Oh yes, we have activated and tested it
“It must work because it is practically a VISA card,” said one of my friends when I asked him the question in the title.
But I wasn’t 100% sure, I googled the subject and didn’t get a clear answer either.
I opened my Wise account almost a year ago because my partners told me it was easier and cheaper to transfer money from abroad, but I haven’t used it yet, just kept a small amount of money on it.
Now I have to go to the UK, where Wise, Revolut etc. are sensible solutions. So I ordered a physical Wise card, which arrived in Hungary very quickly, in just a few days, but before travelling to the UK I wanted to activate and test the card in Hungary.
The printed “instructions” in the envelope said very little about activation:
“Insert your card and enter your PIN, in a shop or at an ATM.”
First I went to a small shop and bought a few small things, but the contactless reader rejected my card.
Then I went to an ATM and asked for my Wise account balance. The ATM asked for my PIN and then printed out the balance.
So I thought the card was activated, but it was not. It did not work contactless again in a large supermarket. The cashier suggested I put the card in her reader, which asked for the PIN, and it worked.
In fact, it was the activation of the card, after which I was able to use it contactless in a pharmacy.
Based on my experience, I think that the Wide card works not only in Hungary, but also in all Central European countries.
(GZS)
