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by ritzaco 1025 days ago
I've been using Wise for years and am generally happy with them, but always keeping an eye out for alternatives. Why I didn't find this convincing

- Have to download app - wise lets me use a website too, and generally I want to do business banking from my laptop, not my phone

- No actual price comparisons and 99% seems unlikely. Wise also gives me the 'google exchange rate'. If you are actually cheaper, then I would show comparisons for €100, €1000, €10000, not just 'a million euro'.

- Make it clearer that you're available in the EU - I nearly closed the site thinking it was only for UK as it defaulted to GBP.

- Have a 'wall of text' version in the header - the landing page is light on details, and I don't assume I'll find more information on "News", "Blog" or "Help" - maybe a "Features" or "Offerings" header page where you go into a lot more detail (countries you're available in, currencies you offer, documents needed to sign up, full table of all fees (not the marketing version), timelines for opening an account, timelines for making transfers, etc etc)

2 comments

Thank you for your feedback, will be considered! Web app is in the making, so we are happy to welcome you soon on board.

And say no more about the Wise comparison: https://atlantic.money/wise

Revolut is a bit cheaper than Wise for FX changes.
Avoid Revolut at all costs!

It took me two weeks to get back into the app after switching phones. There's no way to contact support except by logging into the app or by Facebook. Then on Facebook they have an automated system that will close your ticket after 24 hours of you not replying.

I'm on a 12 hour time difference so that happened around four times before I got it solved. I ended up shouting in caps at that them, and I'm not a caps kinda guy. As soon as I got back in I withdrew all funds and closed the account.

Since I've been telling this story I've heard several more horror stories. The worst was a friend who gets paid through Revolut, so it triggered an automated finance checking system and instantly locked his account until he could prove he paid tax. Then the system wouldn't let him upload the docs for several days, support was just as helpful as they were with me. He had no money for five days.

Anyway, why would they do that? He wasn't doing anything illegal, they could have asked him to provide the docs with a week's grace and all would have been well.

I'd rather pay the higher fees than give any money to a company that treats it employees the way Revolut does. The CEO and his company culture is not sustainable and I would not be surprised in the future when some scandal comes out.
Revolut seems to act like a bank but is it regulated as a proper bank? I am suspicious of it because it was touted to me as "made by Russians" but since I'm one it had the opposite effect.

But anyway I don't think you can sign up for Revolut without a proper bank account and residence in one of eligible countries while Wise can charge even a debit card. Limits and slightly higher fees apply and they require ID verification but it works. I had to do it while unbanked.

> I am suspicious of it because it was touted to me as "made by Russians" but since I'm one it had the opposite effect.

You're suspicious but it had the opposite effect? Sounds like you're trying to deliver a talking point and got confused half way thru.

"I am suspicious of it because (it was touted [the information was presented as if it was a good thing] to me as made by Russians but since I'm one it had the opposite effect)"
No, the information was that it was "made by Russians" - quotations normally used to denote literal citation.
The other commenter is correct, founders were a selling point but it had the opposite effect bc I am aware of the whole laundering thing done by my rich compatriots
Revolut has a EU banking license.