Wise - Is There a Calculator (on the Wise Site) to Show The Expected Forex Cost of a Purchase in NZD?

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  tangobravo on 20/07/2026 - 08:49

  This link? Just googled it.
  Currency Converter | Foreign Exchange Rates | Wise https://share.google/hWHz7eZQwJlVUVP4w

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    Alan6984 on 20/07/2026 - 12:00

    That could be it - I was looking after logging in. Didn't occur to me to look on the outer website.

    That converted cost, using the page you linked DOES come out less than when you check the cost to convert NZD into GBP once logged in, so this could well be what I am after. I'll have to try and remember to use it next time and see :-)

    Thanks!

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  LupinS on 21/07/2026 - 09:54

  Sounds like a lot of effort and through to save a dollar…

  Especially since you are losing all the protections that a local credit card will provide (likely plus other bonuses -whether you use them or not)

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    Alan6984 on 21/07/2026 - 11:02

    Sounds like a lot of effort and through to save a dollar…

    Using Wise is not really about saving a dollar (although you do as a nice benefit), its about not having the hassle of my main credit card number being exposed / compromised, plus for subs, being able to control if / when someone can process a charge against my card number.

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    felixfurtak on 21/07/2026 - 14:34

    This is why ASB Flex visa is the best card to have. Zero margin on foreign currency purchase with all the the benefit of a local credit card. I tend to use this over Wise for purchases on Amazon,

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      Naimady on 22/07/2026 - 07:44

      Does zero margin on FX purchases just mean they increase the spot rate?

      I just checked this on wise and asb FX calculator, wise give you $120 NZD, whilst asb only offers $118 nzd (103 after the $15 FX fee lol) when you transfer 100 aud

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        felixfurtak on 22/07/2026 - 08:20

        No. It's a true zero offshore margin card. I think they both use mid-market rates, but the ASB rate will come direct from VISA whereas Wise probably manage their own.

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  Naimady on 20/07/2026 - 08:50

  An interesting discovery, thanks for that. Really good to know

  This is chatgpts response

  Yes. What you observed is expected behavior, and it's one of the advantages of using the Wise card.
  When you pay with your Wise Visa card in a currency you don't hold (e.g. GBP), Wise doesn't treat it as a bank transfer. Instead, it performs an automatic conversion at the time of the card purchase using its card conversion pricing. This often works out slightly cheaper than manually converting money beforehand, because:
  card conversions don't incur the same fees as a standalone transfer;
  the conversion is done only for the amount you actually spend; and
  Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate plus a small conversion fee.
  So in your example:
  Amazon's offer: NZ$70.87 (poor dynamic currency conversion – best avoided)
  Wise transfer estimate: NZ$70.29
  Actual Wise card charge: NZ$69.28 (best outcome)
  Unfortunately, Wise doesn't currently provide a dedicated "card purchase calculator" that tells you exactly what a foreign card purchase will cost before you make it. The calculator on their website is for transfers, and while it's often a reasonable estimate, it isn't designed for card spending.
  A practical rule of thumb is:
  Always pay in the merchant's local currency (GBP in your example), never NZD.
  If you don't already hold that currency, Wise will automatically convert from your NZD balance, and it's often as good as or slightly better than converting manually first.
  The main reason to convert in advance is if you want to lock in an exchange rate because you expect it to worsen before you spend.
  So, in most day-to-day purchases, there's little benefit in pre-converting unless you're trying to hedge against exchange rate movements. Your experience of paying NZ$69.28 instead of the NZ$70.29 transfer estimate is consistent with how Wise prices card transactions.

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    Alan6984 on 20/07/2026 - 12:02

    Interesting that it states that:

    Wise doesn't currently provide a dedicated "card purchase calculator"

    If so, what is the calculator that @tangobravo found and posted above?

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      Naimady on 20/07/2026 - 14:39

      AI probs just took the exact name card purchase calculator and tried to find one. Full discloser I just copied your post and pasted it I to chatgpts, no other context..
      But if the above meets your requirements, then excellent.

      I would love to know for the next person that reads this thread to conclude On their next purchase if they use the online currency converter to estimate the spend on their next purchase and then use their card to pay and have wise convert it automatically, are they getting the same conversion rate that is displayed online at the time it a better/worse rate

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        Alan6984 on 20/07/2026 - 22:18

        AI probs just took the exact name card purchase calculator and tried to find one. Full discloser I just copied your post and pasted it I to chatgpts, no other context..
        But if the above meets your requirements, then excellent.

        I think you're right - it just regurgitated the original information, and then managed to draw completely the wrong conclusion. Tits on a bull.

        As I had already said above, there is no way to be sure without testing it.

        I guess we should not be surprised at the repetition.

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