Why do ATMs and shops in Italy just keep declining my wise card. It worked fine in other countries
Wise card failed at a few places in Florence including a coffee shop and a souvenir store. No idea why. I had money on the card and contactless was on. I asked one shop owner and she said their machine only accepts cards with chip and a local bank network. It’s not just you. Italy is kind of inconsistent with cards especially the newer app-based ones. Carry a backup or some cash if you can.Why do ATMs and shops in Italy just keep declining my wise card. It worked fine in other countries
Same experience here. The card worked in Germany but not at all in Venice. I tried three ATMs and all declined it. One ATM even locked up for a few minutes before cancelling the transaction. I finally managed to withdraw cash at a BNL ATM inside a supermarket. Looks like some machines in Italy are picky with international fintech cards like Wise or Revolut.
My Wise card also kept getting rejected in smaller shops and even a train ticket machine in Naples. I think some places in Italy still use outdated systems or expect local cards. Wise is technically a foreign card even if it has a local-looking IBAN. I had better luck when I switched to my regular bank debit card for in-person payments and kept Wise for online bookings and ATM withdrawals from bigger banks.
Had the same issue with my Wise card in Italy last month. It worked great in Spain and France but kept getting declined at random ATMs in Rome and Florence. Some ATMs just didn't recognise the card at all. I found that using bank-owned machines like UniCredit or Intesa Sanpaolo helped. Avoid Euronet and independent ones. They almost always failed for me.