Wise Takes On Arrival Anxiety

Wise wants to fix the moment every traveller knows: landing with no data and no way to pay like a local. The money app has added two things at once, and says it is the first to combine them in one app: eSIM data plans and payment by local QR code.

What the survey found

A YouGov survey of more than 14,000 travellers in 11 countries, commissioned by Wise, found 62% of recent international travellers rely on hotel or accommodation Wi-Fi to stay connected. Away from the hotel, it gets creative:

• 24% have bought something they didn’t want at a café, just for the Wi-Fi.
• 15% have stood outside a museum or attraction to use its Wi-Fi rather than going in.
• 7% have asked a stranger to share their hotspot.

Cash was the most common payment problem (43%), and almost 40% of those who had trouble said they missed out on things like street food markets.

The eSIM

Standard regional plans cover more than 150 destinations. In the UK, EEA, US, Canada and five other markets, customers can also build their own plan: pick the exact data and the exact number of days. You install the eSIM once rather than per trip, it activates only on arrival, and Wise refunds plans you buy and don’t use.

The QR payments

Many countries now run on domestic QR codes built for locals. Wise connects directly to schemes including PayNow (Singapore), QR Ph (Philippines), DuitNow (Malaysia), Pix (Brazil), PromptPay (Thailand), Swiss QR-bill and Qvik (Hungary). Through a partnership with Alipay+, eligible users can scan and pay at Alipay+ merchants in mainland China without a Chinese bank card or phone number, and in 50-plus destinations including Hong Kong, Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Cambodia.

For advisors

• China is the big one: cashless payment has been a real barrier for Western visitors. A one-app fix is worth a line in every China pre-departure note.
• Pre-trip checklists: add “install your eSIM before you fly”. Activation only happens at the destination.
• Know the limits: the custom plans and some features vary by the customer’s home country.

Sources

• Wise via Newswire.ca, 6 Oct 2026