Wise vs Revolut for Travel: Which Multi-Currency Account Fits Your Trip

Two multi-currency accounts can look similar until you account for the cash you need, the timing of currency conversions, the currencies you will hold and the charges attached to the card. This comparison uses Australian-dollar information from each provider’s own Australian pages, checked in the October evidence snapshot. The trip calculations below are worked examples using published rates, not quotes.

The published Australian cost baseline

Wise: Its Australian pricing page says there are no subscriptions or plans. Registration and holding money are free, while ordering the Wise debit card costs a one-time fee of 10 AUD. Spending from an account balance in the same currency is free. The card page advertises multi-currency use in more than 150 countries and territories.
Revolut: The Standard account has no monthly account fee. The initial card has no card-purchase fee, but standard delivery costs A$4.99 per card and express delivery costs A$33.99 per card. An additional card costs A$8.99 per card.
Conversion: Wise publishes a conversion fee starting from 0.19%, varying by currency. Revolut uses a variable exchange rate and may add a percentage-based exchange fee, but the app displays the rate and applicable charges before you confirm an in-app exchange.
Paid plans: Wise’s cited pricing does not use paid account tiers. Revolut’s Standard plan is free, while Metal is a paid tier with a different ATM allowance and no weekend exchange markup under the published plan terms.

ATM cash: compare the allowance and the withdrawal pattern

Wise’s Australian pricing page allows A$400 in ATM withdrawals free each month per account. The excess is charged at 2.69% of the amount over A$400. Wise also warns that independent ATM networks may impose additional charges, so the Revolut or ATM-operator fee is not necessarily the final cost.

Revolut Standard allows free ATM withdrawals up to A$350 or 5 ATM withdrawals, whichever occurs first. That two-part condition is the part most travellers miss. This distinction matters: a traveller can remain below the amount threshold yet use up the permitted number of withdrawals first. Above the applicable allowance, Revolut applies a percentage fee subject to a minimum charge of A$1.50. Its published illustration uses an A$100 over-allowance withdrawal to demonstrate the over-limit charge. ATM operators may charge their own fee, and Revolut’s travel page also warns that exchange fees may apply.

Worked cash-heavy setup

Use an A$500 cash requirement as a common scenario, not as a quote.

With Wise, the withdrawal is above the monthly A$400 free amount. The published calculation is the 2.69% rate applied to the portion exceeding that allowance. No final fee is added here because independent ATM charges are separate and the operator is unknown.
With Revolut Standard, an A$500 withdrawal is above the A$350 amount allowance. The withdrawal-count condition must also be checked, because the lower allowance applies. The resulting percentage charge is subject to the A$1.50 minimum, before any ATM-operator charge.

This is where the trip shape matters. Revolut Standard may fit occasional cash use that stays inside both conditions. Wise’s structure may fit heavier cash use because its published free amount is higher. If you are drawing cash heavily across a whole trip, that pattern may also place more weight on Metal’s allowance of up to A$1,400 per rolling month, but only if its monthly plan fee is acceptable. Even Metal does not remove third-party ATM charges.

Card cost and conversion spending

Wise separates the card from its no-subscription account: ordering the card costs a one-time fee of 10 AUD, but there is no plan fee. Its Australian pricing says card spending is free when funds are already held in the same currency. For conversion, Wise uses the mid-market rate without an exchange-rate markup, while its separate conversion fee starts from 0.19% and varies by currency. The exchange rate and the fee are therefore separate parts of the cost.

Revolut’s initial card carries no card-purchase fee, making delivery the more visible card cost. Standard delivery is A$4.99 per card, while express delivery is A$33.99 per card. These charges should be compared with how much earlier the card is needed, rather than with the free Standard account alone. Revolut may also charge a percentage exchange fee when you convert in the app, depending on the exchange amount, your plan and the timing.

Worked card-heavy setup

Use A$500 as the amount you expect to fund through card activity and any supporting balance conversion.

With Wise, an app conversion would use the applicable currency-specific fee starting from 0.19%. Spending an existing balance in the same currency is free. A final conversion cost cannot be stated without the currency pair because Wise says the fee varies.
With Revolut, an in-app exchange during market hours and within the Standard fair-usage limit is free. The same exchange outside market hours carries a percentage fee. Before confirming, the app shows the variable rate and the charge, allowing the card-heavy scenario to be compared with the actual quote.

A card-heavy trip may therefore favour whichever structure matches your actual conversion path and delivery needs. Neither the geographical reach of a card nor its free issue fee establishes the all-in cost of funding an account.

