Wise Card vs Revolut: A Full Comparison on Features and Fees 2024

The Wise Card and the Revolut Card are both prepaid international debit cards offered by popular financial technology companies, with linked accounts you can manage from your smart device or laptop.

If you’re not sure whether the Wise card or the Revolut card will be right for you, this guide has you covered. Read on as we walk through the key features of both cards, the fees you need to know about, and a side by side comparison so you can work out which may meet your needs.

Key points:

Wise card vs Revolut card in the UK: Side by side

Both Wise Card and Revolut offer cards for personal and business customers in the UK. This guide focuses on personal accounts and cards - features and fees for business cards may vary.

Read a full Wise card review here

Let’s kick off this Wise card vs Revolut card review with a comparison of some of the key features of each, side by side:

As you can see, both the Wise card and the Revolut card can be very handy for anyone who wants a way to hold, exchange and spend in foreign currencies. Both offer the mid-market exchange rate when converting funds, and both issue cards on major global networks for broad international usage. However, the specific features of each card are slightly different, so you may find one suits you better than the other. This guide will unpick more about how the Wise card works vs the Revolut card, so you can see which suits your personal preferences best.

Pros and cons

Here’s a rundown of some of the pros and cons of the Wise card vs the Revolut card:

Wise card vs Revolut card: The Verdict

Ultimately, both the Wise card and the Revolut card are great options for anyone who travels a lot, or shops online in foreign currencies. Both accounts let you hold multiple currencies, with currency conversion that’s free or comes with low fees compared to other options on the market. It’s also free to spend any currency you hold, so there’s no foreign transaction fee to add to your overseas spending.

Which card is best for you will come down to your personal preferences and how you want to use your card and account.

The Wise card supports more currencies, which can be handy if you’re headed off the beaten track. Plus there are no monthly fees to pay, and you’ll get other perks like local account details to get paid into your account by others in 9 currencies.

On the other hand, the Revolut card might be a great low cost option if you’re able to convert in banking hours only, and can stick within the plan limits for the free Standard plan. It can also be a good pick if you’re happy to pay a monthly fee to get a broader range of features, including cash back on spending and travel perks.

READ ALSO: Best Travel Cards UK

How do they work?

You can use a Wise card and a Revolut card to spend in person in the UK and around the world, to shop online, and to make cash withdrawals. You’ll need to set up a Wise or Revolut account before you can get your card, and then you can add money in GBP (or in a selection of other currencies, depending on the account you pick), to spend at home or abroad. Both cards offer contactless and mobile payments for convenience.

You can get a Wise card by registering a Wise account online or in the Wise app. Once you have your account set up - which can all be done right from your phone - you can order your card in a few steps.

Here’s how to order a Wise card:

• Log into your Wise account in the app and go to the Cards tab

• Tap Get card, then follow the prompts to complete any required verification step

• Pay the 7 GBP  one time fee for your card

• Your physical card will be dispatched when you confirm your order

To get a Revout card you’ll need to register for a Revolut account, which you can do in the Revolut app.

Here’s how to order your Revolut card:

• Log into your Revolut account in the app and go to the Cards tab

• Tap Get card, then Physical card

• Choose your card type which may include options to upgrade to a personalised card

• Create your PIN code

• Enter and check your address and submit the order

You’ll be able to track the delivery of your card and get an estimated delivery date in the Revolut app.

What type of cards are they?

Both the Revolut card and the Wise card are prepaid debit cards linked to digital accounts, issued on either the Visa or Mastercard network. Both cards are broadly accepted globally - just look out for the network logo when you need to pay, or when you want to make a cash withdrawal.

Are Revolut and Wise cards available in the UK?

Yes. Both the Revolut card and the Wise card are available in the UK. Both providers also offer services for business customers in the UK, although the features and fees may vary from those described in this guide, which focuses on personal accounts and cards.

Wise vs Revolut card: Fees

Both Wise and the Revolut offer low cost ways to use your card at home and abroad. However, the fee structures aren’t exactly the same for both card options. Here’s a comparison of the Wise card fees vs the Revolut card fees to help you spot the differences:

Ultimately, both the Wise card and the Revolut card present good value, so which is best - or cheapest - for you may simply come down to how you’ll use your card.

Compare both options to see which suits your specific requirements.

Which card is cheaper?

Neither card is a clear winner on cost - it all comes down to how you’ll use it.

