Wise or revolut
Posted by foreignmayo@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 22 comments
I am moving from Japan to Taiwan. I need to move my savings and don't want to carry that mych cash to avoid taxes when I do my claims upon entry. Until I get ARC, I won't have a bank account. I don't want to use my US bank account due to conversion rates loss (weak yen), time, and fees.
I won't have access to my japanese bank after March. I also don't trust currency traders to offer a fair price (they need to make a profit too).
Which service is best for weekly ATM use. I plan on using mostly cash and the occasional card when cash isn't available.
Which is better in your opinion for 1 to 2 months of use.
Happy_Expert_484@reddit
Pretendo ir para Portugal final deste ano, e não tenho cartão de crédito, estou conhecendo a Wise agora. Estou perdida, não sei por onde começar. Será que alguém poderia me ajudar?
Akki8888@reddit
I’ve been using Wise for international transfers and it’s much cheaper than banks (better exchange rate + lower fees).
If anyone is planning to send money abroad, you can use my referral link to get a fee-free transfer up to £500.
Here’s my link:
https://wise.com/invite/miw/akshaym180
Disclosure: This is my personal referral link – I may receive a bonus if you complete a transfer.
Let me know if you have questions about how it works.
Defiant-Minute6279@reddit
It depends… I read a very good post that may help you a lot. Check them up!
https://myinternationalpocket.com/beyond-the-hype-wise-revolut-and-payoneer-in-2026
Mundane_Fig4124@reddit
Wise. But it's also good to have a Revolut card as a backup
foreignmayo@reddit (OP)
Do you know if they transfer between each other?
Mundane_Fig4124@reddit
Yes, sure https://wise.com/gb/pricing/
i-love-freesias@reddit
First, check that either will let you have an account in Taiwan.
I have never had issues with Wise. Quite happy with them. I think whenever money moved more slowly, it was the Thai bank causing any delays, but can’t swear to it. The delays were never unreasonable.
Telecom_VoIP_Fan@reddit
I've been using Wise over the past 9 months or so and am satisfied - their service works well and I find the fees moderate.
Catcher_Thelonious@reddit
"don't want to carry that mych cash to avoid taxes when I do my claims upon entry"
Taiwan taxes cash carried into the country?
foreignmayo@reddit (OP)
Im not sure if it is taxes, but you need to declare anything over 100k twd.
Catcher_Thelonious@reddit
That's if you carry NTDs.
You can carry up to USD10,000 in USD or JPY without having to claim.
https://www.taoyuan-airport.com/currency_import?lang=en
foreignmayo@reddit (OP)
Im aware and thank you for the link. My goal is to avoid currency exchange places. Yes, I can carry all my jpy into the country, but then I will lose value when I get ready to exchange it into the local currency. The jpy is still weak and its too risky to carry and wait for favorable exchanges.
Catcher_Thelonious@reddit
You're expecting the Yen to appreciate soon?
Here's Bank of Taiwan rates: https://rate.bot.com.tw/xrt?Lang=en-US
They have no exchange fees: https://www.bot.com.tw/en/personal-banking/foreign-exchange/foreign-currency-cash-exchange/taiwan-foreign-currency-cash-exchange-machine
foreignmayo@reddit (OP)
Im expecting it to decline with the turmoil that is happening right now.
CheeseWheels38@reddit
How much cash do you intend to spend? Wise is limited in that regard.
foreignmayo@reddit (OP)
5k twd weekly is the budget.
gedanmawashigeri@reddit
I have used wise living in Thailand primarily to pay my rent. I never asked for the physical debit card but probably should. I did add it to my digital wallet once but never really used it. What I have noticed with wise is sometimes the transfers will be fast and sometimes take days. This is paying the same amount of rent every month to my landlord to his same bank account. I typically pay my 2-3 weeks early so it’s not an issue. For smaller amounts wise will transfer fast typically. The only time I saw this not be was when the person receiving it didn’t have their account open for long. So they needed to verify on their end. I may look into Revolut. My next plan is to move to Vietnam and opening a bank account there is fairly easy. Since I have not used Revolut I can’t really say which is better or worse.
The-American-Abroad@reddit
For me, Wise has always been a hassle to use, whereas Revolut is very easy.
I have no experience in Taiwan or Japan with either though. Just Europe.
dayeye2006@reddit
Could you elaborate? 🤔
The-American-Abroad@reddit
Wise always has some kind of id validation problem for me. After awhile I got tired to jumping through their constant hoops just to move some money from one country to another. But to be fair this was at least 2 years ago, so maybe they’ve dramatically improved since the.
Revolut works by charging transfers as actual transactions, as if you’re using your debit card. This works 1000x better in my experience, and moving money is so much easier than using Wise.
grogi81@reddit
Bitcoin.
Taxguyemperor@reddit
My experience
I’d go with Revolut for 1–2 months of mostly cash use while you’re in Taiwan, especially for frequent ATM withdrawals and travel-style spending — but with one condition: you stay within the free withdrawal limits. � Wise +1 Here’s why: Better short-term ATM usage: With a Revolut card you usually get a higher free ATM withdrawal allowance before fees compared to Wise (e.g., ~£200–£400+ free per month depending on plan) and then only ~2% after that. Wise only gives a couple of fee-free withdrawals per month and then a fee on every one after. � Wise +1 No big monthly fee required: Even the free Revolut Standard plan gives you enough free cash access for most weekly needs if you plan it right. � cdn.revolut.com Convenience: You can use Revolut at ATMs across Taiwan, search for surcharge-free machines in the app, and pay with the card where cash isn’t accepted. � Revolut That said, Wise has more transparent mid-market exchange rates and generally lower overall fees if you were transferring or holding large sums longer term — but for frequent ATM withdrawals and day-to-day travel cash, Revolut tends to work out cheaper and more flexible in practice. � Wise Quick tip: If you end up going over Revolut’s free cash withdrawal limit some month, the ~2% fee isn’t huge — and you can always top up both cards (Revolut + Wise) so you have backups.
Thankyou