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What if I spend money in a currency I don’t have in my account?

If you’re planning on spending in a currency that you don’t have in your Wise account, don't worry — you can still spend money. Our Smart Conversion technology will automatically convert the currency for you that has the lowest conversion fee.

Learn how to get your Wise card

What is Smart Conversion and how does it work?

We use technology that takes money from the currency with the lowest conversion fees when you pay with your card. And if the currencies that you hold in your account have the same conversion fees, we'll use the one with the best exchange rate, so you get the most for your money.

Check the conversion fees between different currencies for your region here

Example

Let's say you’re buying something for 100 EUR. If you have 150 EUR in your account, it’s free to spend. If you don’t have EUR in your account, we’ll convert the amount from your other available currencies and charge a conversion fee. 

If you only have 90 EUR in your account, but you also have money in two other currencies, we’ll automatically convert the money from the currency that has the lowest conversion fee. If the currencies you hold have the same conversion fee, we'll use the one with the best exchange rate.

You can check conversion and pricing here

What if a terminal asks to convert?

Some terminals will ask you to select the currency they charge on the card. We recommend using the home currency in the country you're in, so you can take advantage of our conversion rates. For example, if you're from the US, traveling in Japan, you should select JPY and not USD, as selecting USD will give you a higher conversion fee.

Read more on what to do if a terminal tries to convert for you

Can I select a default currency?

You can’t set a default or preferred currency to convert from, and we’ll always try to take from the local currency, or the currency with the lowest conversion fee. But if you want to exclude a certain currency from being spent you can add your money to a jar.

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