[cprecioso]

For everyone that's interested in TransferWise, I'd recommend Revolut ( https://www.revolut.com/ ) instead.

They have no fees for transactions or currency changes (up to a quite high limit), as well with a lot more features (international prepaid MasterCard that charges no fees ever being my favourite one, and you can go to ATMs for free as well).

I've been a happy customer of them for quite some time and I have absolutely nothing bad to say about them, but the opposite.

[phillc73]

Thought I'd give these guys a chance. Your brief write up piqued my interest.

Their website says, give us your phone number and we'll send you a link to download the app. I'm thinking this is great, a direct APK download and no Google Play Store interference, they just want to protect the download link a bit. I enter my phone number.

I receive my SMS with the download link (http://revolut.com/get). Not being an https link is a bit shoddy from a financial service. I load this page in my phone's browser. It appears to just be the homepage again. I click the "Get the App" link again and........ I'm redirected to Google Play Store.

They've no chance of my custom now. N26 was the same. Why won't these organisations at least offer a direct APK download from their own infrastructure?

[thenomad]

Because they'd have to talk users through allowing direct APK installs, complete with all the scary warnings.

That's going to reduce the number of customers they get a lot more than a redirect to the Play Store.

[phillc73]

How about a choice of Google Play Store or direct download, for "Advanced" users? That's all I'm asking, just a tiny little 8pt font link to directly download the APK.

[yladiz]

Why would a business host a APK directly when they can just utilize Google's infrastructure for free? Likely you would have a lot of users mistakingly download the APK if they saw the link and get confused as to why it's not working like all their other apps, whereas downloading from Google Play Store works seamlessly.

[phillc73]

Then host the APK on GitHub. They don't have to host source there as well. And I'm sure they can design a page in such a way that only the more technical potential customers go for the direct download.

It's also rather ridiculous that these services are accessible/usable/activated only via an installed app on my phone or tablet. Just make the service available via my web browser and the issue is resolved.

In the end I just don't bother with these services - N26, Monzo and now Revolut. I'll just stick with TransferWise.

[ndr]

How would you deal with updates?

[tonyhb]

Most users don't allow installs from untrusted services. Users that aren't you would have a very hard time.

[yladiz]

I researched this recently, as they both seem to cover similar markets, but they are not targeting the same market. Revolut is more like a “traditional” bank, whereas Transferwise is a remittance service, generally bank account to bank account. Some people don’t want a new bank account and just want to transfer money, so Transferwise is a better fit for them.

[cprecioso]

Well, it's not really a bank account but a kind of "wallet", and the setup process reflects this (having gone through N26's, bunq's and Revolut's, definitely Revolut's is quicker and less fussy). However, they do provide you with personalized IBAN numbers to top up your wallet, which really blurs the difference between those two concepts. And BTW, Revolut also supports bank account to bank account transfers in multiple currencies.

[chillydawg]

For holiday money, Revolut is #1, zero question. But if you need to move £1m from a house sale when emigrating, then it may not work so well.

[laurentb]

just FYI, Revolut uses TransferWise underneath on a few of their currencies, so you're effectively using them both ;)

happy customer of both to be honest and would recommend both happily

[cprecioso]

Oh I didn't know! I've only ever used it to exchange between USD, EUR and GBP. Do they pass the TransferWise fee on to you, or is it free as well?

[laurentb]

i believe the Revolut fee takes into account the Transferwise one. i haven't used it with enough money on the revolut side of things to be able to notice anything.

[toomuchtodo]

I'm on Revolut's waiting list to get access as a US citizen, but TransferWise turned on my Borderless account immediately.

Really looking forward to trying them, but they're constraining their user base artificially at this time.

[mottomotto]

Does Revolut offer recurring payments for the business accounts? I'd ask them but looks like I'd have to call and talk to them as a non-customer. I see they are also building an API so maybe that is expected to be done via the API.