Wise launches QR-ready travel card and account in Thailand

by

Bernard Parado

-

1 day ago

Bangkok, Thailand – Wise has officially launched the Wise Account and Wise Card in Thailand, giving local travellers, expats and digital nomads a way to hold, convert and spend across more than 40 currencies in 160 countries.

The rollout arrives ahead of Thailand’s peak travel season and follows data showing Thai travellers spent 558 billion THB overseas in 2025. It also lands as Thailand cements itself as a leading destination for expats and remote workers, a trend Wise attributes in part to the popularity of the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), which has drawn digital nomads to live and work in the country long-term.

According to Wise, account holders in Thailand can now hold and convert multiple currencies, set rate alerts ahead of a trip or transfer, and spend locally or abroad using a physical or digital Wise Card. The company says fees are transparent and there are no hidden exchange rate mark-ups.

Wise positions the account as built for the full journey, whether that is a short holiday or a longer stretch of living and working in Thailand. Ahead of travel, the company says, customers can hold multiple currencies and set rate alerts to track exchange rates before converting.

Cardholders can also use the Wise Card to book accommodation and attraction tickets in advance at what Wise describes as favourable exchange rates. Day to day, the card allows customers to spend and pay directly in local currency, a feature Wise says is useful both for travellers passing through and for nomads covering rent, bills and everyday costs in Thailand.

The card can additionally be added to Google Pay for contactless payments. For merchants that do not accept card payments, Wise customers can instead scan and pay using supported local QR systems from within the app.

In Thailand, this includes PromptPay merchant and personal QR codes. Wise says the same functionality extends regionally to DuitNow in Malaysia, QRPh in the Philippines and PayNow in Singapore.

A Bill Split feature is also built into the app, letting users divide shared expenses with travel companions, flatmates or co-working peers. Wise has further added a Travel Hub offering destination spending guides and ATM finders, alongside collectible destination stamps tied to places customers have used the card.

Central to the launch, Wise says, is its approach to transparency in cross-border money movement. Customers can view the mid-market exchange rate and the applicable conversion fee upfront before converting or spending, according to the company.

The consumer launch builds on regulatory groundwork laid earlier in 2026, when Wise became the first non-bank to secure the five licences required for local operations in Thailand, with approval from the Bank of Thailand and the Ministry of Commerce.

It also follows Wise’s international money transfer service, which launched in Thailand in mid-April 2026. Among early adopters sending money abroad from the country, Wise reports that AUD, EUR and SGD were the three largest destination currencies by volume, reflecting the international ties of both Thai travellers and the expat and nomad community.

With today’s launch, Wise’s customers in Thailand gain access to the same account experience used by roughly 19 million people globally, the company says.

Kornveena (Veena) Chatchawalworapong, Country Manager for Thailand at Wise, said, “Thai travellers are incredibly savvy, but managing money abroad can still mean juggling cash, cards, exchange rates and different ways to pay. At the same time, we’re seeing more and more expats and digital nomads choose Thailand as their base, often managing money across several currencies at once.”

“We built the product to take that complexity away so people feel confident and smart about their money wherever they go or wherever they’ve decided to set up in Thailand. Thailand is one of the world’s great travel markets, and increasingly one of the world’s great places to live and work remotely, so this is only the beginning for Wise here,” said Chatchawalworapong.

“We want the Wise Account to be the product people turn to when they want to feel smart about spending, sending, and managing money internationally, whether they’re here for a holiday or have made Thailand home,” concluded Chatchawalworapong.

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