Wise is a powerful remittance product. Many users even consider it as a cross-border bank.
This article was first published at https://finvoke.0xv9.com/posts/the-difference-between-different-regions-of-wise-and-how-to-signup-and-activate/
Wise Features#
Wise has three main features:
- Remittance.
- Multi-currency accounts.
- Wise card.
Remittance is the process of transferring money from one country to another. It is faster than traditional wire transfers but comes with a fee.
With multi-currency accounts, you have a local account in each corresponding country. Opening a Wise multi-currency account is like opening bank accounts in multiple countries. However, unlike banks, there are no counter service personnel and no deposit insurance.
Within the card limit, Wise card allows free global withdrawals. Of course, there are no card issuance fees, but ATMs may charge fees (this is common knowledge).
Wise supports up to 3 virtual cards and 2 physical cards (1 white and 1 green, unique to the UK region), totaling 5 cards. Frequent address changes may require address verification.
Note,
Wise is not a bank.
WISE is not a bank.
wise is not a bank.
Do not deposit too much money, as it may require additional verification. It is not a bank and does not have deposit insurance.
Usually, you only need to deposit the amount of money you want to use.
Click here to join the community and get the latest information
HSBC has launched a competitor to Wise called Zing: Zing registration tutorial
Wise Regions#
Wise differs in different regions:
Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan do not offer cards.
Hong Kong does not have multi-currency accounts or cards, only remittance services.
In the UK, you can have two physical cards, 1 white and 1 green, which is unique to the UK region. You can also open virtual cards.
US cards need to be used in the US to be activated.
Wise cards issued in Japan cannot currently be added to Google Pay and Apple Pay.
In Malaysia, you can only activate the account by transferring money from a Malaysian bank. However, only users in this region have a Malaysian receiving account. You can open an account in another region and transfer it to Malaysia without getting a card. If you want to open a Wise MY account, it may trigger Wise to request address verification and income proof. If you want to open an account, you can choose to register in the UK or CA at the beginning, activate it, and then transfer it to Malaysia, and only use the Malaysian card (usually, address verification is not required for the first address change because you don't have a card. Usually, the third card is the one that requires verification. If you are asked for verification for the first time, you can first use Yoodo to open a Bigpay, use it for one or two months to generate transactions, and then transfer it to MY Wise).
To change regions, see the instructions below.
Registration#
WISE registration does not require any KYC documents, and in most cases, using WISE does not require any documents, except in some cases.
There are no IP restrictions on registration.
Enter your email address, QQ email is not recommended.
Supports 1 main phone number and 1 backup phone number. There are no specific requirements for phone numbers, any common region, and virtual numbers are also acceptable, including +86.
Choose your country of residence (if you have corresponding address proof, it is recommended to choose the UK, Canada, Singapore, or Malaysia). It is recommended to choose the UK or Canada.
Enter passport information and residential address information (the residential address determines which region your account belongs to).
The mailing address for card application is not related to the residential address. You can fill it in separately when applying for a card. See the introduction below for card application.
Only one account can be registered with one passport. Please choose the region where you reside. You can change the region, but you need to provide identification documents.
Choose the currency account and obtain detailed account information. Activate Wise by making the first deposit.
If the address is in mainland China, you generally only need a mainland ID card or driver's license to solve it. In a few cases, a passport may be required.
ID photos cannot be machine-recognized, please use the mobile web version to take photos and try multiple times.
If you are not in mainland China, you cannot use a mainland ID card or driver's license. You need a mainland Chinese passport and other identification documents.
For users in mainland China, address verification is generally not required. Even if it is required, the difficulty is low. Users in mainland China can change their address at any time (including the country, but may require proof). Address verification is often required for overseas users.
Bank statements are sufficient as address proof, which is not difficult, but a tax number may be required (especially in the US).
Deposit Activation#
Activation generally refers to opening a Wise borderless multi-currency account (mainly for USD, GBP, and EUR).
The deposit made for personal account activation will be credited to your balance.
Ways to activate/deposit:
- Activate with non-mainland credit/debit cards.
- Activate with domestic bank wire transfer (high fees, slow processing).
- Activate by other methods of remittance.
Here are a few recommended deposit methods:
Deposit with Bank of China#
You need a Bank of China mainland card and the registered Bank of China mobile banking app.
BOC to Wise GBP without an intermediary bank, which means you can get discounts.
Remittance is 30 CAD, Wise fee is 0.02 CAD.
First, download "BOC Cross-border GO," log in, bind your card, and complete the real-name authentication. Click on the poster on the homepage to claim a 500 CNY coupon.
If you don't have a coupon, don't use this method. The remittance fee starts at 120 CNY per transaction.
Initiate the transfer in Wise, the currency you want to appreciate does not matter (i.e., the currency mentioned above), but the payment currency must be GBP.
Before activation, only GBP is a personal account, and other accounts are Wise's public accounts. It is not possible to wire transfer to public accounts.
Note that the recipient's name for the remittance should be your name. If it's not, please do not make the remittance.
Use the Bank of China mobile banking app to purchase the corresponding amount of GBP (because you don't need cash, telegraphic transfer is cheaper).
Then fill in the payment information in the BOC remittance.
Remember to write a note, how would Wise know who the money is for if you don't write a note?
After the remittance, if no Bank of China staff calls you, it means everything is fine, and you can wait for the funds to arrive.
TNG Low Exchange Rate Deposit#
Wise in Malaysia provides an exclusive MYR receiving account. You can use TNG to purchase PIN codes and then convert the PIN codes into transferable balances with only a 1% fee. Transfer the balance to Wise's MYR receiving account for fast processing, relatively secure with the same name, and low fees.
Applying for Wise Card#
If your registered Wise region allows card application, you can provide any address worldwide to receive the card, as long as it is a normal region. Ordinary mail may not be received in China.
Changing Wise Region#
- If you want to change to Malaysia, you can use Bigpay as address proof.
- If you want to change to Singapore, you can use OCBC as address proof.
- If you want to change to the EU region, you can use N26/vivid as address proof.
- If you want to change to Australia, you can use HSBC AU as address proof.
- If you want to change to the UK, you can use Chase UK/Monzo as address proof.
Click here to join the community and get the latest information
HSBC has launched a competitor to Wise called Zing: