Wise has expanded its in-app Travel Hub with two new features aimed at international travellers: customisable eSIM data plans and a unified QR code payment scanner that connects to local payment schemes across five continents. Both features are live from 6 October 2026 for Wise Account holders in the UK, the European Economic Area, the US, Canada, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.

The eSIM offering, powered by infrastructure provider Gigs U.K. Ltd, gives travellers the ability to set their own data allowance and coverage duration rather than buying pre-packaged roaming bundles. Wise says it will refund unused data plans, a feature it is positioning as a differentiator in a telco market where surplus data is typically forfeited. Standard regional plans cover more than 150 destinations. The one-time installation model means the eSIM does not need to be re-downloaded for each trip.

Connecting to domestic QR networks

The QR payment integration is arguably the more structurally interesting development. Wise has built direct connections to a range of domestic real-time payment schemes that have historically been inaccessible to foreign visitors: PayNow in Singapore, DuitNow in Malaysia, Pix in Brazil, PromptPay in Thailand, QR Ph in the Philippines, Swiss QR-bill and Qvik in Hungary. A partnership with Alipay+, Ant International‘s multi-wallet gateway, extends the reach to millions of merchants on the Chinese mainland, where foreign cards and cash are rarely accepted, as well as across 50 destinations including Hong Kong, South Korea and Cambodia.

A Wise spokesperson described the problem the product addresses: “Your phone has no signal, you can’t look up directions, and you realise the local taxi or coffee shop doesn’t accept your card. It instantly makes you feel isolated and locked out of the local economy.”

A Wise-commissioned YouGov survey of more than 14,000 travellers across eleven countries found that 62% of international travellers rely on hotel Wi-Fi to stay connected abroad, and that 43% cited cash management as their most common payment problem overseas. Around 40% said connectivity limitations had caused them to skip local experiences such as street food markets.

Market context and competitive read-across

Wise’s move reflects a broader push by cross-border payment platforms to extend their value proposition beyond currency conversion. Revolut, a close competitor, has offered eSIM connectivity through its app for some time, making it a direct point of comparison. Monzo and other neobanks have expanded travel-related features but have not yet replicated the domestic QR network integration at this geographic scale.

The QR integration is particularly relevant from a payments infrastructure perspective. Domestic instant payment schemes built on QR standards, such as Pix, PayNow and PromptPay, have grown rapidly and now represent primary payment rails in several markets rather than supplementary options. For cross-border players, gaining access to these rails through direct scheme connections or gateway partnerships is increasingly a competitive necessity rather than a differentiator. Wise’s partnership with Alipay+ is notable because it provides access to the Chinese market without requiring a local banking relationship, a barrier that has limited most Western fintechs.

Wise reported processing over $240 billion in cross-border transactions in the financial year 2026, serving around 19 million customers. The Travel Hub expansion sits alongside pay-as-you-go airport lounge passes, multi-currency group bill splitting and in-app country guides, all of which position the Wise Account as a broader travel wallet rather than a pure foreign exchange tool. Whether that bundling strategy drives account activation or deepens engagement among existing customers is the commercial question the company has not yet answered with disclosed data.

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