Weekend conversion and the fair-usage cap

Revolut’s Standard fair-usage limit is A$2,000 per rolling month. Within that limit, in-app currency exchange is free during market hours and carries a percentage fee outside them. Above the limit, a higher percentage applies in both conditions.

The timing distinction is material. Revolut’s Australian fee page defines market hours in New York time from Sunday evening until Friday afternoon, with the outside-market period running from Friday evening until Sunday evening. Its AEST references place the outside-market window broadly from Saturday morning to Monday morning. The page provides exact clock cut-offs in both time references, so those should be checked before a weekend conversion.

For worked examples, Revolut publishes fee illustrations using an A$500 exchange above the fair-usage limit:

During market hours, the published example shows a fee of A$2.50.
Outside market hours, the published example shows a fee of A$7.50.

Those are the provider’s worked illustrations, not quotes. Within the fair-usage limit, an outside-market-hours exchange still has a percentage fee, but the live app quote should be used for the transaction being considered.

Wise’s cited Australian pricing follows a different published structure: a conversion fee from 0.19%, varying by currency. That page does not present Revolut’s Standard-plan market-hours and fair-usage fee table. A weekend converter should therefore compare the live Wise conversion amount with the live Revolut quote rather than assuming their fee timings align.

Which account fits which trip shape?

Cash-light, card-heavy, and avoiding a paid plan: Revolut Standard may fit you if its delivery charge is acceptable and your ATM use remains within both the amount and withdrawal-count conditions. The Standard account and initial card have no purchase fee, but delivery still matters. Wise may fit if its separate card-order charge and currency-specific conversion fee suit the trip.
Moderate cash use: Wise may fit you if your cash pattern sits above Revolut Standard’s A$350 amount allowance but below the point where Metal’s paid allowance becomes relevant. The comparison should use the actual withdrawal pattern, not only the headline free amount.
Sustained cash-heavy use: Metal may fit if the A$1,400 rolling-month ATM allowance and removal of the Standard weekend markup justify the monthly plan fee. The ATM operator’s charge remains separate.
Weekend converting: Revolut Standard may fit you if your conversions can wait for market hours and stay within fair usage. If most conversion activity happens outside those hours, the displayed weekend fee becomes more important. Wise’s route may fit if its actual currency-pair quote is acceptable.
Single-currency versus several-currency travel: Single-currency trips can be compared mainly through card delivery, ATM use and conversion timing. For several currencies, list the actual currencies held and destinations used, then check each displayed fee. Wise advertises more than 150 countries and territories; Revolut’s travel page advertises more than 100 countries. Reach alone does not show the conversion cost.
Paid-plan consideration: Metal changes both ATM and exchange-fee conditions, so its plan fee belongs in the same comparison as card delivery and third-party charges. Do not treat the larger allowance as free money.

How to compare the apps before deciding

Use the same amount, currency and timing in both apps. For an exchange, record the displayed rate and percentage fee rather than relying on a “from” figure. For cash, check both the amount and withdrawal-count conditions, then determine whether the ATM operator charges separately. For the card, include both the card-order or purchase charge and the chosen delivery method. Finally, compare these figures against the fair-usage and plan conditions shown in the current Australian fee schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Why is a free ATM allowance not enough for the comparison?

An allowance has both an amount condition and, for Revolut Standard, a withdrawal-count condition. The ATM operator may also charge separately, so the provider’s fee may not be the full cash-withdrawal cost.

Is the card’s issue fee the whole card cost?

No. A free card can still have a delivery charge, while a card ordered with a separate charge may have different account and plan conditions. Compare the initial purchase, delivery and any ongoing plan fee together.

Does a paid ATM allowance remove every cash cost?

No. A larger provider allowance does not include an ATM operator’s own charge. The monthly plan fee also needs to be considered alongside the frequency and size of withdrawals.

Does wider card coverage settle a multi-currency decision?

No. Coverage shows where the card can be used, not the rate or fee for each currency conversion. Check the actual currencies, destinations and in-app quotes for the trip.

What is the fairest way to compare the two apps?

Enter the same amount and currency in both apps, use the same transaction timing and apply the same cash-or-card pattern. Then include delivery, plan and third-party charges so the comparison reflects the whole trip.

Before you travel: Published fees, allowances and fair-usage conditions can change. Check Wise’s and Revolut’s current Australian pages, and rely on the live in-app quote immediately before converting money.