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Wise Adds eSIM Plans and Cross-continent QR Payments to Travel Hub

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Wise Adds eSIM Plans and Cross-continent QR Payments to Travel Hub

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.

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.


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