Why do ATMs and shops in Afghanistan just keep declining my wise card. It worked fine in other countries
Afghanistan's banking system is pretty isolated at the moment, especially after 2021. Even before that, Visa and Mastercard access was patchy at best. I tried my Wise Visa card in Kandahar and Kabul-nada. I also ran into problems using Revolut. Local banks just aren’t linked up with global card processors reliably. Best bet is to bring USD in cash and convert little by little. You’ll get better rates in the bazaar than the official ones anyway.
Interestingly, my Wise card did work at a couple of AIB ATMs in Kabul, but only for cash withdrawal, and only during weekday banking hours-no success late night or weekends. I made sure my app had location permissions enabled and my card was active for international transactions. One thing that helped: setting the card to USD rather than my home currency. Also, I didn’t try to pay in stores-cash is king here. Maybe give AIB or Pashtany Bank another try during office hours.
Same happened to me recently in Mazar-i-Sharif. My Wise card had worked in Turkey and Pakistan just before, but no luck here. I asked a shopkeeper who explained that foreign cards aren’t accepted because the banking system is largely disconnected from international networks right now. Also, sanctions might be preventing settlement with foreign issuers. Eventually, I had to use hawala (informal money exchange), which felt a bit old-school but actually reliable.
I had the exact same issue in Kabul and Herat-every ATM I tried with my Wise Mastercard just declined instantly. Azizi Bank, Maiwand Bank, and even Afghanistan International Bank (AIB) all gave the same "transaction declined" message. I think it’s a mix of sanctions, limited international payment processing, and poor backend support. Locals told me most cards from abroad don’t work, and even local cards are finicky. I switched to cash USD and converted it locally-not ideal, but it worked.