Wise vs Revolut in Thailand: Which for Daily Spending?

Wise vs Revolut in Thailand: Which for Daily Spending?

Wise holds Thai baht and can deposit it straight into a Thai bank account, usually the same day, for around 0.6% plus a small fixed fee. Revolut cannot hold baht or fund a Thai bank account at all, and it adds a weekend markup on top of its normal fees when you spend in THB. If you only need a card for daily spending in 7-Elevens and restaurants, both apps work fine. If you need to move money into Thailand — to fund a new account, season DTV or retirement-visa funds, or pay a condo deposit — Wise is doing a different job than Revolut, and it is the one built for it.

Quick answer

• Funding a Thai bank account: Wise only. Revolut has no THB-holding or Thai-bank-deposit route in 2026.
• Daily card spending: both work well on weekdays, close to the mid-market rate.
• Weekend spending: Revolut adds a markup (roughly 1% on major currencies, some sources say closer to 2% on THB) from Friday to Sunday night GMT; Wise charges none.
• ATM withdrawals: Wise is free up to a monthly allowance (roughly $100–£250, depending on your account), then a small percentage; Revolut's free allowance depends on plan tier. Either way, the Thai bank's own 220–350 THB per-withdrawal fee applies too.
• Visa or property money: only Wise's THB-holding and direct-deposit route can season funds in a Thai account.
• Card cost: Wise is a one-time $9 card fee, no ongoing charge; Revolut is free on Standard, $3.99–$16.99/mo on paid tiers.

What Wise actually does in Thailand

Wise is a licensed money-transfer and multi-currency account provider, not a bank, but its Thai baht rail behaves like one. You can hold a THB balance inside the Wise account and send it directly into almost any Thai bank account — Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn, SCB and the rest all receive Wise transfers routinely, typically arriving same-day. The transfer fee runs about 0.4–0.6% plus a small fixed charge, at the mid-market rate with no markup hidden inside it, the opposite of a traditional SWIFT wire. There is no weekend surcharge on Wise transfers or card spending.

The Wise card itself carries a one-time order fee of about $9 and no ongoing account fee. Spending a currency you already hold costs nothing extra; converting on the fly into a currency you don't hold starts around 0.41%. ATM withdrawals are free up to a monthly allowance (roughly the first $100 combined across your first two withdrawals, or up to about £250/month depending on which Wise entity issued your account), then a modest percentage fee applies. That's separate from the Thai ATM's own fee — typically 220–250 THB, up to 350 THB on some foreign Mastercards — which lands on top regardless of which app you're using.

Worth flagging: from around 19 May 2026, Wise began operating in Thailand through a locally incorporated entity licensed by the Bank of Thailand. Reporting on the operational impact is still thin, so if you're relying on Wise for a sensitive transfer — funding a visa-seasoning account, for instance — check wise.com/th directly rather than trusting an old forum thread.

What Revolut actually does in Thailand — and doesn't

Revolut is built primarily as a spending and travel-money app, and in Thailand that shows. It cannot hold a Thai baht balance and cannot send money directly into a Thai bank account. That single gap rules it out for anything that needs baht sitting in a Thai bank — DTV or retirement-visa fund seasoning, a condo deposit needing an FET form, or topping up a new Thai account from abroad. For all of that, see the Thai bank account guide and the condo FET-form primer, both of which assume a Wise-style deposit because that's what actually reaches a Thai bank.

Where Revolut is fine is day-to-day card spending. On weekdays, card payments in THB convert near the interbank rate with no markup, up to your plan's monthly fee-free allowance (roughly £1,000 on the free Standard plan, rising to £3,000 on Plus and higher on Premium and Metal); go over it and a 1% fair-usage fee applies to the excess. The catch is the weekend: from Friday 11pm to Sunday 11pm GMT, Revolut adds a markup to FX conversions — commonly cited at 1% on major currencies like USD, EUR and GBP, with some sources noting Thai baht specifically, as a thinner-traded currency, can run closer to 2% over the same window. Terms shift between Revolut's regional entities, so check the exact numbers in your own app rather than a screenshot from another country's Revolut.

Revolut's card is free on the Standard plan; paid tiers run roughly $3.99 (Plus), $9.99 (Premium) and $16.99/month (Metal), each buying a larger fee-free FX allowance and more free ATM withdrawals. None of the paid tiers close the fundamental gap: no THB holding, no direct deposit into a Thai bank.

Wise vs Revolut by use case

Source: Wise Help Centre pricing pages; Revolut official pricing plans; SendMoneyCompare Revolut fee guide; Thailand Ultimate Verified Facts Dossier · verified July 2026 · ฿33/USD. Both apps' exact allowances vary by home-market entity — confirm inside your own account.

Which one should you actually carry

If you're moving to Thailand and need money to land in a Thai bank account — to open one, season visa funds, or fund a condo purchase — Wise is doing a job Revolut structurally cannot do. That's not a marginal fee difference; it's a missing feature. Most long-stay expats use Wise as the transfer and account-funding tool, then carry a Wise card, a Revolut card, or both for everyday spending.

If you already have a working Thai bank account and just want a low-friction travel card, either app is fine, and the decision comes down to convenience. The one habit worth keeping regardless of app: avoid weekend FX transactions in Thailand where you can, since that's the one moment the two apps genuinely diverge in cost, and it costs nothing to wait until Monday for a large purchase.

For the transfer-cost comparison across every option, see cheapest way to send money to Thailand, and check the Thai bank fee comparison before picking which account to deposit into. For ATM costs specifically, see the ATM fees breakdown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Revolut send money directly to a Thai bank account?

No. As of 2026, Revolut cannot hold a Thai baht balance or send funds directly into a Thai bank account. For that, use Wise, which holds THB and deposits into Thai banks, typically the same day.

Does Wise or Revolut have better exchange rates in Thailand?

On weekdays, both sit close to the mid-market rate within their fee-free allowances — Wise charges roughly 0.4–0.6% on transfers, Revolut close to 0% up to your plan's monthly limit. The gap opens on weekends: Revolut adds a markup (roughly 1% on major currencies, more on THB by some accounts) from Friday night to Sunday night GMT, while Wise charges none.

Is Wise or Revolut better for opening a Thai bank account?

Wise, and it isn't close. Funding a Thai bank account requires baht actually landing in it, which only Wise's direct-deposit rail does. See the Thai bank account guide for which visas can even open an account.

Do I still pay Thai ATM fees if I use Wise or Revolut?

Yes. Both apps' fee structure is separate from the Thai bank's own ATM fee, roughly 220–350 THB per withdrawal depending on the machine and card network. Withdraw larger amounts less often to reduce how many times you pay it.

Which card should I use for a condo deposit or large transfer?

Wise. Large property transfers need to arrive as a documented foreign-currency remittance so the receiving bank can issue an FET form, required for foreign condo freehold registration. Revolut has no route to deposit into a Thai bank at all, at any transfer size.

The bottom line

Wise and Revolut solve different problems that happen to overlap at the point of swiping a card. Wise is a money-transfer and account-funding tool that includes a decent card; Revolut is a spending and travel-money app that was never built to move money into a Thai bank. If your plan involves a Thai bank account at any point — visa funds, a condo, or a local salary — carry Wise. If you only need a card for 7-Eleven and Grab, either app works, with Wise holding a small edge on weekends.