How to Receive Money from Overseas Using Wise

How to receive money from overseas with Wise (formerly known as TransferWise)

There are a couple of ways to receive money from Wise — the sender can create an account and send you money directly, or you can create an account and request money from the sender. Below we've listed the steps involved in receiving money from Wise.

First, set up a Wise account

Either you or the sender needs to be a customer of Wise to use their services. Wise accounts can be created online.

• The person who registers an account will need to provide their name, address, contact details, and email.
• The person will need to verify their identity after the Wise account is created. This means providing proof of ID and proof of address, both of which can be uploaded through their website.
• Proof of ID is provided by a recognised photo ID like a driver’s license, national ID card, or passport.
• Proof of address is provided by official correspondence from a reputable organisation.
• Wise may require certain other types of verification, for example for a business account.

How much it costs

Wise fees depend on two things:

• The amount the sender is transferring — the Wise fee is worked out as a percentage of the amount they are sending which varies from currency to currency.
• How they pay — some payment methods, like debit and credit cards, come with an extra fee that’s set by the card provider or bank, not by Wise.

Unlike may other providers and banks, Wise does not get any commission at all from the exchange rate they provide. They offer the same mid-market rates that banks use to exchange currency and there is no markup on the exchange rates. This typically means the overall cost of a transfer is lower, and you receive more money compared to alternative methods.

However, you may pay receiving bank fees. International money transfers sent to or from an overseas bank may be subject to commissions, fees, and other charges applied by that bank. These are typically deducted by the overseas bank from the funds paid to you.

*All details shown above are correct as of October 2017.

How long it takes

This is dependent on the country you’re receiving money from, and the currency the sender is using. Funds are normally deposited into your Wise account within 1-3 working days.

Advantages of sending money internationally with Wise

• Very fast and convenient.
• It’s a simple and straightforward process.
• You can request money directly from the sender.
• Sender can make transfers online.
• Much less expensive than using a bank or PayPal.
• Receive money from over 40 countries and 20 currencies around the world.
• Sender can fund transfers via bank transfer, debit card, or credit card.
• In some cases they can fund transfers by Apple Pay or Android Pay.

Disadvantages of transferring money abroad with Wise

• They do not accept or make payments via cash or check.
• There are sometimes small, additional fees for paying with a debit or credit card.

Additional information for receiving money with Wise

There are a lot of numbers and information you hear about when it comes to international money transfers. Below there are extra details you might need to receive money and the things you don't.

Wise IBAN number

IBAN is an account format used by European banks. Australian banks do not use this format and an IBAN is not required to send money to an Australian bank account via Wise. Other parties with an IBAN field on their overseas payment form can simply leave this field blank. If you're receiving money from Europe using Wise, you may need an IBAN. Wise will provide this for you.

Wise routing number

If the other party requests a National Clearing Code, Routing Number, BSB Number or Sort Code, you should use the first six digits (bank and branch codes) of your account number for which you wish to receive the payment into. For example, if the account number is 01-0123-0123456-00 use 010123.

Available countries with Wise

You can receive international payments from the following countries and regions:

View currency exchange rates for Wise

• Rates for transferring funds internationally through Wise are available through their currency converter.
• The currency exchange rate your sender will get does vary from moment to moment.
• They will get the up-to-date, dynamic rate when you are booking your transfer.

Further Wise information from The Currency Shop

• Wise also offers a “Borderless Account” that provides more options for easily transferring money. You can find out more here.
• Wise provides a mobile application for both Apple and Android devices.
• Wise will keep the sender informed of the status of their money transfer transaction. They typically send emails at the following times:
  • Completion of the transfer order.
  • Transfer payment received by Wise.
  • Recipient money transferred into their bank account.
• Wise lets the sender guarantee to send you a certain amount, regardless if the exchange rate fluctuates. They pay a small additional fee, and any existing money that isn’t used to pay for the transfer (due to exchange rate changes) are refunded back to them.
• If the exchange rate fluctuates by more than 3% after they fund the transfer, Wise will pause it and contact the sender to see if they want to proceed.

Wise disclaimers

Wise does not check payment details.

If payment details are incorrect it may result in an unsuccessful transfer or the wrong account receiving funds. It is pivotal that you provide the correct details to the person making the payment. This will save time for both parties and ensure you receive your payment without any issues.

How Wise can get you more money versus a bank

You might wonder why the sender wouldn’t send money via their bank instead of a dedicated money transfer provider, and the answer is a simple one — cost. Currency exchange specialists are able to give better exchange rates and lower fees than banks, resulting in more money for you.

For example, here’s how much you can save receiving money via Wise rather than a couple of popular Australian banks.

Converting £5,000 GBP to NZD

• With Wise, you get $9,630 NZD.
• With Westpac, you get $9,025 NZD — $605 (6.3%) less.
• With Bank of New Zealand, you get $9,081 AUD — $549 (5.7%) less.

Converting £25,000 GBP to NZD

• With Wise, you get $48,143 NZD.
• With Westpac, you get $45,126 NZD — $3,017 (6.3%) less.
• With Bank of New Zealand, you get $45,405 NZD — $2,738 (5.7%) less.

*All details shown above are correct as of January 2019.

If your sender uses a dedicated money transfer service like WorldFirst, Wise, OFX, HiFX, or another dedicated currency exchange provider, they could save you hundreds of dollars on a transaction. To see how much they could save, get them to take a look at our free online comparison tool.

Summary