Revolut accounts have variable amounts of fee free cash withdrawals and currency exchange based on account tier, which might mean that it’s worth paying a monthly fee to get more free transactions if you’re a frequent traveller.

However,  Revolut has an out of hours fee when converting currencies on the weekend - which means it may cost you extra whenever you exchange money to shop or spend on a Saturday or Sunday. That’s not ideal if you’ll be taking weekend breaks, or if you’re shopping online for leisure. Plus, for currency exchange, UK standard plan holders pay a 1% fair usage fee once they exhaust their plan limit, which can push up costs significantly.

Wise has no monthly fee and offers the mid-market rate on currency conversion, with low fees, some fee free withdrawals every month, and supports 50+ currencies, which can also be helpful if you’re headed off the beaten path and want an account that’s more flexible on holding currencies.

On the downside, though, Wise caps the fee free ATM withdrawals at 200 GBP/month - which may not suit you if you’ll be relying on cash a lot as you travel.

Are Wise and Revolut cards safe to use?

Wise and Revolut are both safe, trusted and regulated providers with operations in the UK and many other countries around the world. That means they’re overseen by a range of global bodies and are safe to use.

Ease of use

• Creating an account: Both providers let you open an account online and in-app

• Ordering a card: Both providers allow you to order a card online and in-app, for delivery - plus you’ll get a virtual card you can use instantly

• Where can be used: Use both the Wise and Revolut card for spending and withdrawals, more or less anywhere in the world your card’s network is accepted

• Replacement: Free to get replacements for expiring cards with both providers. However, for a new card if yours is lost or stolen, there’s a fee of 2.5 GBP with Wise, and 5 GBP with Revolut

• Visa or Mastercard: Revolut and Wise both issue cards on both Visa and Mastercard networks

• Limits: You can set your own spending limits with Revolut, Wise has limits for security which are set to default amounts by spend type, but which can be adjusted using the Wise app, to pre-set maximums

Can I use the Revolut and Wise cards abroad?

Both the Revolut and Wise card can be used more or less anywhere in the world. The primary exceptions are in countries which are subject to specific global sanctions. The list of these countries does change from time to time, but can be found on the provider’s website, or by reaching out to their support teams.

Supported currencies on Wise and Revolut cards

You can hold 50+ currencies in your Wise account, and there’s no fee to spend any currency you hold. If you don’t have the currency you need in your account, the card can autoconvert for you, with the mid-market rate and the lowest fee available, based on the currencies you have in your account.

Revolut accounts support 30+ currencies, with no fees to spend a currency you hold. If you don’t have the currency you need in your account, the card will convert for you, with the mid-market rate to your plan limit. If you exceed your plan limit, you’ll pay a 0.5% - 1% fair usage fee. There’s also an extra out of hours fee to convert currencies on the weekend.

Alternative cards

Not sure if these cards are right for you? There are also alternatives available for customers in the UK which may appeal. Here are a couple to look at:

Sainsburys Travel Money Card: Hold up to 15 currencies on this Mastercard network card you can pick up in person at a Travelex store. Drawbacks include an inactivity fee, and a 5.75% foreign transaction fee when spending a currency you don’t hold in your account.

Hays Travel Money Card: 16 currencies are supported, and you can pick up this card at a local branch of Hays. There’s a 5.75% foreign transaction fee when spending a currency you don’t hold in your account.

Thomas Cook/Caxton Currency Card: The Thomas Cook travel card, issued through Caxton, supports up to 15 currencies and is issued on the Mastercard network. Watch out for the 1.5 GBP domestic usage fee when you spend or withdraw in the UK.

Conclusion

Revolut and Wise both offer digital account options which come with linked prepaid debit cards you can use at home and around the world. Because both accounts let you hold and exchange currencies with low or no fees, they can be great for international travel and when you shop online with retailers based overseas. Which is best for you will simply come down to the sorts of transactions you make often and your personal preferences.

The Revolut card is a strong pick if you’ll use it infrequently and can stick within the free transaction limits for the Standard plan - in this case you’ll find very few fees, but do watch out for fair usage and out of hours costs. Alternatively, you can upgrade to an account from Revolut with monthly fees but more free transactions.

Wise on the other hand has no monthly fee for its account, with some fee free ATM withdrawals monthly, and mid-market rate currency conversion. You’ll pay fees from 0.43% when you switch from one currency to another, and there are low, transparent charges when you exceed your monthly free ATM withdrawals too.

Compare both options to see which suits you.