I’m a big fan of Wise, using an account for payments as well as for international and U.S. travel. And now, the company has launched eSIM data plans. These are combined with a cross-border QR code scanner that works across five continents.
The Wise eSIM includes standard regional plans in more than 150 destinations. This includes the UK, EEA, US, Canada, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. You only need to download a single eSIM rather than a different one for each trip. You can buy the data directly from the Wise app. From there, set the exact data allowance and the exact number of days you need. In-app guidelines help you avoid over or under-buying data before you depart.
An appreciated feature is that Wise will refund you for any unused data plans you purchase but do not use. The data will only be used when the eSIM is connected to the supported network at the destination.
While pricing is higher than you’ll find with other eSIM providers, it’s likely much less than you’d pay with your carrier. That’s especially in Canada where roaming plans are ridiculously high: it can be anywhere from $10 to $15 per day to use the plan you already have. But they work out best for frequent travelers who might be going back and forth to the same or different destinations all year. For 150+ global destinations, for example, 20GB for a period of 365 days is $86.30 or $4.32 per gigabyte. Get 50GB for the same duration for $173, and $329 for 100GB.
For travel to the U.S., it’s $5.50 for 1GB for three days, $16 for 5GB for seven days, $26.50 for 10GB for seven days, $46 for 20GB for 15 days, and $47.30 for 20GB for 30 days. If I were to use the roaming add-on option with my carrier for a seven-day trip to the U.S., which would pull from my existing data bucket, it would be about $84, so there are savings here. But there are other providers that cost much less.
There are other regional plans, too, with 5GB for seven days in Europe at $19, for example, or $14.50 for 5GB over seven days in Asia.
Beyond the standard eSIM, Wise also offers QR codes for five continents, accessible in the app. This allows you to pay like a local in areas where these are accepted. This includes with PayNow in Singapore, QR Ph in the Philippines, DuitNow in Malaysia, Pix in Brazil, PromptPay in Thailand, Swiss QR-bill in Switzerland, and Qvik in Hungary.
Through a strategic partnership with the Alipay+, Ant International’s unified wallet gateway network, Wise has simplified payments for travelers visiting Asia as well. In the Chinese mainland, where cash and foreign card payments are not commonly accepted, eligible Wise travelers can scan the QR and pay at millions of local Alipay+ enabled merchants. This happens directly through the Wise app without needing a Chinese bank card, local mobile number, or separate app setup. The partnership enables Wise users to make cross-border QR payments in 50+ destinations globally including Hong Kong, Nepal, Korea, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Alipay+, however, is not available to Wise customers in the U.S. and Canada.
Beyond eSIM and QR codes, the Wise Account has also added pay as you go airport lounge passes, country guides with destination tips. There are also features like multi-currency bill split and group spending.