and make and receive transfers easily in more than 40 different currencies from the bunq app. This makes it no more different from using the Wise app directly.

However, there are some advantages you can get from using Wise on the bunq app instead of directly using Wise which are, cheaper international transfers, free ATM ATM withdrawals across the world (10 free withdrawals per month); and no charges for spending in Europe.

Conclusion

There are several options as regards carrying out international transfers. Wise is renowned for its low rates and transparency, but it doesn't hurt to know some Transferwise alternatives before settling for Wise as your preferred platform. 

That way, you'll be able to settle for a great platform with the best deal as regards your needs.