Wise launches first travel card covering 40 currencies

Mumbai: Wise, the global fintech company renowned for seamless cross-border money transfers, has opened the waitlist for its highly anticipated Wise Travel Card in India. The announcement coincides with the Global Fintech Festival (GFF) in Mumbai, where UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer highlighted the launch as part of ongoing UK-India economic collaboration aimed at boosting opportunities for British companies in India’s fast-growing fintech sector.

The launch comes shortly after Wise was awarded Best Cross-border Payment Solution at the 2025 GFF Awards. It addresses a long-standing challenge for Indian travelers, who collectively spent nearly $17 billion on overseas travel, often losing significant amounts to hidden fees and inflated exchange rates charged by traditional bank cards. For example, a family traveling to London could lose over Rs17,500 on a Rs5 lakh trip due to conventional forex charges. The Wise Travel Card aims to solve this by offering the mid-market exchange rate — the one visible on Google — with only a small, transparent conversion fee and no other hidden charges.

Designed with Indian travelers in mind, the Wise Travel Card supports more than 40 currencies, covering popular destinations such as the UAE, Thailand, Singapore, the USA, and the UK, among others. The card allows users to switch between currencies instantly using the Wise app, eliminating the need to guess which currency to load before a trip. Its smart conversion feature automatically applies the best available rate for every transaction, even if the local currency is not preloaded.

The card also offers a fully digital onboarding experience, with account opening, KYC verification, and document submission completed entirely through the app using DigiLocker and video KYC, removing the need for branch visits or paperwork. Customers can begin spending immediately with instant digital cards while awaiting delivery of the physical card, and up to three digital cards can be issued for online bookings or international subscriptions. Loading money is simple, with options such as IMPS, NEFT, or RTGS, and transactions can be tracked in real-time.