Why do ATMs and shops in Niue just keep declining my wise card. It worked fine in other countries
Wise was totally useless on my trip to Niue. The ATM wouldn’t process it, and shops had no idea what the card even was. I ended up transferring funds via Wise to a local I met at my guesthouse, who then gave me NZD in exchange-kind of like a local workaround. If you're heading to Niue, do not count on any digital-only cards. Bring physical NZD and you’ll be fine.
I actually got my Wise card to work once at the BSP ATM in Alofi, but only after trying twice. I used chip+PIN, declined currency conversion, and made sure the card was set to NZD in the app. The ATM is old-school and sometimes drops connections, so patience is key. Didn’t bother using the card at shops-everyone preferred cash. My advice: prep your card settings ahead, and bring cash as backup.
I had issues using my Wise Visa during a recent trip. Even though Wise worked fine for me in New Zealand just before, it got declined on every attempt in Niue-both at the BSP ATM and the small grocery stores in Tamakautoga. Locals said the ATM connects via satellite, and international authorizations often time out. Bring NZD in cash-it's basically the only thing that works reliably.
I visited Niue in April and my Wise Mastercard didn’t work at the only BSP ATM in Alofi. It kept giving a generic decline error. Same issue at shops like Swanson’s and even at a small cafe near the wharf. Locals told me that Niue’s banking network is very limited-most foreign fintech cards get rejected. I ended up using NZD cash for the rest of the trip, which is widely accepted everywhere on the island.