Why do ATMs and shops in Ethiopia just keep declining my wise card. It worked fine in other countries
Honestly, Wise was useless throughout my stay in Ethiopia. I tried multiple ATMs across Addis and Bahir Dar-all declined. Even chain stores and cafes didn’t accept foreign cards. I ended up sending myself money through Western Union from my Wise balance and collecting it in ETB. Not ideal, but it worked. If you’re planning a trip, load up on USD or EUR in advance and forget about card swipes.
I had partial success in Addis. The Wise card didn’t work at most banks, but it did work at Dashen Bank ATM inside Edna Mall, near Bole Road. I selected local currency (ETB), declined conversion, and used chip+PIN. The withdrawal went through. It was the only place it worked though-shops and cafes still refused it. My advice: test a few ATMs in bigger malls and avoid relying on Wise for daily payments.
I was in Lalibela and Gondar in April, and no matter where I tried, my Wise Visa card got rejected. Shops, hotels, even the ATM inside Haile Resort didn’t recognize the card. Locals said the banking network here doesn’t support many foreign debit cards. I had to use cash the whole time-thankfully, USD is widely accepted at tourist spots. Tip: bring new, crisp $100 notes-old ones get rejected.
Just got back from Addis Ababa, and my Wise Mastercard was totally useless. Tried ATMs from Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Dashen Bank, and Awash Bank-all gave either a generic decline or ‘issuer unavailable’ message. Even the ATM at Bole International Airport wouldn’t accept it. I ended up exchanging USD at the Addis Mercato area, which gave better rates than hotels. If you’re coming here, definitely don’t rely on digital cards alone.